An essay about someone else?

College Essays
1

<p>hey, </p>

<p>i'm starting to write my commonapp essay for this fall and i was wondering if you guys had any tips on how to avoid writing an essay about someone else.
see, i'm writing it about this interesting man i met while living in india who came from a village. and i had known him my entire time in india, but then i found out about a different side of him. um, yeah...haha it's kind of hard to explain. </p>

<p>anyway, how it changed me is kind of self-explanatory, but i'm worried the paper will turn into his story and not mine. </p>

<p>also, i read somewhere that you should show passion in your essay. i'm afraid mine won't show passion because i'm talking about an interesting experience i had which has had a major effect on my life and changed who i am, but there's no passion for anything. </p>

<p>any advice? thanks in advance.</p>

2

<p>Well try to focus on how meeting this man and this man’s qualities/story specifically changed you as an individual. Just make sure you emphasize how he possibly changed your personal outlook on something or how he changed a certain idea you had. I’m sure that as you write the story it will be clear that you are passionate and try to make the most out of every new relationship you have. Good Luck!!</p>

3

<p>Passion: “4b: intense, driving, or overmastering feeling or conviction” (Merriam-Webster dictionary- because I’m too lazy to sign up for OED!). </p>

<p>Your passion is for a story and telling it. Passion does not have to be a passion for academics, athletics, or something more tangible.</p>

<p>Random quote of the day…
Zidane (french footballer): “All I have is a story…” (Adidas Spark commercial).</p>