<p>Hey Guys and Girls,</p>
<p>For my Common App essay, I have an idea that I can write about. For the past six weeks, I have been living on my own and working a full-time job. I am hundreds of miles away from my parents and I'm learning how to do this on the fly. Is this a unique, "hook", experience to write about? I have been thinking of using this to address the prompt about growing up. Any suggestions/pitfalls/ideas? Thanks a lot.</p>
<p>I think this couldn’t be any more appropriate for that prompt. Just be sure to not make your reflection too cheesy/cliche.</p>
<p>How should I avoid the cheesiness? Also, do you think that this experience is unique enough to write about? Thanks for the response</p>
<p>Not going to lie, that specific prompt seems designed for several responses similar to yours. So, if you want to stand out, I would take a unique perspective on that experience and be sure to focus on how the experience has helped you mature. Good luck!</p>
<p>My job ends after the summer, a couple months before turning in applications. How can I show that I realized maturity if there’s only a few months after to reflect on it</p>
<p>The principal is “show, not tell.” You can’t, at 17 or 18, tell them that you are mature. But you can craft a tale that shows it. </p>
<p>Lately, there has been a lot of talk on CC about how the essay should make you stand out. I think some think this is like the old “curing cancer” myth. It’s not that your experience is so different or that some incident you recount is so super-hyper-memorable. This is really about showcasing how you react, think, take on a challenge and are open, flexble and resilient. Pick an example that easily “shows” that. That’s what the colleges need in their freshmen.</p>
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<p>Can’t you tell when something you’ve written is cheesy? (Reading it out loud might help. Or ask a really cynical person if it annoys them.)</p>