<p>Before I begin writing the Common App essay, I was hoping some of you could tell me if what I plan to write about is unique enough to catch the interest of a competitive school? </p>
<p>(briefly,) In 1997 my dad had brain surgery to fix his AVM, which caused him to have seizures and he might have died of a stroke had the condition not been treated. I was planning on writing about how that surgery has affected us, as he has been on disability every since, so my family is living on single income. In addition to financial woes I plan to touch on just how our family has been affection emotionally and such, his frustrations and how they are dealt with....and such. Another question I have is does this sound like something people write about just to sound pathetic, to earn pity or praise for a unique situation? Because I don't want to sound like I'm just using this info for a good essay, it has actually meant something to me.</p>
<p>Anywho, any opinions, criticism etc would be appreciated.</p>
<p>If you can write an essay that tells something about YOURSELF go for it. At a college visit to Brown, they told me that I should avoid talking about disease but if it had a major effect on your life, by all means go for it.</p>
<p>The guy at Brown said that they don't like this subject because most people just use it to evoke sympathy and end up saying very little about who they really are. The whole point of the essays are to give the admissions people a sense of who YOU are. If you can write a great essay on this subject that says a lot about you then go for it.</p>
<p>The answer most adcoms give to this question is the same - great essay, let's admit the father/grandmother/relative and reject the applicant. The essay has to be about YOU. Everything that happened around you can only be a setup for discussing who you are.</p>
<p>Most people have already said it, but do make sure you emphasize YOURSELF. How has this affected you? Get your personality across, reveal your character... you don't have to avoid the topic just because it's "risky."</p>
<p>I wrote a fairly good essay talking about how my dad's medical bills created a necessity that I filled by founding my own business. I went through many, many revisions in trying to not sound like I was trying to evoke sympathy. In the end this is the strategy that I found most useful:
1) confront the situation briefly and directly at the start of your essay (I did it in 3 sentences in the 2nd paragraph)
2)don't blow up the situation, say it 'matter-of-factly'
3)use the rest of the essay (90% in my case) to talk about how you grew the the experience. The essay is not about your dad but rather yourself.
4) I know that I was very fortunate to found a business, but how did you deal with it? Just how you said it, it seems like you have had a rough time, but didn't take advantage of the situation in any way. If you did take advantage of the situation, that is what your essay should focus on.</p>