What I learned from bipolar disorder.

I had to write this essay for one of the schools I'm applying to. I just wanted to share it with everyone on here.

It was a brisk September Saturday, the kind of day Frost or Updike could immortalize in verse. I stood on the sidelines of the field with my cohorts waiting impatiently. Armored like a foot knight, I awaited my orders.
“Punt team, get in there,” a voice bellowed. We took off in a flash, the plastic of our pads clacking with every move. I took my position on the line. The ball was snapped, and before I knew it, it flew overhead. Further down field a boy about half my size was positioning himself for the catch. I knew my target.
I pushed myself and closed in on him. I was about five yards away from making the tackle when I suddenly felt something buffering me from the right. I turned to face my opponent, a burly, snarling lineman. I tried to shake him by stepping back and shoving him off. I failed. He leaned into me. We fell.
And with that my life was changed.
The concussion I received that day would lead to a series of events that ultimately would result in my being diagnosed with bipolar disorder, of which there is no history in my family, leaving my doctors to speculate that the concussion very well may have precipitated the disease. Since then, I have had to struggle coping not only with the effects of the disease on my life but also with the stigma that is still attached to the disorder.
Nevertheless, I gradually learned how to live with bipolar disorder. I monitored my mood cycles and scheduled activities around them. For example during weeks when I was more excitable and energetic, I would do more schoolwork or plan lessons in advanced, knowing that when I was at the opposite extreme, I would have difficulty staying motivated. When I was less energetic, I discovered I was quite proficient in doing detailed, complex work. This scheduling was particularly useful during my graduate studies; I would perform research while I was livelier, scouring several resources a day for data. When I was more sedate, I would engage in synthesizing my collected data and write reports.
What my experience with bipolar disorder has taught me is that I can endure adversity and be strengthened by it as long as I am willing to adapt. This lesson is applicable to all humans and societies, especially in these economic times; just as I have been able to adapt and thrive with bipolar disorder, I am convinced that our economy and financial sector can do likewise. Just as I could not go back to living as I used to before my concussion, our financial markets cannot return to how it was before the current recession. We all must change, grow, and adapt. Sometimes it takes a painful accident to make that possible.

Well written and an interesting read. What kind of schools are you applying for?

The two I'm applying to are Boston University and UMass Boston both because they're within my reach financially (BU sent a lovely package flashing copious amounts of financial aid) and because I need to stay in the area to look after sick relatives.

BU is the top choice because they have a program I'm interested in - a dual MBA/MA Economics program. I wrote this essay for them.

The last two paragraphs are spot on-- we really do have to adapt to our cycles and plan our lives around them-- because even if we're medicated, we're still affected by them. In fact, you've even given me some ideas for some work I have coming up that's been problematic in the past. So thanks for the insight!

It's also the first time I've heard of another person whose bipolar disorder may have been precipitated by a head injury. I got a concussion when I was two years old. I was in a tornado and a tree fell on me, and several other people I was with. I think that concussion may have played a role in my own diagnosis, although I do have a history of other mental illness in my family (not bipolar, though).

Nice job on the essay, and I hope you get into the program!