personal statement explaining bad grades

How to explain low GPA in Personal Statement? (with Examples)

by Talha Omer, MBA, M.Eng., Harvard & Cornell Grad

In personal statement tips & advice.

The  Statement of Purpose (SOP), also known as the personal statement  allows you to give a deep insight into your ambitions and motivations to pursue a particular course at a university.

Bonus Article Sample Personal Statement that explains a low GPA

Credentials like Grade Point Average (GPA) and Standardized tests like the GRE and GMAT only tell about your aptitude or academic excellence. In contrast, the personal statement gives insights into your mind. Of course, not everyone has a stellar GPA and test scores; therefore, a very commonly asked question by such applicants is how they should  explain their low GPA in the SOP .

In most cases, it is best not to allude to your low GPA and instead focus on your strengths. But if you think that you have excellent reasons to justify your low GPA, then you should go ahead and clarify yourself.

Mentioned below are different reasons that you can use to explain your low GPA. Please note that you should always be honest about yourself and not come up with any false reasons to clarify your low GPA.

In this Article

Personal Problems

Good grades in major subjects, financial problems, relevant work experience, recommendation letter, when is it not okay to address a low gpa, when is it okay to address a low gpa.

A very common reason that can justify your bad performance in one semester can be personal health or unfortunate personal reasons. You should explain this very politely, and there is no reason to get emotional and all. And also note that, this reason can defend your low grades in only one semester and that blaming health or personal misfortune to justify multiple bad semesters could go against you.

I recommend reading this  fantastic Oxford University personal statement  that describes how personal health issues caused a low GPA and what the student did to overcome it.

If you have a low overall GPA but have excellent grades in your major subjects or the field towards which you want to align yourself, then you can always use that to reinforce your passion in the particular subject area.

Another way to explain your low GPA in the personal statement can be related to financial problems. For example, you had to study and work at the same time to make ends meet. In trying to do so, you were not able to entirely focus on your studies, and this would go in your favor. But again, don’t try to create an emotional drama; explain your reasoning in 2-3 lines.

You can also take some time off before your application and take a few steps to offset your low GPA. You can mitigate low grades by mentioning your relevant work experience (internships, etc.), workshops or certifications, extra courses that you took, and excellent scores in standardized testing like GRE, GMAT, etc.

If you don’t have any of the reasons mentioned above to justify your low GPA, then the best way is to seek the help of a faculty member who wrote your reference letter. Your faculty member can be the best person to claim that your grades don’t translate your potential and abilities and that you are motivated in your field of study. Your referee can mention these things in a few lines in your letter of reference. Take some time to get yourself on good terms with your faculty members and ask them to write excellent reference letters for you.

It’s good to remind yourself that the admissions board literally go through thousands of applications each year. They are well-acquainted with the myriad reasons students bring up to address their poor academic performance. Hence, it’s not always a good idea to explain a bad grade especially if:

• The low GPA is a common occurrence.  Let’s say you are an all-A student but got a C or a lower grade in one subject then it’s completely fine to explain it. However, there is no point in explaining if all your grades are C’s and Ds throughout your academic career. In that case, you should let your other achievements, such as internships, work experience, extra-curriculars, speak for themself.
• You don’t have a good enough reason. Some people claim that they don’t perform well in examinations, and therefore, their GPA is not a clear indicator of their abilities and motivations. Also, some people say that the methodology of grading adopted in their universities prevented them from scoring well. Such reasons are least likely to work since the undergraduate GPA is not calculated based on one particular exam. You won’t be making any point, instead, you would be wasting a few lines to distract the admission committee members from the subject matter.   Even if most of your grades are good but one or two are not, only address them if you have a good reason. For example, mixing up with a bad crowd, or partying excessively and missing out on studies is not a good example. The reason you got the low GPA must be unique and extenuating.

Addressing a low GPA or a bad grade in your personal statement or college essay is not something that is frowned upon. However, an important precursor is that you must have a legitimate reason for why you got that bad grade. Even the most hardworking and smartest students have their off days, and a one-off bad grade or a bad GPA in a semester isn’t the end of the world. If you have a sincere justification for your shortcoming, addressing it is completely fine.

For example, the following scenarios can offer justification for a bad grade:

• You got extremely sick and had to take a break from studies
• A close family member underwent a medical emergency and you had to be there for them
• The passing away of a close friend or family member
• Financial hardship such as having to work a job while studying to support yourself

These are just a few examples to drive home the point and surely everyone’s circumstances will differ. A good rule of thumb is that whatever reason you cite, it should be specific and believable. Making up extraordinary and/or vague stories to cover up your bad grade is not a good idea. Keep it sincere and present it without embellishments.

Some universities allow applicants to add an addendum to explain more about themselves. This can be an ideal platform for you to tell your reasons. But again, keep the reasoning brief and to the point. Do check with the university if it allows you that luxury or not.

While mentioning all these reasons, you have to be careful that you are polite, brief, rational, and well reasoned. Otherwise, rather than doing good, referring to your low GPA can backfire and work against you.

In the end, once again, I recommend reading this  sample personal statement  that explains low GPA. You can learn from this sample and incorporate something similar in your application essay.

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Should You Explain a Bad Grade When Applying to College?

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As most college-bound students know, the college application is a space for showing off. You want to put your absolute best foot forward to wow those college admissions committees. Sometimes, though, there are less than flattering aspects of your application that you simply can’t avoid.

If you have received a less than stellar grade, you might be wondering how you should address it on your college application. If it’s on your transcript, it’s something that you definitely can’t hide. So, what should you do? In this post we’ll discuss the various scenarios in which you might explain a bad grade, and how you can go about doing so. If you’re wondering what to do about a blemish on your transcript, don’t miss our advice.

When You Should Explain a Bad Grade on Your Transcript

It’s appropriate to address a bad grade on your transcript in a few different scenarios, but the common thread in each is that there is a perfectly good explanation for your bad grade. You may be a conscientious, hard working, intelligent student, but even the most perfect student might sometimes get a bad grade under extenuating circumstances.

For example, if you went through significant personal changes, a family emergency, or another unavoidable event that had an impact on your academic work, you will definitely want to explain what happened. This includes things like a serious illness, the death of a family member, moving to a new school, or a similar, unavoidable event.

Keep in mind that if you want to explain a bad grade and have your explanation bear any weight, it needs to be significantly different from your normal performance. If you have received a series of grades in the range of B- and C+, explaining a C or a C- won’t affect your application much. Instead, the bad grade or grades need to significantly differ from the grades you normally achieve. Explaining a C or C- will be much easier if you normally pull a perfect GPA.

At the same time, the grades you’re explaining need to be an isolated event. If you get perfect grades during freshman year and then get sick during your sophomore year and get all Cs during the second semester, you’ll only be able to explain them if your grades go back up after your illness passes. If your blemish falls towards the end of your transcript and you don’t have time for it to reflect an improvement, you might even explain that you are now back on track and that the admissions committee can expect to see improvement on your second semester grades.

If your grades suffer significantly due to an unavoidable event, and you are able to recover afterwards, there is a good chance that an admissions committee will be sympathetic to your explanation.

When You Should Not Explain a Bad Grade on Your Transcript

It’s important to remember that admissions committees literally see thousands of applications and they are familiar with a broad variety of personal circumstances. If your circumstances are not likely to stand out as extenuating or unusual, there’s no need to explain a bad grade. Sometimes they just happen, and trying to explain it as though it’s not your fault may come off as an unwillingness to accept personal responsibility.

For example, if you normally receive grades in the B-range but during your junior year you fell in with the wrong crowd, put less time into studying, and got some grades in the lower-C range, you don’t have a very good excuse for the blemish on your transcript. Rather than trying to explain it, you should let your performance speak for itself and work extra hard to hit higher grades during your senior year.

Similarly, there’s no reason to explain grades that aren’t significantly different from your normal achievements. If you are used to getting all Bs, but then get the flu and get an B- in geometry your sophomore year, the admissions committee probably doesn’t need to hear about it. After all, the grade is not much different from your usual performance, and getting the flu isn’t exactly a unique scenario to face in high school.

If you are wondering if you should explain a bad grade on your transcript, ask yourself these questions first:

• Is the bad grade an isolated event?
• Is the bad grade easily explained by a situation that is unique and extenuating?
• Is the bad grade significantly different from my usual performance?

If the answer to any of these questions is no, think carefully before explaining the blemish on your transcript. You may want to discuss your decision with a guidance counselor or teacher first to gain some more perspective.

How To Explain a Bad Grade On Your College Application

Don’t use your personal essay to explain a bad grade unless there is another reason for doing so. For example, if you experienced a traumatic car accident during your junior year and your grades suffered because of it, you should only discuss it in your personal statement if it was also personally significant in other ways. If you grew as a person, learned about yourself, or developed new perspective, you might address the accident in your personal essay. Then, your discussion of its impact on your grades has more context in the bigger picture.

On the other hand, if the only reason you are addressing the accident on your application is because of its impact on your grades, you should include this elsewhere. There are probably more important things you could discuss in your personal statement.

Instead, it’s usually best to address the extenuating circumstances behind a poor grade in the “Additional Information” part of your application. For more information about addressing something of this nature on your college application, see our posts How to Explain Exceptional Personal Circumstances on Applications and Additional Information about Common App’s ‘Additional Information’ Section .

If there is any question about whether you should explain a bad grade on your transcript, consider getting another opinion. Ask a trusted teacher, guidance counselor, or another mentor for their perspective.

For more information about how a blemish on your transcript will impact your college application, don’t miss these posts:

Will Failing a Class Impact My Application?

Can I Get Into a Top College With a C on My Transcript?

How to Get Into a Competitive School if You Struggled in High School

Can a Good SAT/ACT Score Offset a Bad GPA?

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, what's the best way to explain poor grades to colleges on an application.

I know that my early high school grades aren't as great as they could be (mostly Bs and Cs), but I've really improved over the years, and my recent grades are much higher. When I apply to college, how can I effectively explain my early struggles and demonstrate my growth to admissions officers?

It's admirable that you've shown improvement over the years and want to communicate that growth to the admissions officers. Here are a few ways to address your early struggles and showcase your progress:

1. Emphasize improvement: While discussing your academic history, emphasize how your grades have significantly improved over the years. This shows that you've taken steps to progress academically and can handle the rigors of college coursework.

2. Make use of the Additional Information section: Many college applications, including the Common Application, have an 'Additional Information' section where you can explain any extenuating circumstances that may have affected your grades. If there were personal or academic challenges you faced (such as health issues, family instability, or an unsupportive school environment) during your early high school years, this would be an appropriate place to provide context for your early struggles.

3. Letters of recommendation: Ask teachers or counselors who are familiar with your growth to highlight your improvement in their letters of recommendation. This external perspective can effectively reinforce your progress.

4. Address it in your personal statement (if relevant): If your early struggles and subsequent growth ties into the overall theme or narrative of your personal statement, it may be worth mentioning briefly in your essay. However, avoid making it the entire focus of your statement, as you'll also want to highlight other aspects of your character and accomplishments.

5. Participate in extracurricular activities: Engaging in extracurricular activities and showing dedication to them can help indicate your well-rounded development, which might alleviate concerns about your early academic performance.

Remember, colleges look at the entire application and often appreciate candidates who have shown improvement and resilience. Best of luck with your applications!

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Should I explain a single bad grade in my personal statement?

Overall, I have always maintained a good standing in all of my undergrad classes. Most of my grades are either As or Bs. With only one Junior level course with a D. Is it worthwhile to explain this one bad grade? I am afraid that since all my other grades are good, I will only be highlighting that one bad grade by talking about it.

• graduate-admissions

• 7 If the course is particularly relevant to the program you're applying to, then it might make sense to explain it. If not, then not. –  lighthouse keeper Commented Sep 20, 2017 at 12:00
• 3 If you decide to explain the grade, make the explanation as brief as you can. Don't tell a long story that will divert attention from the rest of your statement. –  Andreas Blass Commented Sep 20, 2017 at 17:01

There are really two parallel circumstances to consider here:

• The grade is highly relevant to the program in question . In that case, you might need to address it, as someone will be focusing on that coursework in particular - partially because they will be relying on you knowing the content of that coursework, and with that grade it's hard to argue you do. Though in this case, it's also probably a good idea to strongly consider retaking the course. In this case, you might touch on the reasons, but that should be 1) Short and 2) Be a legitimate reason why this might not accurately reflect your abilities. "I didn't like the professor" is not that reason.
• It's just a random class . 'Women in Medieval Art and Literature' and you're applying to a Microbiology program. 'Calculus 1' and you're applying to a Comparative Literature program. 'German 4' and you're applying for a Computer Science program. In this case, I wouldn't draw attention to it.

• Excellent response. But a minor quibble [PREVIOUS REVISION]: Poli sci isn't my field, but I would imagine some of the more political economy-oriented ones would expect you to either take grad level microeconomics, or at least be able to more-or-less follow econ papers. Either could involve calculus. –  Philip Commented Sep 20, 2017 at 23:52
• 1 Probably a fair point - I've changed it to be even more far afield. –  Fomite Commented Sep 20, 2017 at 23:55

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Should You Discuss a Low GPA in Your Graduate Admissions Essay?

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The purpose of the graduate admissions essay is to permit admissions committees a glimpse of the applicant apart from his or her grade point average and standardized test scores. The admissions essay is your chance to speak directly with the committee, explain why you are a good candidate for graduate study, and why you are a good match for their graduate program.

Beware of Sharing

However, the opportunity to write an essay for the admissions committee is not an invitation to share all of the intimate details of your life. Committees may view providing too many private details as an indicator of immaturity, naivete, and/or poor professional judgment - all of which can send your graduate application to the slush pile.  

When to Talk about Your GPA

In most cases, your best bet is to focus on your strengths and not discuss your grade point average. Avoid drawing attention to the negative aspects of your application unless you can balance them with positive factors. Discuss your GPA only if you intend to explain specific circumstances, courses, or semesters. If you choose to discuss weaknesses such as a low GPA, consider how the circumstances surrounding your low GPA will be interpreted by the admissions committee. For example, explaining poor grades for one semester by briefly mentioning a death in the family or serious illness is appropriate; however, an attempt to explain four years of poor grades is not likely to be successful.

Keep all excuses and explanations to a minimum -- a sentence or two. Avoid drama and keep it simple.  Some applicants explain that they don't test well and therefore their GPA is not indicative of their ability. This is not likely to work as most graduate programs entail many tests and the ability to perform well under such circumstances is valued.

Seek Guidance

Before you discuss your GPA within your graduate admissions essay seek the advice of a professor or two. Do they think it's a good idea? What do they think of your explanation? Take their advice seriously - even if it is not what you hoped to hear.

Above all, remember that this is your chance to present your strengths and really shine, so take advantage of the opportunity to discuss your accomplishments, describe valuable experiences, and emphasize the positive.

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should you use your personal statement to explain bad grades?

<p>my grades sophomore year were not so good…had a few d’s and c’s, but i went through extreme hardship that year (i was assaulted and thus had difficulty focusing on school). should i explain that, or do they kinda see that as an excuse?</p>

<p>the best strategy would be to have someone else (such as your GC) explain your problems in their rec. Bad things happen to people thru no fault of their own and it affects their schoolwork – such as illness or death in the family or of the student, being assaulted certainly falls into this category, etc. So it’s a legitimate explanation and I think adcoms will understand it. </p>

<p> However it is difficult to write an essay explaining the issue without straying into the territory of complaining or worse. Now I don’t know what you’d write, but I can imagine an essay that says teachers were unsympathetic and accused the victim of exaggerating, were not willing to accept late homework or give makeup tests, the school did not provide enough support and created the situation that led to the attack in the first place (especially if the attack happened at school), and so on. Now the problem is these things may actually be true , but an adcom reading your essay has no way of knowing this and doesn’t have the time to do their own investigation. And I have no idea of how serious the assault actually was but there ARE people out there who will blow things out of proportion, and an adcom has no way of knowing the truth (or time to find it out).</p>

<p>A person who has a bit of distance from the issue, such as your GC, makes a much better source for explaining your dip in grades and how you’ve come back strong since then. They will be seen as a more impartial source. A GC who writes to the effect that “Joe was traumatized by the attack and his grades suffered accordingly, but now he is back to his normal self and all the teachers are impressed by his work and attitude” is giving you a strong rec that you can handle big problems in life and work thru them. It is much harder to convey this in your own essay.</p>

<p>My 2 cents worth. Your mileage may vary …</p>

<p>It’s better to have your GC do that. If you need to also do that, include a supplementary essay. Let your major essay demonstrate what you have to offer the college, not problems that you’ve had.</p>

<p>One of the school’s DD applied to had a separate prompt (a comon app school with a supplemental app IIRC) where you could explain anything that needed explaining about your grades etc.</p>

How to Explain Low Undergraduate Grades to Graduate School

Reasons for a Hardship Withdrawal From College

You’re thinking about applying to graduate school, but you have some low undergraduate grades on your college transcript. Although you may have a few low grades on your college transcript, that does not mean that your graduate school admissions application is going to be rejected. Many people have low undergraduate grades for a variety of reasons, but it is up to you to explain these low grades to the graduate school. There are a few things that you can do to help you better explain your low undergraduate grades.

Identify the reasons for your low undergraduate grades. There are many reasons why a person may have low undergraduate grades, such as having a medical illness, experiencing high levels of stress or depression, having a learning disability, working extensive hours on the job, dealing with the death of a loved one, suffering from abuse or being involved in a terrible accident. These types of things can definitely have an impact on your academic performance, which can result in low undergraduate grades.

Write an essay or statement of purpose explaining your low undergraduate grades. Your essay should address the specific reasons for each low undergraduate grade appearing on your college transcript. For instance, perhaps you were in a car accident, and you could not attend classes for a couple of weeks or so. And as a result, you fell behind on your assignments and your grades dropped. Also, be sure to discuss things that you did to improve your academic performance in college, like hiring a tutor or joining a study group.

Ask your professors to write a letter of recommendation for you. Politely ask your professors to explain the reasons for your low grades to the graduate school. A strong letter of recommendation can be very beneficial to your application package, and the graduate school may certainly appreciate this kind gesture from your professors.

Include relevant documents with your application package. For example, depending on the reasons for your low undergraduate grades, you may chose to provide important documents such as hospital records, accident reports, death certificates of loved ones and medical evaluations from your doctor. These types of documents can verify and support your explanation for your low grades.

Discuss your low grades during the interview. You may choose to further explain the reasons for your low undergraduate grades during the interview process with the graduate school. You can also discuss any relevant information that you did not include in your personal essay about your low grades.

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Gwynita Leggington has written and published articles since 2006. Her areas of expertise include health and wellness, education, careers, personal finance and dating. Leggington's work appears on eHow.com, Answerbag.com and Essortment.com. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in communications and a Master of Arts in counseling from Prairie View A&M University.

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Explaining bad grades in personal statement?

• Thread starter brinedandgrilled
• Start date Jun 23, 2017

brinedandgrilled

• Jun 23, 2017

tryingtobeanasiandoc

Full member.

If bad grades weren't part of your PS to begin with, I would not mention it at all. However, I think secondary applications will give you the opportunity to bring it up and explain your case in the future!  

Critically Caring

It was a period longer than a year, for something other than personal/family illness, and I'm talking really bad grades. I would just feel really odd not mentioning it, especially since I didn't decide to pursue medicine till after I'd graduated, and then did extremely well post-bacc when I did all my prerequisites (and lots of upper level bio to try to compensate from my college GPA). It's a huge, obvious stain on my academic record so wouldn't it be weird to just not say anything? Also, yeah I went through a hard thing, but I know that what killed my grades was the fact that I handled it extremely poorly. I became a stronger person and learned how not to handle unfortunate events. If I explained that, would that sound like an excuse? I'm confused because I've read other threads on here and the gist of the responses seems to be to not mention it, but then instructions for the PS say you may wish to include "commentary on significant fluctuations in your academic record which are not explained elsewhere in your application."  

brinedandgrilled said: It was a period longer than a year, for something other than personal/family illness, and I'm talking really bad grades. I would just feel really odd not mentioning it, especially since I didn't decide to pursue medicine till after I'd graduated, and then did extremely well post-bacc when I did all my prerequisites (and lots of upper level bio to try to compensate from my college GPA). It's a huge, obvious stain on my academic record so wouldn't it be weird to just not say anything? Also, yeah I went through a hard thing, but I know that what killed my grades was the fact that I handled it extremely poorly. I became a stronger person and learned how not to handle unfortunate events. If I explained that, would that sound like an excuse? I'm confused because I've read other threads on here and the gist of the responses seems to be to not mention it, but then instructions for the PS say you may wish to include "commentary on significant fluctuations in your academic record which are not explained elsewhere in your application." Click to expand...

JJRousseau said: In my experience many, but not all, secondaries asked if there was something else you would like to say or would like to explain about your application. I'd put it there, but be conscientious of the wise words of gonnif. Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile Click to expand...

brinedandgrilled said: Thanks. Do you think I might be filtered out based on undergrad GPA if I don't explain, though? Undergrad is 3.18 and post-bacc is 3.98 (all of my BCPM was done post-bacc). Click to expand...

Dr. Stalker

brinedandgrilled said: I need to explain some really bad grades that I got, but the reason doesn't fit into my personal statement at all. Should I add the explanation as a sort of addendum at the end? I don't want to end on a negative note, but I don't see how else to fit it in. Is there some other place in the app that I'm missing that I could discuss this? For context, in the PS I'm already talking about a struggle that I overcame (which was not the reason for the bad grades) and how it compounded my interest in becoming a doctor. The other tough thing I went through has nothing to do with my desire to be a doctor and is only relevant because of the effect it had on my academics. Click to expand...

BA2007MD2022

• Jun 24, 2017

There is a spot for disciplinary action in AMCAS. I think its 1325 characters or something. If you had really bad grades, I'm sure your school put you on probation or something similar. Even then, don't focus on the poor grades as much as you should focus on what you learned from that period of time. Your postbach GPA will show them you can perform well. Sent from my SM-N910V using SDN mobile  

I had trouble with this as my bad year and my recovery from it was central to the activities I became involved in after college and had a significant impact on who I am today (I became involved in some counseling positions). I incorporated the concept of failure and redemption in the first paragraph and then focused on the rest of the story. It got strong approval from those who read it, but I did not realize how bad it might be to bring that up and in some ways regret it. On the other hand, I would certainly not be the person I am or have had the experiences that led to my interest in medicine without it. If you have already written much of your statement and did not need to bring it up to explain the "why medicine, why now?" aspect, then don't feel obligated to add it in. I'm pre-writing secondaries and one question is about the most humbling experience you have had and how that affected you. Might be a good place to explain. Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile  

PreMedMissteps

The great west coast.

brinedandgrilled said: Undergrad is 3.18 and post-bacc is 3.98 (all of my BCPM was done post-bacc). Click to expand...

sweepsingle33

PreMedMissteps said: That's good. So what is your BCPM GPA? Click to expand...

I also had a slew of bad grades in undergrad. I didn't mention them in personal statement, but actually asked a professor to mention that despite subpar grades I was an enthusiastic learner in his recommendation. In all my interviews (and for MSTP there are a lot of people interviewing you) only 1 person ever mentioned my grades and I had a short, sweet, response to them. I say that your application and especially your personal statement, is about who you are now. If there's space in a secondary, do that, but don't worry too much about it otherwise. Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using SDN mobile  

• Jun 25, 2017

the evil queen of numbers

brinedandgrilled said: It's 3.98. Thank you everyone for your advice! I was never put on academic probation (thank the lord), so I can't put it under disciplinary action, so I'm leaning towards just not mentioning it till secondary apps; hopefully I get some. I'm also going to try calling my top choices next week and see if they have any preference. Click to expand...

LizzyM said: If your grades weren't bad enough to land you on academic probation, then they weren't really bad. Click to expand...

PreMedMissteps said: @brinedandgrilled Can you clarify? Are you saying that the 3.18 undergrad GPA was the result of some good grades and some really bad grades, such as a mix of A's, B's and a couple of D's and F's? Click to expand...

brinedandgrilled said: Yep. I never got an F (and down to D- was still passing), and I never dipped below 2.0 GPA for any single semester, so I never got put on academic probation, but there were a few semesters when I got combinations of A's and D's. Given this info, do you think I should say something after all? Click to expand...

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Explaining bad grades in personal statement

About me: I'm graduating with my Bachelor's in Biology this semester. I have a cGPA ~3.1 and sGPA ~3.0. I am an EMT and have 2000+ hours doing a mix of IFTs and 911. I shadowed nurses in high school for ~36 hours and have shadowed PAs for 12 hours. I volunteered at a hospital and gained ~200 hours in the ER.

Obviously my grades are low. My C's are in gen chem 1 & 2, genetics, biochem and animal physiology and calculus. My genetics and biochem grades were so low because I was severly depressed, cycling on and off meds and generally trying to maintain myself.

How do I address this in my statement? I obviously need to address this and improve other aspects of my application since retaking those classes won't improve my GPA that much. Will schools look down on me for having a mental illness? Can I just own it and make it positive?

Thanks in advance!