I’m not really sure if this fits the prompt. I wanted to use the first Common App prompt which says:
Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.
I wanted to write about how my family has had small businesses for generations now and how it influenced my decision to go into business in general. My parents also have a small business and seeing how everything works “behind the scenes” helped me choose finance as I was always interested in the inner financial workings.
I’m not sure if this fits the prompt or is even a good idea for the essay. I don’t really have any other good ideas atm. My biggest worries are that it would be a hard topic to focus on me and get something about me across rather than being some type of family history. Is there a good essay topic in there somewhere or should I think of something else?
I think it fits the prompt pretty well. If you want to study business, then it is a great topic. It shows that you took the initiative in high school to explore career options and interests. It seems like your family’s history with small business has shaped your life and future goals, which is a great thing to write about.
@Brewmaster10 Yeah that last sentence you wrote is basically what I want to convey. Most people’s essays usually show some kind of character trait but I feel like that’s missing in mine. Also one of the colleges I’m looking at has a “why this major” essay so idk if it would make my essays redundant unless I only talk about why business at that particular school in that essay.
Is there a story here? If there’s a good story, then sure. If there’s not, then I advise you to look for your best stories and start from there.
@marvin100 Do you mean an anecdote to start it off? I was thinking of doing something like that if that’s what u mean.
No–I mean a good story. The essay should be a narrative. You may include some commentary in a judicious mix of “showing” and “telling,” but the essay should be story-based, and when students try to come up with an anecdote to start an essay that’s devised to suit a pre-decided theme, it’s almost invariably uninteresting, unmemorable, and unengaging.
Which is why I strongly recommend starting with your best stories and then figuring out what themes they suggest and which prompt(s) they suit. Stories get kids accepted.
@class0f2017
Pretty similar to what I just wrote on the other thread. Picking the right anecdote or story that will convey the right attributes gives you an easy frame to follow. It does not mean turning the college essay into a long “then I did this, he said that, and I thought-”
Yeah, totally. You can use more than one story, as well, of course. My biggest point, though–if I have one haha–is that it’s far, far better to start with stories and then work outward towards meaning than to start with a theme and try to populate it with stories. Few teenagers have more than a handful of truly interesting stories, after all, so when you try to think of one to support a predetermined theme, you’re likely to wind up with uninteresting ones. And it’s stories not themes that adcoms remember and care about–and a great story can reveal any number of themes, qualities, and ideas above and beyond whatever you’re explicitly trying to portray.
Adcoms are smart: they’re looking for subtext, for the stuff you’re unintentionally showing about yourself, for the implications of the sliver of your young life that you’ve chosen to share with them.