College essay: should I write about how I helped my parents overcome suicidal thought

<p>Write about it dude. Just make sure it sounds like an essay that describes your progress as a human being, not about how your life has been difficult.</p>

<p>I think if you choose a topic like this, the language you use in your essay needs to be very concrete, clear, and unemotional, or at least not maudlin. And you do need to say what specific measures you took to help your parents get the help they needed. No one will believe you are some sort of savior, so steer clear of suggesting any such thing. You will also need to write not only about your impact on your parents, but of their impact on you, and the things you did to overcome your upbringing such a dysfunctional family.</p>

<p>[I think that it’s ok to write about helping your parents overcome adversarial conditions, but I would not mention suicidally. That may flag you as being at risk, as well (suicide runs in families). Also I believe you mentioned NYU as your top choice? Definitely don’t mention suicide on your essay to NYU. They have struggled recently with a number of student suicides- in fact they added panels to the upper floors of their library to keep students from jumpingnfrom upper floors to the inner courtyard of the library. ]
Well said, I agree whole heartedly.</p>

<p>Have your parents agreed that you can write an essay on this subject? If not, it’s a terrible violation of their privacy.</p>