Reposting because it got buried after being moved.
Does the “Create your own prompt” option on the common app affect your application in any way? I have seen a prompt elsewhere I feel would give admissions counselors a better view of me. The prompt is “American Indian writer Sherman Alexie wrote, ‘life is a constant struggle between being an individual and being a member of a community’” How do you understand this struggle in your own life?". I would write about being openly gay to my classmates at a private high school and how my behavior is affected by the fact that I can be seen as a walking paradox. Would choosing to respond to a prompt different than the “standard” ones hurt my application in any way? Is my choice of essay stupid?