For one of the essays I’m writing (Ivy-school specific) it asks for a significant experience to cause a shift in an idea or approach to life. For this, I discussed my shift on originally being someone who was actually homophobic in the ninth grade to the eventual realization through one trigger that caused me to gradually fully support toleration for all.
Expanding on this, I explained how I used to blame the environment and that I soon learned to be accountable for my flaws rather than simply impose prejudices to hide from my flaws.
The issue is that it is quite a controversial topic, I know it’s risky but part of me also feels this is the most honest portrayal of how I completely changed as an individual because of it. Would the college possibly rule this prompt idea as a negative?
no one can predict the reaction by an unknown admissions officer. you are going for the I have become enlightened and tolerant angle. it could work or it could go wrong. nobody can tell you if that essay will work to your advantage or cause your application to be tossed into the rejected pile.
This is just my honest opinion: the topic sounds too risky. With admissions essays, you don’t want to show them any reason that they might not want you on campus.
None of us can presume to know what individual admission officers will think behind those closed doors. You get that it is a risky choice of essay topic that could work for or against you in the end --and it must be your decision to go with it or not. But kudos on shifting your position.
Thank you for all the comments. Ultimately, while I could definitely change my mind, I feel this is a risk worth taking considering that it worked at quite a young age (beginning of ninth grade) and that I feel it is one of the best prompts I have written from the heart.
Just to be cautious, I am also getting the advice of people I trust (although it is quite similar to all of you!) and the few left to reply are particularly important to me.
It’s not a confessional. Not a tell all. You need a good dose of “show not just tell” and haven’t given us a clue how you truly expressed this change. Just claiming an attitude shift isn’t enough for Ivy level. What have you actually done to “show” this new tolerance? And is that enough for what your Ivy targets want to see? Do you know what they’ll look for and at what level?
Because I had a word limit, I couldn’t precisely emphasize all that I have done, rather I wrote 3 sentences interjecting that described how I had ignored, then contributed, then practiced the Day of Silence. The rest was rather similar to what MitchPerro described, albeit the initial description of my essay was vague.
