Does my college essay need to be "deep"?

[lightasair]

<p>If my essay is on travel and how it fits into my personal philosophy, will it be considered "shallow" among the tragic stories of divorce, death, and illness? I feel like a college essay needs to be about something negative and how it has helped that person become stronger.... but is that really the case? Can I write about something more lighthearted?</p>

[fallenmerc]

<p>Go for it!</p>

<p>Depth comes from the writing and what you express, not the topic.</p>

[MapleLeaf]

<p>Right, it doesn’t need to be a deep, serious topic. It just needs to get across who you are and what you’re all about. If you feel that a more lighthearted topic would allow your personality and viewpoints to shine through, then go with that one.</p>

[jane101smith]

<p>Nope! As long as it’s well-written, your more light-hearted topic could be a refreshing break for the essay readers! Go for it :)</p>

[rainbowtime]

<p>sorry a little off topic, but is talking about fear of death rather than death of a relative a common topic?</p>

[digmedia]

<p>It doesn’t have to be deep, but you must remember that the main topic is YOU. Essay readers have seen it all, so you need to write something that captures their interest. Even very overdone topics can work if done in an interesting way. For example, essays about the death of a close friend or relative tend to make the mistake of talking too much about what a great person the deceased was. That is absolutely wrong. You need to SHOW (not tell) the story in a way that gives insight into who YOU are, not the dead guy! Here is a good example essay from my book:</p>

<p>

The small chest was opened by my grandfather’s frail hand and the contents began to sparkle even before the lid was completely lifted. He had called his grandchildren together that night, and we were brought into the bedroom one at a time. His leukemia was advancing daily, but there was no mistaking that he was enjoying this little ritual. His parents had run a jewelry business many years ago and this chest was all that remained of it. The antique jewelry was valuable and he wanted each of his grandchildren to take a single item. The heaping pile of shining gold and polished gemstones could have been the contents of a pirate’s chest. But I saw what I wanted almost immediately: a tarnished sterling silver frog ring. </p>

<p>It was nearly worthless, but it seemed to call to me from the tangle of treasure and I retrieved it. With the certainty of fate, it was a perfect fit for my finger, the rear legs of the frog transforming into the ring band, and the front legs reaching forward to grab my finger.</p>

<p>“Don’t you want something more valuable?” he asked. “No,” I replied, already in love with this little silver frog.</p>

<p>His heart failed him a few hours later.</p>

<p>I still wear the ring. Since I’ve grown over the past few years, I’ve had to have it resized, requiring that it be cut from my finger. Afterwards, as I slipped on the ring with its larger band, the front legs of the frog reached out and grasped my finger with their comforting grip.</p>

<p>My siblings and cousins may have a more valuable item stuffed away in a drawer somewhere. But I have my silver frog, holding my finger like my small hands once held my grandfather’s finger as we walked together, side by side.

</p>

<p>–Robert Cronk, author of Concise Advice: Jump-Starting Your College Admissions Essays</p>

[andrewszatkowski]

<p>no it does not need to be deep. I wrote mine about fruitcake, and got in at Vassar, Hamilton, Colgate, and Carleton.</p>

[glassesarechic]

<p>Veer away from heavy topics. They are rarely done well and tend to reveal less about you and more about the relative.</p>

[loltime]

<p>andrewszatkowski that’s amazing!</p>