<p>So I'm going to apply to about 11 schools next year, with UMass, Bentley, and SUNY Binghamton being among those schools. Using the common app, I want to do either one of the following prompts:</p>
<p>Identity/Background - using this prompt, I'd talk about my entire life so far - being a miracle baby, having an IEP, and the issues I had that made me have a torrid sophomore year, with problems in my family being at the forefront. However, there's a chance that my GC would mention the latter in her LoR, so mentioning it in the essay would probably make it seem redundant.</p>
<p>Failure - I would explain either my poor Algebra 2 grade in sophomore year (C) and elaborate on how I learned from that grade as well as how it spurred me to work harder as a junior. This would especially make sense, as I feel that I'm about to get a B in PreCalculus this year.</p>
<p>What do you think? All opinions are welcome.</p>
<p>P.S. I'm a URM male, if that makes a difference.</p>
<p>Both of those ideas are terrible cliches. I’ve seen dozens of each type on CC and almost could have predicted what your topics were. Choose something else that’s more positive and makes you appear to be likable and an addition to a college campus.</p>
<p>There are no cliched topics, only cliched ways of writing. However, I wouldn’t recommend talking about your whole life or your early childhood, because you can’t really cover 18 years in 650 words. The best essays often focus on small but significant events in the writer’s life.
I also wouldn’t recommend writing about your grades, because usually those essays are boring and can make you sound shallow. </p>
<p>@halcyonheather very true. It most definitely will not be a sob story; while it would explain how my personal struggles spilled over into the classroom in sophomore year, it wouldn’t be an excuse either.</p>
<p>I have another possible essay topic: stepping up in time of need. This would be my leadership activity about my late schoolmate. I would detail how his death shocked my school community, and how loved and cherished he was in the short time he was in our town. I would also talk about what a friend and I both did to honor him (the Facebook page and the candlelight vigil, which actually received media attention) and how this shaped my character and made me feel like a good person. I had also just met him about a week and half before he passed, so I was truly gutted about not getting the chance to know him.</p>
<p>I would echo not making it sound like a sob story, if there are extenuating circumstances, your GC can write about them in the letter. The main thing about your essay is it should be about you: your aspirations, personality, qualities, and the person you are. If the circumstances you grew up with have shaped you through overcoming obstacles, so be it, but they want to see why you would be a good addition to campus, so any story you write should have a positive spin on it near the end. Also I agree that it would be difficult to cover your life in 650 words, you should be more specific than that. As for your friend example, does the story say enough about you that it focuses on you and not your friend? Things to consider. I’ve seen essays where they solely talk about friends or relatives, that they never really discussed themselves by the end of their essay.</p>
<p>Not to pick you apart here, but these are some things to consider.</p>