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I commenced my bachelor of math 8 years ago and at the same time I was diagnosed to have cancer. Because of the treatment process and the emotional state that I was in, I only completed 3 subjects in the first year, 1 subject in the second year, no subjects in the third year and only 1 subject in the fourth year. By this time, I was feeling well, and I enrolled full time in the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th year and I just graduated recently with a 4.0 GPA (out of 4.0 GPA). My academic transcript does not show my withdrawn subjects and it only shows my completed subjects.

So my first question is that should I tell in my application about this history? will it have any negative impact on my application? I am afraid that if I tell the admission committee that I suffered from cancer, they will reject me because they may think that if it comes back during my graduate studies, then the same thing could happen. Will it look really bad that I only completed very few subjects in the first four years?

How important is it for graduate admission committee that how long it took you to complete your undergraduate degree?

Jessica Lee
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    Hi Jessica and welcome to Academia SE. Have a look at these related questions, even though they refer to different levels, they may be of interest to you: https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/34630/20058 https://academia.stackexchange.com/q/34566/20058 – Massimo Ortolano Jan 05 '19 at 09:25
  • @MassimoOrtolano Thanks for your comment. I looked at them but I think that my situation is different as you said yourself – Jessica Lee Jan 05 '19 at 09:34
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    This is not an answer to your question, but I feel it must be said: If you really want to do graduate studies, don't let anyone hinder you for unfair reasons. Also, find the people who value you as you and can support you, whether or not you eventually do graduate studies. Saying or doing 'the right thing' to get accepted is not actually the most important thing. Doing what you enjoy with peace of mind is more important. All the best! =) – user21820 Jan 05 '19 at 12:03
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    Without delving into an answer because I'm not an academic... wouldn't "I'm so passionate about this subject that even cancer didn't stop me!" be a huge selling point? – WernerCD Jan 05 '19 at 17:13
  • FWIW, it took me ~15 years to complete a BS (for a different reason than yours), with courses at several different schools depending on where I was and what I could schedule & afford. Didn't stop me from getting into a Master's & later PhD program. Don't think it was ever an issue... – jamesqf Jan 06 '19 at 00:33
  • Frankly, FWIW. I think that today one can do science or math without being in school. Wish you all the best. – 0x90 Jan 06 '19 at 04:06
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    @JessicaLee Congratulations on beating the dragon. May you live long and prosper. – Ian Kemp Jan 06 '19 at 21:28
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    @WernerCD Yes it definitely is good selling point for proving being a strong person. But it may make them fear what if she won't be able to finish because she gets sick again. It will be bad for institution to have unfinished students. – mathreadler Jan 07 '19 at 10:51
  • Gaps in your education and work history are interview question targets regardless of the circumstances, mostly for interviewers to determine your motivations and growth and also to determine character. As long as you respond in a reasonable manner, i.e. not defensively or inappropriately, I will eat my socks if anyone finds your reasoning to be inadequate. – Compass Jan 07 '19 at 14:49
  • Although there are probably plenty of ways around it, I would think that denying you due to cancer is a big no-no from an administration/liability perspective. That seems like the type of decision to get you into legal trouble, or potentially harm the institutions public image. Odds are you would never know that it was the reason; but I can't imagine many institutions are eager to go down that path. – JMac Jan 08 '19 at 12:26
  • I agree with the many other answers that this is likely to help your application. I also have to say, rather painfully, that the admissions committee probably doesn't worry or even care that much about your falling out of remission, at least before they have a personal relationship with you. Students leave math graduate programs for many reasons unrelated to academic performance (e.g., lucrative software or finance job offers) and even in the very worst case, it's just one more slot in a future entering class. – Andrew Lazarus Jan 08 '19 at 18:13
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    Personal anecdote: when I applied for my engineering masters I mentioned that my grades were a bit scattershot because I was diagnosed and successfully treated with cancer (stage IVb) during my undergrad. They suggested I apply for a scholarship available for students who had achieved good grades despite challenging circumstances. Result was more than half of of masters degree fees were covered. Go figure ;) – Lamar Latrell Jan 09 '19 at 07:27

7 Answers7

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First of all, I’m happy you’re doing better! It would take a truly heartless committee to ignore the circumstances. In the US it’s illegal if I’m not mistaken, but from a recruiter’s perspective I would definitely see the fact that you overcame adversity and managed to graduate with a good GPA as a point in your favor.

Mention this in your statement of purpose. Don’t be melodramatic, just state that you had to take a break from your studies to fight cancer, and then got back into it once you were done. I’d see that as a sign of fortitude and perseverance!

Good luck!

Spark
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    It's possible that you don't even need to explicitly state it was cancer. Just refer to it in more general terms such as a medical condition that is now resolved. This may be preferable for privacy reasons, or to avoid potential bias, if any of those are a concern. Depends on how the OP feels about making this information relatively public. – Ulysses Jan 05 '19 at 15:48
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    Agree with Spark and @Ulysses. I don't think anyone will look at it negatively. At least, I can't imagine it influencing a committee in any way by positively (in the US, not familiar with other cultures). – user0721090601 Jan 05 '19 at 15:54
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    @Ulysses I believe there may be more unconscious bias against someone who says "medical condition", which could cover mental issues, than with "cancer" (I would honestly expect a positive bias in this case, actually). YMMV, and of course it depends on what the OP is comfortable sharing. – Marc Glisse Jan 05 '19 at 23:11
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    "In the US it’s illegal if I’m not mistaken" - what does the "it's" refer to here? Illegal to ignore them? To ask about it? – Paul Jan 06 '19 at 01:51
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    @Paul discrimination based on health reasons. HR is not allowed to even ask about it. – Spark Jan 06 '19 at 04:34
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    @Spark It's more nuanced than that. It is perfectly legal to ask and discriminate on health issues if it is relevant to the job and the same criteria is applied to all applicants. For example, a job operating heavy machinery can disqualify applicants with a history of seizures. The key is that the OP's previous cancer is not relevant to the job. – user71659 Jan 06 '19 at 19:20
  • Discriminating against someone who had cancer is undoubtedly illegal, but I can't imagine that you're not allowed to "overlook" a person's performance during a bad period (whatever it may be) or even give them some credit for overcoming adversity. – Matt Jan 08 '19 at 18:05
  • What is the specific law that makes it illegal to discriminate based on health history? – scordova88 Jan 08 '19 at 22:11
  • @MarcGlisse: I, personally, would state "medical condition" and no more precisely for that reason. Why should someone who overcame cancer get more positive bias than someone who overcome mental problems? And why should I make it easier for recruiters to pick their "favorite" medical condition among two candidates? Why should a cancer recuperant be privileged over e.g. someone recovering from depression (or vice versa)? "The whole point of having privilege is to use it to help others." Don't make excuses, so others don't have to either. Works both ways. – DevSolar Jan 09 '19 at 12:30
  • @DevSolar that's a very good point. We shouldn't perpetuate the idea that mental illness is somehow less of an illness than physical illness. – Spark Jan 09 '19 at 13:22
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    @Spark: Actually I read Marc's comment to imply that it's more of a problem than cancer. It can be, it can be not. It can be disabling, it can leave you functional, it can be something in between. What it definitely is is widespread, and people afflicted are definitely still not getting the recognition and consideration they should be given, especially since they can well be a significant asset to an organization regardless (just like the OP). What's a complete no-go is leaving these people "out in the rain" by making it easier than necessary e.g. for HR representatives to reject them. – DevSolar Jan 09 '19 at 13:33
  • You would and should think the same for mental illnesses which still linger even after the obtained GPA right? – BCLC Aug 17 '21 at 12:29
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I feel obliged to provide an answer to this question, as I have literally gone through the same thing. In the beginning of my 4th year as an applied math major, I was diagnosed with leukemia. While I initially hoped that I could avoid changing my class schedule and deal with cancer "on the side," it soon became clear that this was not going to happen. I dropped every class I was taking except for senior design (which the school thankfully worked very closely with me on), failed my MATH GRE subject test, and canceled both my application to the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program and applications to math graduate schools in general. After 8 months of hardcore chemo treatments and 2 years of monthly chemo, I finished my treatments, and was ready to apply for graduate schools again. [I had a nearly full-time job for those 2 years in a somewhat related field]

When I was applying to grad schools, I confronted the cancer topic in the opening paragraph of my personal statement. I didn't present it as a reason for someone to take pity on me though. Rather, I presented it as a personal challenge that derailed my initial plans, but ultimately made me a better researcher (nay, person!) after I overcame it. I briefly mentioned how the experience forced me to alter the courses I was enrolled in, explaining the WITHDRAWS on my transcript, but focused more on how during these treatments, I still came to campus as an academic tutor for fellow undergrads.

I am afraid that if I tell the admission committee that I suffered from cancer, they will reject me because they may think that if it comes back during my graduate studies, then the same thing could happen. Will it look really bad that I only completed very few subjects in the first four years?

The professors who read your application are not heartless. They'll understand that your first few years aren't representative of your potential. Your 4.0 and consistent academic progress after you defeated cancer are proof enough that you are serious about your studies. Focus on this evidence and talk about your passion for your math interests, and you should be fine. Getting cancer doesn't ruin your life forever, I promise.

Thankfully, I have been in remission for the past 5 years now. But even so, I am confident that both my advisor and grad school would give me the time off to handle health issues if it comes back. I'm sure you'll have the same experience as me, in that regard. Good to hear you're back on your feet, and good luck with your applications.

NoseKnowsAll
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    (+1) This seems like exactly the right way to handle it. Glad you're doing well, @NoseKnowsAll! – Matt Jan 06 '19 at 17:49
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I think that if you mention it it's gonna be a plus. Almost everybody struggle at some point in life, the commission is made by people older than you so statistically even if they haven't been in the same situation of yours, something bad happened to them. It can go from loss of a child or the illness and loss of a parent at a young age, or anything else, anything that drags you down for a long period of time. They most likely know how hard it is to recover from life struggles so they may be fine with the fact that you have been a bit slow in your bachelor degree. In my view 8 years without a justification look bad so I think you should mention it, I'm not sure when and how, maybe in the cover letter.

If the time required to graduate is used as a metric then your life situation during that period has to be taken into account too, it would be a bad metric otherwise. Are 8 years with cancer much slower than 3 years with a perfect life?

Another point is that you showed you've been able to handle very stressful situations which are quite common in the PhD. I think they may consider this aswell since some PhD students suffer form mental issues and sometimes breakdowns which lead them to slow down or quit graduate school. In my view a person that had a life threatening illness and now is fine mentally can be a good candidate, since the ability to handle stress and pressure without breaking down is a crucial skill.

Wish you good luck.

RenatoRenatoRenato
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This is more comment than answer, but I can't comment yet so here goes:

The following is a bit blunt: One possibility is that in a twisted(?) way, your struggle with cancer can be viewed as a positive by the admission committee, for their own gains. In this age of diversity, having a student who is a cancer survivor can give the university "inclusivity brownie points".

Regardless, you've already shown how you're academically (and emotionally/mentally) very capable, by graduating with a perfect GPA despite the circumstances.

M. M.
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    In fact, this is precisely an answer to the question, and not at all a comment. Comments are intended to be used for suggesting improvements to the question, and asking for clarification about the question itself. This is a good answer (or at least the start of one). –  Jan 07 '19 at 05:06
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Well, I have a German background, so I'm not sure whether my answer is true in the US as well, but in Germany it would be clearly illegal to penalize based on predictions of your medical history.

Furthermore, I would explain the situation because it gives a rationale about your past process, and maybe you can add a prognosis of one of your doctors regarding the recurrence of the tumor.

OBu
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    I do not think it is wise to mention anything the doctor said, unless explicitly asked and not confidential. Not everyone makes use of information in the right way, so don't provide more than is expedient. – user21820 Jan 05 '19 at 11:55
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    Of course it is illegal to penalize on that base, but in the US as well as in Germany, there are people in decision boards who negatively weight that in anyway (without telling of course). – Aganju Jan 05 '19 at 14:33
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    It is illegal for committees to ask for medical records, so much so that voluntarily providing medical data would make HR freak out about how it might look to have it on file. Don’t do this! – Spark Jan 05 '19 at 15:05
  • It would be irrational (to put it mildly) for the OP to be even considering going to grad school if she believed a medical diagnosis that her life expectancy was too short to complete the course. Obviously there is no "guarantee" than any serious illness will not recur, but there are treatments for cancer after which it is no more likely to recur than in any randomly selected individual, which is as good a "cure" as you can get after any medical condition. – alephzero Jan 05 '19 at 16:46
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    @alephzero Whoa. Let's say you're told that you have a 50% chance of recurrence within 5 years. Would you attempt graduate school or not? Where do you drawn the line? Hawking was told he had 2 years, and originally wanted to quit but kept going. – mkennedy Jan 05 '19 at 19:47
  • +1. However, I would not mention a future reoccurrence (unless you want to). In the US - while I think it is illegal for an employer to ask about recurrence, if you* bring it up* they can talk about it... because you brought it up. To be clear, I would recommend you mention overcoming cancer as I regard that as a positive in your favor - just, in my opinion, don't bring up it coming back unless that is clearly in your favor and you want to talk about it (and don't mind them asking more questions). – J. Chris Compton Jan 08 '19 at 16:03
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    It may be illegal to state medical history as a reason for the penalization. But people can be quite creative with coming up with some other more legal reason to state officially while the obvious unofficial reason will still be medical. – mathreadler Jan 10 '19 at 07:01
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Just jumping into the throng here because I can deeply relate to your problem, and in a slightly different manner is something I struggled with when applying to graduate school last year.

Some background: I am a doctoral student (different field, but still). I had medical (not cancer) issues that bogged past as well. I actually dropped out of college with failed classes and resumed with a different major four years later.

As other answers said - mention it in the personal statement, make it matter-of-fact. I woven it in a single paragraph that was structured somewhat like this:

I wanted to to X. Got sick. Tried my best but my medical issues got the best of me for a time. Worked hard to get better. Tried again because the time spent away enabled me to reassess priorities and my academic path shined through. Now I am better and very committed.

In my statement of purpose I decided not to mention any of this. So my advice: Write about it. Only in the personal statement. You don't even have to mention the specific issue (i.e., cancer) - especially if you are better now. It is nobody's beeswax at this stage. When you do write about it (did I mention that you should write about it? ;)), frame it very carefully. DO: The single most important thing you can do is explain, briefly, how your experience made you realize what is important to you (i.e., graduate work). DON'T make this the only core point about who you are, and do not over sell how you overcame adversity - like everything in your statement (personal and research) - show is better than tell. It should be evident, not self-boasting.

Good luck!

Yuval Spiegler
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I am not US-based, so I'm not sure how relevant my experiences are to you, but here goes. I know several professors here in Europe that have told me that they do consider the time it took you to obtain your undergraduate degree an important factor in your application - they prefer employing people who get things done in time. For that reason, I would recommend offering some explanation as to why it took you 8 years to obtain your bachelor's - you don't necessarily have to go into details, you could for example mention a "serious medical condition" or something along those lines. I'd advise putting something to that effect in your statement of purpose / cover letter.

That being said, completing your bachelor's with a perfect GPA while dealing with cancer to me sounds like something that might happen in a movie, but not in real life. Pulling that off requires enormous resiliency and mental strength - you should be proud, and I'm sure that any admission committee would be impressed by that.

However, I think it is advisable not to write about it in a manner that is too emotional, or letting it take up too much space - you don't want to evoke pity, but simply offer an explanation why it took you longer than usual to finish.

Good luck and take care!

user159517
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