Application essay about "coming out" as gay

College Essays
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<p>I was wondering what your opinions are on writing an essay on your experiences coming out as gay.</p>

<p>The schools I will apply to will generally be northeastern, liberal universities (Columbia, UPenn, Cornell, Tufts), but I will probably be majoring in engineering (so I might even try MIT). Just so you get an idea of where I'll be applying, here are a few stats:</p>

<p>Although I'm retaking the SAT Saturday, I got a 2240 on the previous SAT which I hope to further improve. Additionally, my GPA is probably somewhere between 3.9 and 4.0 unweighted (4.49 weighted), and my I have some pretty decent extracurricular activities (ambulance corps, president of Mu Alpha Theta, JSA, National Honors Society, etc.).</p>

<p>Anyway, after reading news article detailing Penn's move to further its campus diversity by actively seeking gay candidates, I thought that writing my essay on coming out wouldn't be a terrible idea. Even if my sexual orientation isn't (and personally I feel shouldn't be) the deciding factor, at least I have a meaningful topic for my essay.</p>

<p>To make a long story short, I came out to my parents when my mother found a "love letter," that my friend had urged me into writing for a male crush (though I never really planned to send this love letter to the intended recipient). Ultimately, they accepted me, but I faced a dilemma when I initially lied to my mother after she confronted me. </p>

<p>How do you think using this as a basis for my essay would be? I just want to make it clear that this essay isn't a canvas for flaunting my sexual orientation; it is more so a means of demonstrating my courage in a real-life situation.</p>

<p>Thanks so much in advance for you help!</p>

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<p>I wouldn’t… on the grounds that MANY teenages (including myself) have had to deal with their sexuality. Sure, I would include it in your essay, but whether or not it should be the entire focus is up to you. For schools like that, your essay needs to be original and above average. If you do it, I would try and narrate in an original way.</p>

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<p>@feareman</p>

<p>Again, the focus of this essay is not about coming to terms with my sexual orientation; I don’t even intend to talk about how I realized I was gay. The focus will be how my coming out affected me and the values that I manifested through the experience.</p>

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<p>I think it would be a good idea…for what that’s worth. Ask your guidance counselor?</p>

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<p>Go for it. It shows originality and a slice of YOU. A few years ago in my high school, the president of the LGBTQ Alliance club (who was proud and out) got into Harvard, writing about his experiences and struggles as a gay teenager in a conservative Asian American household. Remember, the college wants to hear your voice, so give it to them. </p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

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<p>I would definitely do it if i were you.</p>

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<p>I think it would be a unique one but you shouldn’t delve into all the orientation stuff too deep (adcoms might be conservative!) you should put all your focus on the troubles you faced after coming out and how you grew and how things panned out for the better when you didn’t have to hide your identity!</p>

<p>^One of my friends wrote something like this and he got into Penn!</p>

<p>I recommend you write it and ask some conservative people to read it and listen to what things they find offensive and try amending those parts!</p>

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<p>^^They couldn’t possibly find it as “offensive” as I find your post</p>

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<p>RE: “I recommend you write it and ask some conservative people to read it and listen to what things they find offensive and try amending those parts!”</p>

<p>I’m honestly not sure whether I should be laughing or cringing at that…suggestion. This certainly stands as one of those think before you speak moments, I think.</p>

<p>But back to the topic at hand. I think it’s a fantastic idea and essay topic. The idea itself certainly has a lot of potential, good luck with the presentation aspect of it all. </p>

<p>Cheers.</p>

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<p>IMHO, you should write something about being gay but NOT the coming out experience. There are so many more original/interesting/personal topics you could write on that the adcoms would respond better to.
For the record: Adcoms are NOT conservative. There are usually a lot of younger (20’s) people on the adcom.</p>

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<p>Just for the record, Penn isn’t actively seeking gay students, it’s asking them to indicate their orientation once accepted so that the university can provide a community for them. </p>

<p>OP, this could go either way. Keep it away from pity-me melodrama and it could be great.</p>

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<p>

I disagree. A good writer can make any topic sound unique.</p>

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Colleges value diversity. Look at what the OP said:</p>

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<p>@Hannibal - No topic isn’t a guarantee in. Colleges like to see struggles you overcame- victimizing yourself in an essay is a good thing, but as someone mentioned do not go overboard. It is probably overdone, but the doesn’t deter from its value, because mostly every topic has likely been covered someone else.</p>

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<p>by someone else** jeez Curtis</p>

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<p>^ I agree.</p>

<p>@redjohn- Who’s Curtis? ;P</p>

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<p>A figment of my imagination.</p>

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<p>I wouldn’t do it if I were you. JMO</p>

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<p>I think this topic might be a bit overdone, but so is every topic. So go for it if you can make it original.</p>

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<p>Guys, pay attention:

</p>

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<p>Still wouldnt do it. Perhaps a general essay on how being true to oneself (whether it be as a vegeterian, an libertarian, or whatever) affects a person as they stand true to their values and their experience in doing so…</p>

<p>One of my s’s wrote an essay on a topic I thought was a little risky. Will never know how that affected his admissions in totality.</p>