Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Rebeka on March 18, 2008 at 9:05pm

Hi there! I had originally suffered my first bout of hairloss while I was in high school. It gave me a lot of challenges and oppurtunities to mature in a lot of ways that I was lacking - so when it came to picking schools, I chose a place that was right for my education, and I figured that I would have been able to change anything else! I actually didn't look into as many scholarships or else - it hadn't even been suggested to me at that point - and my grades weren't amazing. So I put a lot of effort into my application essay. There are usually some very general kinds of essays, and even some of the more specific ones I managed to make about how much I've learned and grown because of this condition. I never referred to it as a disease - I didn't want to convey suffering on my part (party because I was no longer bald by the time I began the application process, but I am now) because the suffering is not what I wanted to remember the experience by: I will always want to remember the strength that I gained from being able stand up to my high school and people in general, and it's giving me the strength to now find the ability to go into job interviews without wigs!

So... I guess try and look for whatever you can get - there are a lot of scholarships that are out there and many people get them just because so few people apply, and talk with as many teachers as you can to help you write an amazing entrance essay, no matter how great your grades are!

Also, once in school, I did make a group to help meet others with Alopecia (it didn't succeed because my school is a little smaller in a tiny town - so there wasn't anyone else) and I tried to educate everyone that asks!

Good Luck!
~Beka

Permalink Reply by rj, Co-founder on June 29, 2008 at 10:06pm

Hi, Alex and Rebeka.

Given you interest in "using alopecia to our advantage," I thought you might also enjoy contributing to this new discussion.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

rj