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514: Navigating Mental Health Disclosures in the College Application: The Student Perspective

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Welcome to the final episode to our special three-part series on mental health disclosures in college applications. In Episode 3, Ethan’s guest is Emi Nietfeld, author of Acceptance (Penguin Press '22), a critically-acclaimed memoir of her high school journey through foster care, homelessness, and the troubled teen industry to attend college at Harvard. In this frank conversation, Emi opens up about, among other things: 

  • How the notion of disclosing (or not disclosing) may actually be somewhat problematic

  • The difference between writing about challenges in general… and writing about them for the purposes of the college application

  • The role she believes high school counselors can play in supporting students with mental health challenges during the college application process

  • Takeaways for college admissions officers evaluating applications that include mental health disclosures

  • And more

A former software engineer, Emi Nietfeld is a full-time writer on mental health, inequality, and higher education. She’s passionate about mental health, helping young people navigate their careers, and the connection between engineering and creativity. Her essays have appeared in New York Magazine. The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and other publications. 

We hope you enjoy the conversation. 

Play-by-Play

  • 2:14 - Emi shares her background and story 

  • 3:50 - What advice would Emi give to students about whether or not to disclose?

  • 9:20 - Emi’s story, as told in her book, Acceptance?

  • 11:55 - What was the college application process like for Emi?

  • 14:24 - How did Emi’s college essay change from the first to final draft?

  • 19:49 - Where else in the application are there opportunities to disclose?

  • 23:38 - What did the rest of Emi’s application look like?

  • 30:00 - How has writing helped Emi process her experiences?

  • 33:17 - How can high school counselors help their students navigate this process?

  • 36:11 - What advice would Emi give to college admission readers?

  • 42:29 - How has Emi’s life been different since writing Acceptance? 

  • 46:40 - What are Emi’s hopes for the future of mental health disclosures in college applications?

Resources

 

513: Navigating Mental Health Disclosures in the College Application: The Admission Officer Perspective

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Welcome to the next episode to our special three-part series on mental health disclosures in college applications. In Episode 2, Ethan is joined by Christina Lopez, Dean of Enrollment Management at Barnard College. They cover, among other things:

  • Why is this topic important—both generally, but also personally, for Christina?

  • What advice would Christina give to students about whether or not to disclose?

  • What does Christina look for in a personal statement?

  • How can college counselors and parents help their students navigate this process?

  • And more

Christina Lopez has served in college admissions for 18 years. She attended New York University Tisch School of the Arts and majored in Drama and later received her M.Ed. from NYU Steinhardt in Higher Education Administration. After graduating she worked in television and film casting and realized she enjoyed working with students. Her first admissions job was at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in NYC. During her time at NYU, she read for the Stern School of Business and managed the admissions process for Tisch School of the Arts. She joined Barnard’s admissions team in 2014 as the Associate Director for Multicultural Recruitment and now serves as the Dean of Enrollment Management, providing oversight to the Office of Admissions and Financial Aid.

During her career in higher education, Christina has served as an Executive Board Member for New York State Association of College Admissions Counseling (NYSACAC) and Co-Chair of the Association of Black Admissions and Financial Aid Officers of the Ivy League and Sister Schools (ABAFAOILSS). As an advocate for access and equity within higher education, she has previously served on the board of Go To College NYC and Minds Matter, two Community-Based Organizations in NYC that serve under-resourced students as they navigate the college process.

We hope you enjoy the conversation.

Play-by-Play

  • 2:29 - Why is this topic important—both generally, but also personally, for Christina?

  • 4:05 - Christina shares her background 

  • 15:27 - What advice would Christina give to students about whether or not to disclose?

  • 20:36 - What are some different options for where students can disclose if they choose to?

  • 23:33 - What information might not be as helpful to disclose?

  • 26:00 - What does Christina look for in a personal statement? 

  • 33:45 - Christina shares some memorable college essays

  • 38:22 - How can college counselors help their students navigate this process?

  • 40:38 - What should students and families keep in mind during the college admission process?

  • 50:31 - Closing thoughts

Resources

 

512: Navigating Mental Health Disclosures in the College Application: The Counselor Perspective

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Welcome to our special three-part series on mental health disclosures in college applications.  To kick things off, Ethan interviews Chris Loo, Director of College Counseling at The Stony Brook School, where Chris has been working to help students navigate mental health disclosures in their applications for years. In this episode, they explore:

  • Which student populations does Chris see struggle with mental health challenges?

  • When to disclose mental health issues and when it might not be necessary

  • How and where in their applications students can disclose, from their additional info section to the counselor recommendation letter to the personal statement

  • Advice for counselors and an exploration of the question: "Are we discussing this too much?"

This episode is informed by conversations with many admission officers over the years and by direct work with students. If you’d like to hear from an admission officer directly, check out episode two in this series with Christina Lopez, Dean of Enrollment Management at Barnard College, and episode three with Emi Nietfeld, who discusses what it was like to navigate mental health disclosures from the student perspective.

Chris Loo immigrated from South Korea at the age of 5 with her parents. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in American History and received her Masters in Clinical Social Work. She has also worked as a music teacher, a campus chaplain and a mental health counselor at a refugee resettlement organization. She also serves as a board director for the National Association of College Admission Counselors (NACAC). 
We hope you enjoy the conversation.

Play-by-Play

  • 2:24 - Chris’ background in mental health and college counseling

  • 6:11 - Should students disclose mental health challenges in their college application?

  • 10:20 - What questions can students ask themselves to help decide?

  • 15:08 - What is the Additional Information section and how could it be used to disclose mental health challenges?

  • 17:20 - Chris and Ethan review an example disclosure from the Additional Information section

  • 24:06 - What information could be shared through the counselor letter of recommendation?

  • 24:42 - Chris shares a sample counselor letter example 

  • 34:33 - Ethan reads a personal statement sample where a student chose to disclose 

  • 47:15 - What is the role of the counselor in this process for students?

  • 54:44 - Are we talking about mental health too much? 

  • 57:27 - Closing thoughts for students and families

Resources