<p>I know the general attitude toward college admissions essays is "don't do death, it's been done...to death", but I have a pretty unique situation in which my father died violently and it had a massive impact on my life, to the point of giving me PTSD and making me a pretty vocal advocate that mental health in the United States needs to be taken more seriously (it's now one of my greatest passions). </p>
<p>Do you feel I should write about that or do something else? </p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>In every essay of this type, the overwhelming emphasis should be on how you grew from the experience. I read essays for a living. Students almost always think they need to describe more of the tragedy part than they really do. If you need to write a lot about that part in order to warm up to the topic, find your voice, etc., do so. Then go back and trim trim trim.</p>
<p>If you go with this topic, write it in a way that they will be proud of you, rather than feel pity for you. Are you planning to major in a mental health or advocacy field?</p>
<p>Only if you can write it with no more than one short (4-6 sentence) paragraph about the death and everything else as positive growth exp/ helping others, etc material. </p>
<p>Thanks for all the suggestions, guys. I definitely don’t think the essay makes for a reaction of pity, but definitely one of growth (especially from where I started right after the death). </p>
<p>@KKmama : Political science, actually, but ideally, I’d love to become a lobbyist for NAMI or a similar organization. </p>
<p>That’s cool. I wish you luck.</p>