is it okay to talk about family issues in personal statement Forum

[optimist1]

my moms condition affected me a lot in first 2 years of uni which i honestly believe is one of the reasons i did so badly. it was stressful.

would it be appropriate to talk about this?

[rinkrat19]

Sure, lots of people talk about things like that. Just make sure that YOU are still the focus of the piece, not your mom.

[hephaestus]

Yeah definitely use it. Just make sure it does not come across like an excuse.

[optimist1]

i see other ppl posting their statements here.

i am not comfortable doing that but is there someone i can PM to review? i wouldn't mind sharing it with a couple of ppl but not with all the internet.

[rinkrat19]

People PM me theirs all the time but I generally don't have time to look at them. Plus I think you get better feedback when a variety of people see it. Just post it anonymously with all the identifying information redacted. Use [disease] and [University] and [City] instead of the real things.

[Ramius]

my moms condition affected me a lot in first 2 years of uni which i honestly believe is one of the reasons i did so badly. it was stressful.

would it be appropriate to talk about this?

Additionally, try to avoid language that makes it sound like you're making excuses. Even if it's a good one, you want to come from a position of power, not regret. Talk about how it impacted you and how you came out positively from it. If you talk about family issues that comes off more as whining than perseverence, it'll look bad on you. But yes, this topic can definitely be solid when done properly.