“Being honest if you have gone [to therapy] is imperative to finding the best seminary for you”
I was in seminary this past year, and yes, I was (and still am) in therapy. After discussing it at length with my parents, I made the decision to write on my applications that this was the case and that I was taking antidepressants.
Only one of the three seminaries I applied to brought it up at my interview. None rejected me because of it (I know this because a close relative of mine who teaches in the sems I applied to had access to this info).
I want to emphasize this to girls who will apply next year: Be honest. I know, your worst fear is rejection. But here is the reality: If you’re truly mentally ready for a year abroad without your comforts and familiar surroundings, your rejection will mean that this wasn’t the place for you. Imagine how they would deal with you having a flare-up in Israel! And if you aren’t mentally ready but want to go just to fit in with the rest of the crowd, getting rejected may be the best thing that ever happened to you (and the girls you might have gone with).
In my apartment alone, two girls walked around like zombies all year, suffering with acute depression that for reasons beyond their control was not being properly treated. They suffered tremendously from their year abroad, and it set them both back. It affected the rest of the girls, spreading a dark cloud of gloom above us all, and creating unhealthy relationship bonds with other girls. I can’t say I wish they had been honest on their application, because they hadn’t been to therapy despite their obvious challenges, and theirs would have looked like anybody else’s: the application of a “healthy” (insert healthy dose of cynicism) girl.
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