Students often worry about calling attention to anything negative on a college application, but just because you ignore something doesn't mean admissions officers won't notice it. Admissions officers aren't looking for a diagnosis or a confession; they're looking for context that helps them understand the story your transcript is telling. Take a rough patch in a single class. If you bombed a midterm but sought out extra help and pulled your grade from a D to a C by year's end

It’s decision season. You open your email or log into a college portal to check your admissions status. And the message begins with “We regret to inform you…” If that school was at the top of your list, this is a difficult moment. There is no way to sugarcoat it, and you do not need anyone to try. A denial from a school you cared about is a real disappointment, and it is okay to feel that. But before you let that feeling define what comes next, let’s put this in perspective.