<p>I'm tackling prompt 1. I have cerebral palsy and have been in a wheelchair all my life. I'm thinking about writing about how my disability gave rise to my love of literature, and thus of language, tying it into my success on the speech team (my one major EC). I don't want to sound whiny or pitiful, but I only have 1 major EC, and I know college essays aren't supposed to be about school, even though my mom thinks I should mention how I overcame challenges to excel in the classroom and mention how my disability has limited my ec's. I told her they don't want to hear about limits unless I'm writing about calculus (my attempt at a joke)</p>
<p>i welcome new ideas as well, if anyone has any</p>
<p>You should write about how being in a wheel chair changed ur life. Careful, there is a difference between conveying ur situation and writing about it. A fine line, dont cross it.
DO NOT listen to ur mom, overcoming classroom challenges is extremely cliched, every other kid is writing about it.</p>
<p><em>careful, there is a difference between conveying ur situation and whining about it (making them feel sorry for )</em></p>
<p>Thanks for the advice. I assume by “changed” my life, you mean “affected” because being in a wheelchair is all I know. I wasn’t planning on listening o my mom because I don’t want to make it seem like I won’t be able to do college work.</p>
<p>I think the way you described it in post #1 sounds great. Remember the advice to “show, not tell,” so you don’t get bogged down in details about the chair. Your GC can (and likely will) mention the challenges you overcame, classroom strengths, etc. Work with him or her. It reduces the amount you need to set the scene, so to speak, in your essay. You sound like a winner. I am an adult with some experience with apps. Go for it! Best Luck.</p>