Essay help on topic and other stuff

College Essays
1

<p>I have finally decided on a topic and i was wondering if my fellow CC'ers could help me and give me a couple of tips.</p>

<p>So basically, its about my travels as a kid (i have been to over 5 countries). My father was a diplomat for Bangladesh and we used to move from one country to another every 3 years. However when i was 10 years old, my father died from a heart attack. My father's death was the reason i got to move to America (where i was born when we were here due to my father's job, but we only stayed for 3 months after i was born). This is where my essay stops.</p>

<p>My essay will begin by talking about about how i moved to so many countries and how it affected me. (Should i include a couple of stories to show how living in that country affected me). Is organizing each visit to a country into a paragraph a good idea?</p>

<p>The next part of my essay will talk about the sudden death of my father during our stay in Bangladesh and how it affected me.</p>

<p>My request to you guys is to help me with a couple of problems i am having:
1) If there is no way being to a country affected me, is there anything i can do? Should i still mention it? Can someone give me an example about how a visit to a country can affect a person?
2) Instead of writing how living in each country affected me, Should i write my experiences in each country, then at the end of the essay write about how moving affected my life?
3) I feel that my essay might be around 1000 words. Is that a legitimate length for an essay?
4) I choose this topic because of how unique it made me and how it has shaped my personality (example: it has allowed me to communicate with people of various countries, which has caused a very easy transition to NY, America - a place known for diversity). Is describing my whole life something that can negatively affect me?
5) Should i talk about my father's death? I feel that talking about both creates two different topics. I am finding it very difficult to write about how moving affected me then talk about my father's death and my final move to USA. If i do decide to talk about my father's death, should i talk about how my father's death affected me also?</p>

<p>Do you guys have any tips for me?</p>

<p>Thanks for all the help!</p>

2

<p>Do you guys feel that i should separate these topics and choose from one? Which one? How my father’s death affected me? How moving around has affected me?</p>

3

<p>Hi, ThePal! Let me say, I am no expert on these essays, but I have a friend who works with students on their essays and she stresses the importance of the essay making a statement about yourself in a unique way. It sounds to me like you have a great topic and you just need some help organizing your thoughts. You could begin with a paragraph that explains the unique childhood you had, due to your many moves and maybe simply mention that you lived in X amount of countries, including A, B, & C. Then a paragraph (story) about A, B, & C, three of the moves(places) that were the most profound would become the body of your essay. You could end with a paragraph that mentions your father’s death and how that led to your coming to the USA and wraps up the message of your essay. I’m sure there are others that can tell you about length, including your own guidance counselor at HS. I hope this helps & Good Luck! DoveMom</p>