<p>It's not a cuss word or anything...... but I just want to double check with you guys</p>
<p>thanks!</p>
<p>I’m not an Adcom.
But I’d say yes, I remember my friend using words like “hell” and stuff like that.
He got into all of the UCs</p>
<p>I’d say it depends in what context you’re using it. I mean, I’d say you’re probably better off using damn because it sounds more sophisticated than darn, and the admission officers shouldn’t be off-put if its used correctly. But that’s just my opinion.</p>
<p>Darn will probably sound weird, why not damn?</p>
<p>Swear if it works in the context of your essay (unless you are applying to a Christian school ;))</p>
<p>but i don’t ever say damn… I say darn,
what if I said-
I smiled to myself, shaking my head slightly as I thought of the darn cow who…</p>
<p>Meh. I would still use “damn.” Darn just sounds so… childish?</p>
<p>But it’s ultimately up to you. Your essay is supposed to portray your voice. And now you know it’s okay to cuss in your essays, as long as it’s in context. (:</p>
<p>I used “hell” and “s#it” so I think “darn” is fine.</p>
<p>p.s the “#” is “h”</p>
<p>ugh, well personally I always say darn, dang and words like that.
Would they be put off by my “childish” way of speaking/writing :(</p>
<p>I think that if it’s your voice, then go for “darn”. “Damn” sounds too angry for such a light-hearted sentence.</p>
<p>Maybe “childish” wasn’t the right word to use. I didn’t mean it offensively.</p>
<p>If you prefer darn, say darn. That’s really not going to make or break your essay. I guess it also depends on the tone of your whole essay instead of just that sentence; since you say darn and dang (more light-hearted, as illusiondestiny said) rather than damn, my guess is that the rest of your essay is written in that context. Maybe?</p>
<p>^yep, it is.</p>
<p>but I don’t say dang in the essay, I was just pointing out that when I talk I say it. Anyways, thanks for the input.</p>
<p>
Yes, but only if you’re writing about mending socks.</p>
<p>^?
no comprendo</p>
<p>If its part of your writing voice, use it. Just make sure it matches with the diction of the rest of your essay.</p>
<p>My sister included something about “shipping her ass back home” in an essay on a foreign travel experience. It was one of those extremely overused topics about endeavoring outside her comfort zone and how it broadened her perspectives. </p>
<p>A lot of people, myself included, told her that her topic was cliche and uninteresting, but she never backed down. She’s has a sassy personality and I guess she was able to show her genuine likability to the adcoms. So, if you used any word correctly given the tone and context of your essay and your personality, I think you’re okay. That’s not to say that an essay chocked with explicitives is acceptable, especially at a religious school. Ultimately, you have to be the judge of your own writing. As long as it shows a positive side of your personality overall, you will be okay :)</p>
<p>definitely you can use it!
I know a guy used the word "fu*k’ in his CA. He got into Columbia and dartmouth. 
It doesn’t matter if it fits the context.</p>
<p>Heck, my essay also has darn, heck, hell, crazy and I guess a few more.</p>
<p>Please consider carefully the fact that adults will be reading your essay, and that most of the responses you’ve received so far seem to come from students.</p>
<p>I don’t claim to speak for all adults, but in most cases, I view using curse words or substitutes for curse words in an essay as inappropriate and lazy. The concept that using curse words instead of their substitutes is more “sophisticated” is laughable.</p>
<p>Some readers might be tempted to reply that I am caught in the dark ages or hopelessly prudish. Feel free–but note that the reader of your admission essay is, like me, a stranger to you and will certainly be older than you; he or she may have, like me, grown up in the dark ages or may be offended by the use of profanity. </p>
<p>I will, however, note that use of the word “darn” is probably the mildest substitute for a curse word. If you cannot think of any alternative that fits, use it only in a quotation and only if it truly adds to your picture of the situation.</p>
<p>When I taught economics, I told students that the only time they were allowed to use “dam” in my classroom was when they were answering the question, “What is an example of a public good?” Of course, the primary reason I even brought that up was that I wanted them to be able to give an example of a public good.</p>
<p>Darning socks means mending them by making stitches that cross the hole in every direction.</p>
<p>^^I am one of the adults who answered and I stand by my opinion. My son is an excellent writer and has been fortunate to have had some very fine instructors. He sometimes write essays with “colorful” language and has never received lower marks because of it. He went so far as to use the “F” word in his SAT essay and received a 12. I am not saying he received good grades because of the curse-words, merely that if the context of the writing calls for it, it doesn’t hurt to use it.</p>