<p>My D is a junior and I'm definitely getting the sense that the college process is starting for her. I know that her passions should come through in her essays. She's a passionate environmentalist and a vegetarian for that reason. Should she write about the first part of that and not the second? Maybe I'm paranoid, but I can picture an overworked adrep scarfing down a Big Mac at her desk while delving into an essay about how eating meat is wrong. Any advice?</p>
<p>Your D should write about her passions. Good adcoms are not looking for clones of themselves, but are looking to create a diverse campus of students who meet the college's qualifications. </p>
<p>My advice is to not try to micromanage your D's essay. If she really ends up being rejected by a college because she's an avid vegetarian (and I doubt that will happen), than clearly that college is not a place where she would have been happy anyway.</p>
<p>Risky essays are where all the fun is at. If the essay conveys resolve without intolerance, then there's nothing to worry about.</p>
<p>macnyc, I just went through the dilemma you're describing less than a month ago on the other side of the situation- as the child and applicant. If you don't mind, I'd like to share my story and perhaps provide some insight. </p>
<p>My parents and I had conflicting opinions on appropriate essay topics. I thought my writing conveyed my passions; they worried that it might give adcoms the wrong impression. We struggled over this for a while, and it ended up effecting our relationship negatively. </p>
<p>Well, as is the case with all my college-related issues, I turned to CC :), and I got some lovely advice/critiques/confidence about my essay dilemma from carolyn, calmom, and Northstarmom, among others. The overall message I got from them was this: It's important to let the applicant's voice shine through. Loving parents always want the best for their children, but ultimately, the applicant has to be the one that's happy with his/her choices at the end of the day. </p>
<p>After getting this advice and finishing the nth draft of my essay, I sat down with my parents a few days before my apps were due and I had a real heart-to-heart. I told them that my essay topic was important to me and that I needed them to understand that. It took a lot of time and persuading, but they eventually agreed to let me go ahead with what I was doing. I'm sooo happy they let me turn in my application the way <em>I</em> wanted, and I couldn't ask for more from them. Now I'll know whether my own raw passions and abilities qualified me for admission, rather than a safe but watered down version of myself created by my parents.</p>
<p>I understand that as a concerned parent you care about your daughter and only want the best for her. Just keep in mind that she's a capable, intelligent person- her life is ultimately the one that will be most effected. Please don't deprive her of the ability to decide how to direct the course of her life. Whether she gets in or doesn't get in should be based on her abilities anyway. Plus, being original is always a plus.</p>
<p>Also, she's still a junior. She has alot of time until her apps are due- who knows, she might find something that captures her interest more to write on during the next few months. I don't think you have to worry about risky topics just yet. Let her figure out what she wants to write about first.</p>
<p>If you're still worried, encourage your daughter to give her essays to english teachers or CC posters and get their opinions once she's written a draft or two. I think that no matter what the topic, if it's written effectively, it will leave a good impression.</p>
<p>Most importantly, please don't let this add extra stress on the application process or your relationship with your daughter. Worrying about whether adcoms will like a risky essay doesn't do alot of good, and doubting your daughter <em>might</em> make her resent your good intentions. When I was in this situation, for a while, I felt like my parents didn't think I was good enough, and it really hurt. It also brought out an unrelenting, stubborn streak in me and I refused to see their side of the story. Today, I know I misinterpreted their motives, and things are cool again. </p>
<p>Please don't fret. Things will work themselves out. :)</p>
<p>A few thoughts:</p>
<p>*Depends on the school. If it advertises itself as having phenomenal vegetarian offerings and has a big environmental studies thing, then the admissions people might think she's a great fit. </p>
<p>*Depends on how she writes it. It could be completely boring, completely preachy, or good and different from the others. </p>
<p>*The essay shouldn't be just about not eating meat. Surely, there is more to her personality than what she puts on her dinner plate every evening. </p>
<p>*If she has a good sense of humour, she can write a very good essay (maybe a supplemental one) about the topic... about how people in restaurants will say, "Yes, this is vegetarian; it's chicken broth." Or the legions of people who will ask if she still eats chicken, turkey, hen, pheasant, and quail - because birds aren't animals.</p>
<p>She should write about her passions, but the essays should do more than merely describing her convictions. A good essay lets you see something about the personality, maturity and ability of the student. Essays may need to be edited but I would avoid getting help from English teachers. My D got some "help" which seriously weakened her main common app essay. The sentence structure may have been improved but the essay became very bland. Her English teacher did not seem to understand the purpose and value of the essays.</p>
<p>No, IMO that is not too risky. </p>
<p>As with all topics, the value of the essay will depend on how well it is written, not on the topic. Any topic can produce a great essay; any topic can produce a horrible essay.</p>
<p>The best essays, IMO, are a genuine expression of the applicant's own personality. Overinvolvement by parents or other well-meaning people runs the risk of distorting or stifling the applicant's unique voice.</p>
<p>Being a vegetarian is hardly risky. Most (if not all) HS girls become vegetarians at some point. It would only be risky if she lived in a community of cattle ranchers.</p>
<p>I would suggest she skip straight over the vegetarian part and talk about her environmental activities---i.e., what she actually DOES that demonstrates her passion for the environment.</p>
<p>Ditto the opinion that there are few if any colleges that would consider this a risky essay topic today. As others have suggested, even more important than the topic is how your D treats the subject. Not only should the passion show through, but I think the ability to reflect on a topic, make it relevant to who she is as an individual, how she got that way, and where she might be going is essential. In other words, the whys and hows, not just the whats, and always relating it back to what she has learned about herself. IMO, if she feels that telling this story accomplishes all of that, then she should by all means go for it!!!</p>
<p>IMO roshke has it right. This is why the student should be the source of the essay. It may well be that vegetarianism is often written about. It may well be that many of us, including me, have nothing personal, insightful and enlightening to say about this topic. But the OP's daughter might! And her essay will then stand out all the more for being excellent in a well-plowed field.</p>
<p>IMO, too much emphasis sometimes is placed on originality per se. Any topic, any topic can be the source of a great essay. It is not the topic, it is what one does with the topic. </p>
<p>OP's daughter can always change topics if it turns out that vegetarianism is not "fruitful" enough in her hands. She will then at a minimum have had a learning experience of exploring and evaluating her own thoughts (as opposed to being told beforehand that her thoughts are not worth exploring).</p>
<p>Risky is fine; being self-righteous and assuming the moral superiority of a specific position would not be. The issue is probable the tone rather than the subject, and if she is sensitive and expresses herself well it should not be an issue.</p>
<p>mattmom just beat me to it. ^___ That's what I was going to say. And that was my first thought when I saw the subject of the thread. ps, I'm a vegetarian, also (28 years), but I wouldn't proselytize in the essay. dmd, eDad, aries - all of these posts have some godd advice.</p>
<p>Yep--just don't be a sanctimonious vegeterian, and you'll be fine.</p>
<p>Many thanks for all the responses and great advice. Bobisbob, best of luck with your college admissions! I really appreciate that you took the time to share your story.</p>