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Writing about struggles as an essay prompt???


Ann.without.an.e
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Everyone who expresses that they know this process tells DD that she can't make her additional information an essay about her struggle with autoimmune disease.  "Everything needs to be positive and upbeat, etc"  She is a fantastic writer and the writing in her autoimmune piece is stellar.  She really wants to use it in the additional information section.  Any thoughts?

 

As far as it being an essay - they give them 650 words so an essay is ok right?  

Edited by Attolia
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That's BS. I wrote my law school admissions essay about a negative experience I had with crime. I wrote my college admissions essay about the culture shock involved in moving from SoCal to the Deep South. Happy, happy, joy, joy is not necessary. Authenticity, conviction, thoughtfulness and SOLID writing matter so much more.

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:bigear:  :bigear:

 

DS is considering writing about his recent ASD/atypical learning disorder/gifted diagnosis. I think probably the essay does need to be spun into some sort of positive (i.e., how I've successfully dealt with this struggle). But the prompt IS about a struggle, which by definition can't be all upbeat and positive.

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What I'm reading/hearing  is that admissions officers are just getting a bit burned out on reading one essay after another about students overcoming stuggles. Like anything else, there are trends in admission essay topics -- and recommendations about them -- and the "how I overcame" topic was very hot for a few years. (Other things on the "no-no" list include your life-changing experience observing poverty or privation in a foreign country, your life-changing experience volunteering with the less fortunate, that time you scored the game-winning goal, why your mother or father is your role model . . .)

 

That doesn't mean it's a firm rule, just a suggestion. Essentially, writing about a topic that your reader is going to perceive as tired or overdone means you have to win over a reluctant reader. 

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What I'm reading/hearing  is that admissions officers are just getting a bit burned out on reading one essay after another about students overcoming stuggles. Like anything else, there are trends in admission essay topics -- and recommendations about them -- and the "how I overcame" topic was very hot for a few years. (Other things on the "no-no" list include your life-changing experience observing poverty or privation in a foreign country, your life-changing experience volunteering with the less fortunate, that time you scored the game-winning goal, why your mother or father is your role model . . .)

 

That doesn't mean it's a firm rule, just a suggestion. Essentially, writing about a topic that your reader is going to perceive as tired or overdone means you have to win over a reluctant reader. 

 

That's just it. I don't think "how I overcame" is really authentic for most kids (it wouldn't be for mine) and poverty tourism screams privilege. I would never discourage a kid who actually lived through some tough stuff from talking about that tho, especially if the experience leads to atypical outcomes/life lessons.

 

Then again, I have always tried to defy expectations and stand the conventional wisdom on its head. If they asked me why the sky was blue, I'd answer with how do you know it's blue? I think it's purple, and I'd defend that position. If they ask about a struggle, I'd question whether (insert challenge here) was a struggle because I always saw it as a blessing in disguise. I distinctly remember one question where I, literally, said I can't answer this question and went on to explain the assumptions inherent in the question that made it so hard for me to respond. I got in everywhere I applied. I think once you get past the 'can you form a decent sentence/paragraph/essay' hurdle, the thinking, creativity, and personality the essay conveys is so much more important than the topic.

Edited by Sneezyone
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I had this conversation with someone who is a 2nd reader for an Ivy. I absolutely listened to her POV. Her advice is that you don't want the team (apparently they work as a team reading the essays) to have any doubts that your student can be successful on their campus. Mentioning it is and talking about how you overcame it and were still academically successful is OK, but don't make the illness the focus. The student always needs to be in the forefront.

 

I addressed my Dd's illness in my counselor letter. She did not address it in any of her portion of the application. She didn't want it defining her and felt she had much better topics about herself that she wanted them to visualize when "seeing" her as a potential student.

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I had this conversation with someone who is a 2nd reader for an Ivy. I absolutely listened to her POV. Her advice is that you don't want the team (apparently they work as a team reading the essays) to have any doubts that your student can be successful on their campus. Mentioning it is and talking about how you overcame it and were still academically successful is OK, but don't make the illness the focus. The student always needs to be in the forefront.

 

I addressed my Dd's illness in my counselor letter. She did not address it in any of her portion of the application. She didn't want it defining her and felt she had much better topics about herself that she wanted them to visualize when "seeing" her as a potential student.

I have a friend who works admissions for not an Ivy. She says pretty much the same thing.

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Everyone who expresses that they know this process tells DD that she can't make her additional information an essay about her struggle with autoimmune disease.  "Everything needs to be positive and upbeat, etc"  She is a fantastic writer and the writing in her autoimmune piece is stellar.  She really wants to use it in the additional information section.  Any thoughts?

 

As far as it being an essay - they give them 650 words so an essay is ok right?  

 

And essay about overcoming a disease could be the cliche the committee has read a million times before, or it could be fresh and new and wonderful.  Find a college counselor (or someone with experience with admissions) who can read the essay and tell you in which category it belongs.  

 

If they call it a cliche, I would do as pp's have suggested and put your dd's fantastic writing skills to work on another topic that moves her.  It's a shame it has to be that way.   

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I'd probably look at how the essay fit into the overall story that the student is presenting to the admissions committee. Certainly, you do not want the big picture to be "Woe is me." But a tale that presents unique qualities that are not evident elsewhere in the application, and particularly if it showcases exceptional writing and expressive talent, should be included.

 

My daughter's best essay, without a doubt, was one about her relationship with a troubled sibling, which had been a major family issue over the previous year; and it is interesting, she had markedly greater success with admissions and scholarships with the schools that received that essay in some form (as it would have to be tweaked for various formats.) But her other essays went in other directions, and her overall presentation was one of strength and potential for success.

 

Editing to add this: at Dartmouth, I had the opportunity to chat with one of the people who reads apps. She was quite young, a recent grad, and she told me that many of the people that are hired to do initial readings are similarly young. We were past the application stage for that daughter at the time, so there was no need to overthink that bit of the application process, but I think it is probably generally true that at large schools you should be aware that the first people looking at the app may not be terribly seasoned.

Edited by Gr8lander
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