I’m stuck between two essays and I’m not sure which one to choose. One is safer while the other one is definitely riskier.
Risk: Firing a Teacher - This was an experience I had in the 8th Grade in HK. I know it might make admission officers think I’m kind of terrible, but I really think if I write well enough I’ll be able to portray how this one event made me more mature and responsible.
Safe: Relating a Book to my Experience at a previous High School
Also I’m applying to UC Schools and in the activites section there is something called the a-g courses. Can someone tell me what is NOT an a-g course?
The first one is definitely a risk. The situation itself should determine if it presents you in a positive/responsible way. If not, it won’t matter how good your writing is.
The second one, as you phrase it now, seems a bit cliche. Can’t we all find a book/movie that explains our high school experience?
Would an elective like psychology or photography count as something that is not a-g. I read the link before, and it didn’t really help.
If you can it would be great if you could name one or two non a-g courses. Also, thank you for the essay response. I’ll probably do the firing teacher one as I myself think I think the situation shows my responsibility and transition from being a kid to an adult.
OK, for starters, it’s hard to imagine how an 8th grader can “get a teacher fired.” It seems to me that you get fired for not doing the job-- it’s your own fault, not someone else’s.
But anyway I’ll ask the same question I always ask: Which essay will give the reader a reason to say yes to your application? Which will assure him that you’re someone he wants on his campus?
Don’t mistake this essay for True Confessions or your 15 minutes of fame. It’s a sales job: your point is to sell your application. Which, if either, of your topics best does that?
Then how can I word it differently? The teacher didn’t do what he’s supposed to do, so my friends and I told the principal. There’s much more to it, I rather not share my essay in depth.
The teacher didn’t get fired because you went to the principal; he got fired because he wasn’t doing his job. It was his fault, not your accomplishment.
Why would that story, in whatever form, make an adcom want you on his campus???