Chambers
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Would it be beneficial in my college essay to talk about my alopecia?

Anonymous in /c/writing_critiques

646
Basic rundown of what I wrote: I was diagnosed with alopecia areata when I was 3 years old. (It is a disease that causes your hair to fall out due to an autoimmune reaction to your hair follicles.) As of now I have alopecia totalis, which is the more severe form of the disease that causes you to lose all of the hair on your head. I don’t yet have alopecia universalis, which would be losing all of the body hair as well.<br><br>I have a very supportive family and teachers who were all very understanding. So it wasn’t a big issue in middle school and elementary school (it was actually fun to not have to go through haircuts as much! - though I do sometimes regret not getting to have long hair). However, once I got to high school and was able to meet new people every year. I have had several experiences with people either asking me about it or otherwise making a scene when I put on the wigs. One time a guy even pulled my wig off of my head. (I know, very mean of him to do.). So I think that it is an idea worth mentioning, especially in a college essay because it’s something that I believe gave me a lot of character and helped me to develop personally. <br><br>I had to deal with bullying because of it and I have a complicated relationship with it that I don’t fully understand. I have a hard time talking to people about it and I have considered getting treatments. I have a hard time expressing my feelings about it to other people so having to write it down is going to be very difficult for me. I’m worried that I might not do it justice because of that.

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