Common App Essay: In The Making

Applying to College Common and Coalition Application
1

<p>Basically I have an idea in mind of what I want to write for my college essay. Now, I recently returned from a service trip in Cambodia, and thought for a couple of weeks that I would write on what I experienced there..I felt very ambivalent about it to begin with. </p>

<p>Anyway, about ten minutes ago, my mother mentioned something about her part-time job and that sparked a load of fireworks in my mind. I'll give you a quick overview. My mom is a single parent who has nurtured and cared for me for seventeen whole years. She has provided me with everything I can confidently call "mine", and has in all ways made up for the absence of my father. My mother has sacrificed most of her personal freedom and basic ability to enjoy life to take care of me and give me the opportunities she never had as a child growing up. She has really exerted an astounding amount of money, effort, and time on me. Not that I'm a bad kid, but she loves me THAT much.</p>

<p>So, because she has to pay a private school tuition, service trips I will be doing, both college and honors classes outside of school, and the basic household bills, she works at a highly demanding part-time job at a hospital. She works both a regular shift day-time job as a manager, and during the night she's a bad ass secretary. Yay, filing! Haha, anyway, despite working all day and being completely drained, my mom gets up at 11pm and works until 7am, just so she can really support and give me the childhood she never lived. </p>

<p>I want to write my college essay on this major part of my life and why it has such an impact on me. My mom began working this job when I was ten years old. It took me a while to get used to sleeping at home alone, but now we've sort of developed this instinctive ritual of what we do before she leaves. Each time she gets out of bed and forces herself to get ready, I feel incredibly guilty but nevertheless appreciative. I really want to describe this ritual and what it does to me each night in my college essay. I want to praise and idolize my mother but still describe my personality and who I am individually. </p>

<p>Any thoughts or ideas? How should I go about this? Do y'all even think this is a decent essay topic? Or should I just stick with the "how Cambodia changed my life" one...</p>

2

<p>I think going with the essay about your mother would probably be the better choice of the two. As far as I know, admission officers see so much of the “I went to blah blah country and helped with blah blah and now I realize how privileged I am” essay. As long as you don’t make it too much about your mom, I think this could be a really good essay. Remember to focus on YOU and how her jobs and her rituals affect YOU. You could probably use this as your background or story in the first prompt they give. After all, it does really seem like it made you who you are today.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

3

<p>I find the story about your mom really compelling and you already have a running start. I say definitely go with that, as it is more unique. Whereas, it is very difficult to write a good essay about a service trip (so I’ve been told).</p>

4

<p>Your mother’s rituals sound like a better essay topic than a service trip to Cambodia. The admissions officers get a lot of essays about service and mission trips anyways, so you might as well try to differentiate yourself from everybody else.</p>

5

<p>hi broadway22,
the new york times published 5 accomplished students’ college essays online. The last one, written by Lyle Li, shares a story that is similar to you and your mothers’. I suggest you read it, it may have helpful insight. Your mother sounds amazing!</p>

<p><a href=“Visions of College, Colored by Money - NYTimes.com”>Visions of College, Colored by Money - NYTimes.com;

6

<p>Of the two topics, writing about your mom is definitely better.</p>

<p>However, make sure it is also about you.</p>

<p>As one college admissions officer said on a tour, we’re not considering admitting your mother. So you have to make sure you discuss why your mother’s experience is important to you and how it has and will affect what you have and will do with your life.</p>

7

<p>Just reading the thumbnail outline about your mom put a lump in my throat!</p>

8

<p>“However, make sure it is also about you.” Very important point…</p>

9

<p>Thank you all so much! I really appreciate the advise and kind words.</p>

10

<p>Definitely writing about your mother. It’s a much stronger topic, and since you already have a lot of ideas, why not go for it. Good luck :)</p>