<p>or too inappropriate?</p>
<p>I'd imagine college counselors wouldn't place any barriers in these college essays because they want to know all about who we are.
So would they ever be offended by what we write?</p>
<p>simply put, yes. Just because they're adcoms doesn't mean all questions of morality are thrown out of the window. Some definite no-nos; about anything illegal at all (drugs etc.). Nothing about boyfriends or losing your virginity, and no obviously horrendous, distasteful comments (i.e. hitler is good, black people are stupid etc.). They want to see a personal essay, but not TOO personal. So if it is talking about you being raped or some horrible thing that happened to you, don't make it into a sob story. Avoid this topic altogether if possible (if it is so vital that adcoms know about something that happened to you, attach an additional statement).</p>
<p>NO, in my opinion, the more personal, and the more detailed, the more meanings the essay will carry through.</p>
<p>Honestly, with the exception of the examples listed above re: horrendous commentary, anything is fair game if it is well written. Some people write about heart wrenching situations and others about watching clouds or whatever... it is all in the presentation and a good essay will feel right when you are done working on it. Have someone who knows you read it to see if it reflects you. My son had two people read his essays, the comment from both was that "they sounded exactly like him." Keep in mind that if you are writing about something personal and tramatic, that you do not want to sound as if your first stop in college will be the counseling center. College is stressful and they want kids who are resilient and able to handle those freshman challenges. good luck.</p>
<p>Don't listen to bessie or Englishteacher88.</p>
<p>Give kids freedom to talk about whatever they want, and in come the flood of "losing my virginity", "trying drugs for the first time", and "beating up my girlfriend" essays, all of which are WAYYYYY too personal, and an easy reject for the adcom. </p>
<p>Think with your audience in mind. Would you walk up to a complete stranger who's middle-aged and old enough to be your father, talking about any of the previously mentioned topics? You might, but it's certainly not smart. And unless you have the charm of, say a Brad Pitt, it wouldn't work at all. My advice: don't do it, unless you have the whole Brad Pitt thing going for you, in a literary sense, that is.</p>
<p>The goal of a college essay is to communicate something about how you think and some positive aspects of yourself that are not otherwise readily apparent from the rest of your application. After you draft something, take a step back and examine what you are saying and why. It's hard to imagine that the edgiest of themes are really going to do the best job and aren't going to come across as either a play on sympathy or posturing of some sort.</p>
<p>Yes it should be personal--in tone, though, not necessarily in subject. I think that it also helps to remember that they have seen it all before. That whatever you write about will not be unique. How you express yourself is the unique part. So don't spend time trying to come up with a unique topic with the idea that the more out there it is the less likely they have seen it and the more special you will seem to be.</p>
<p>a chick i know wrote about losing her virginit
& she got into an ivy...
it depends on how u write it i guess</p>
<p>Hi, when I said that the more personal, the better your essay would be, I did mean that a meaningful experience through personal contact and perception should lead your readers to a high level of aspirations. The way you approached the essay is totally unacceptable to the Admissions. You are not writing romance.</p>
<p>I was writing about my journey as a homosexual and being somewhat rejected from society. It ends with how I am the person I am today and the positive aspects I took from that.</p>
<p>My mom was snooping around my computer and read it. She flipped. She said it was too personable and they wouldn't accept me into college if they knew I was gay.</p>
<p>Is it really too personable?</p>
<p>personal - of, relating to, or affecting a particular person : private, individual (MW dictionary)</p>
<p>well, i think personal essays are limitless. You could talk about anything you want. However, it's what you DO with the experience or topic and what you have gained from that topic that is important. If you got raped, go ahead, write about. BUT, if you're just talking about getting raped in the essay and how sad and mortifying it was then you have a horrible essay. You should write what you have LEARNED how you have EVOLVED and not make it a "please feel bad for me" story. What have you GAINED, what have you LOST, what have you THOUGHT about since then. How has this experience changed you and your life as it is right now sitting at your computer reading this message. I hope this clarifies the argument (rather than obfuscate)!</p>
<p>
[quote]
they wouldn't accept me into college if they knew I was gay.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I don't agree with this claim (at the vast majority of colleges). Not at all.</p>
<p>There certainly are guidelines that are unwritten but necessary. The subject can be flexible; feel free to choose a frighteningly personal subject, as long as it's not too over dramaticized and what is emphasized are your personal strengths. In other words, if it's gory, don't go into detail but talk about how you overcame it and how it affected you.</p>
<p>On a side note, I bet being gay is more of an asset. It makes you different from 90% of applicants, and shows that you have remained true to yourself despite what others feel. You don't deny or hide it. That's cool, dude.</p>