<p>I have a question regarding the last UC prompt (the open-ended question).</p>
<p>For this question I always thought I would write about my parent's divorce and how I coped with the situation, thus making me the person I am today. However, my parent's divorce was actually very graphic and tough to deal with (my dad actually came close to beating my mom), so I am wondering if details like those should be included...</p>
<p>The reason I'm asking this is because I do not know how admission officers might react to some of the graphic situations I plan to describe, and if it would actually be better to keep these things to myself.</p>
<p>Personally, I think that graphically explaining your parent's divorce might be too much, but keeping the details to yourself won't do your essay and experience justice, so I suggest going mid-way--allude to it. Mention the graphic details, but be vague and concentrate more on how you changed. This subtleness in writing will make for a strong impact on people. Good luck in writing.</p>
<p>spend 15 minutes with google researching holistic admissions and the UC system. You'll see they are looking for kids who have overcome difficulties, and also how those problems may explain away academic problems. So if you can tie the time period of the divorce to any setbacks in school, that is a win. I disagree with the other poster in that I think graphic details are good to make sure the adcom undertands the nature of the adversity you faced.</p>