I am currently writing a college essay about ‘a challenge that I have experienced.’ I recently moved from America to another country. I know moving is a common essay topic and so I want to know any tips on how to talk about moving as the challenge but also trying not to sound to cliché like moving made me “adaptable” and “resilient”. Thanks!
Why was it a challenge and how did you overcome it?
It was a challenge because I moved to new place (after living in the same place my whole life ) with a whole different school system (also during the hardest years of highschool). The challenge was mostly the new school system and just adjusting to it. I guess I overcame it over time by just accepting the move.
I’d pick one thing from the experience and what you learned about yourself. If you frame the essay with “After a freshman year in a community where I had lived since birth, my family moved to x…” the scene will be set and resilience and adaptability assumed.
@john4 Moving is a pretty common topic. How can you make it specific to you? What is interesting about your story? How did you overcome the move, what did you learn, and how are you different now?
i am not sure that will be good enough for your essay.
Try it and a couple other topics and see how they go; run them by your AP/English teacher for an objective opinion. When you read over the moving essay, understand there will be many other kids who write about the same topic; military and relo kids are forced to move every 2-3 years, so a “poor me,” overcome adversity angle may not stand out against the other moving essays. If you work the moving angle, I’d personally try a more upbeat focus on opportunity and exposure to new people and experiences you may not have had the opportunity to experience had you never moved. How did that opportunity prepare you for new experiences you’ll encounter in college? Take time over the summer to try out a few topics.