<p>See, I've spent my entire life hating myself for something I can't help- I'm gay. Even now, the thought of two men or women kissing grosses me out a little bit. (I shamed myself into thinking homosexuality is evil over the years.)</p>
<p>Well, anyways, I recently told my mother... and she's OKAY with it! She says love is just love! So now I feel like I can be myself. I feel free.</p>
<p>So, would mentioning this in my college application be a slight advantage? What about at the ivy league. </p>
<p>I wouldn't forcefeed the fact that I'm gay in my essays or anything... I'd just sorta mention it here or there.</p>
<p>Any thoughts? Is it a slight advantage at all, or not?</p>
<p>Read those "50 Great College Essays" books, and you'll find at least five essays in each about "coming out" or just being gay. It probably has just as much effect as listing your religion (virtually no effect, since no relgion qualifies one as a minority). But on the other hand, it definitely couldn't hurt. It seems to make the most powerful essays sometimes, at least for the editors who compile those books.</p>
<p>Yeah, you'd have to make your essay really meaningful though. That topic could get really old really fast. And be careful, because nowadays it is somewhat politically charged. You don't want to offend your readers. :D</p>
<p>Yay for you though. I'm glad your mom was okay with it! :D</p>
<p>You can write about it... but just hope that some homophobic admission officer doesn't award your place to some student who writes about racism instead :P</p>
<p>But seriously, I really don't know if it would be a good move. It's a big risk, yes, with a nice jackpot at the end if everything goes smoothly.</p>
<p>you know what ... ... gay is not an issue coming to your essay ... the issue is what you gonna elaborate and make those admission officers impressed ...</p>
<p>i read a book (i forgot which publisher) and i found out there's a TOP essay of all college .. the author got admitted into HARVARD ... ... he's an ASIAN ... ... and a FULL-5-PAGES heart pouring essay just impressive enough for Harvard officer to put him into the college .. he scored a remarkable 95 points out of 100 ... though, there were several different views on that</p>
<p>I remember an officer said "it was a piece of art" !! while the other said it looked rather like a PhD research paper than a college essay.</p>
<p>But there's negative comment too, one said that "Student might not be so 'TRUE' in their essay," and "You must not be gay to gain an advantage"</p>
<p>So i think it's a risk, depends on your willingness for you to take it or not ... </p>
<p>don't forget Ang Lee missed OSCAR Best Picture just because his film is about gay ... but you must not forget the essay written by this Asian that got him admitted into HARVARD and gained the TOP ESSAY OF ALL !!</p>
<p>Your post makes absolutely no sense, and I doubt colleges choose a "TOP ESSAY OF ALL." Harvard looks through over 20,000 different essays--how do you expect them to seriously declare ONE of them the best?</p>
<p>And besides, it can't take 5 pages. That's too long.</p>
<p>its going to have to be a lot more than simply coming out. You're really going to have to write an essay that will make a reader emote if you want to go that route.</p>
<p>Probably it is neutral except, perhaps, in a school that has a smaller than typical gay population. There, it might be you'd bring 'diversity.' Yet, is that the environment yopu want for your social life? Even at a school with a decent sized gay population there won't be a huge number of potential partners.</p>
<p>It isn't really what you say in your essay, it is how you say it-- what kind of insights you have, your personality, your passion, the sophistication of your thinking-- that's what your essay shows.</p>
<p>Write on whatever topic allows you to write a unique, thoughtful essay that reveals your "voice."</p>
<p>BTW. I am glad that you had the courage to talk to your mom and that your mom supported you!</p>
<p>realy depends on how u write it, and the "voice" should be revealing some of your ideas on your life, instead of trying to get into a good university.</p>
<p>And hey i'm happy to hear that your mom being ok with it~</p>
<p>I agree with BeConfident. You better be a good writer and have a good story if you want to write about this subject. I was going to write my admissions essay on the same thing but there was just too much potential of it going wrong, me coming off on the same way. One thing I believe is most important when it comes to writing an admissions essay is to let yourSELF shine through. If you are telling a story that no one else can tell, then you are going in the right direction.</p>
<p>I don't think you should worry about schools discriminating because you are gay, and if you apply to the schools that do you probably wouldn't want to go there anyway. I don't know if it will give you an advantage, but you might stand out a little bit.</p>
<p>How many heteros here would consent to one same-sex "encounter" if they were sure it would get them in their dream school? I'm guessing quite a few on the coasts; very few in the south and midwest.</p>
<p>I don't think any applicant should flaunt his /her sexual orientation--it's not what admissions is about--but you shouldn't hide who you really are either. I think the biggest plus in an applicant is a kid who is comfortable with him/herself, who is facing the future with self confidence and an open mind. If your ECs include, for example, Gay-Straight Alliance or some kind of gay advocacy group, then the college will draw its own conclusions--usually schools that are particularly gay friendly imply this somehow in their publicity materials, list of organizations, etc. I don't think being gay could get you in anywhere with stats that were otherwise too low.</p>
<p>This might have been an interesting issue 20 years ago, but come on, it's 2006 and everyone knows gays are about 10% of the population, meaning most colleges will get their fair share just as they do diabetics or the nearsided without trying.</p>