I have an essay with the prompt "Discuss any obstacles and/or hardships you have encountered and how you dealt with them. "
I have seen some essays talking about hardships like poverty, family problems, illnesses, etc, but none of that has happened to me. Could I write about a hardship that isn’t really “life-changing”, but still an obstacle I had to overcome? Something simple?
No–it will seem contrived
It totally depends! I once read an essay about a guy I know who was navigating a cranberry muffin, using the cranberries as a metaphor for obstacles, it was a very descriptive and witty essay. While I personally enjoyed reading it, of course, these types of essays are risky. However I also read an essay that was about a girl talking about how she lost a friend, but honestly, she sounded extremely whiny and pathetic. If you are writing about something that genuinely changed you, definitely speak authentically about the experience and the qualities you possess to overcome it, but in the essay, you should “recognize your privilege” if you know what I mean. Another example is a guy who got a job working in a restaurant but could not figure out how to work the coffee machine, his obstacle was that he learned how: again, it was witty but had a deeper meaning… he talked about how he learned in his first job how to figure things out on his own, his new found independence, it was also very descriptive and funny. Anyway… my point is that you can take anything and create a good essay as long as you approach it in a certain way. Definitely, don’t feel threatened by other people who have had more obstacles to face, admissions counselors don’t expect every high school kid to have faced some great loss or tragedy. Write away, good luck! (Feel free to message me privately if you want to discuss your actual topic).
Maybe you should be honest in your essay and just say that you haven’t had any obstacles (if that’s the truth).
The vast majority of 18 year old kids applying to colleges are very fortunate in that they haven’t had to face major, life altering hardships.
And the adcoms know that.
So, yes. Absolutely write about an obstacle that is not major. Write from the heart. And remember: the purpose is to get them to admit you.
try proverbs from the bible on hardship
Another perspective might be that one who has never faced and dealt with hardships or obstacles might not be ready for college.
I fretted about this too, especially framed among others with priviledge. My conversers were pretty unified in saying that it’s not the obstacle, it’s how you overcame it. I think if the paragraph is earnest and not written just to write something, then it will be good.
The most important thing is to describe how the obstacle changed you into a better person or made you realize something you never noticed before.
Basically such a prompt wants you to share how difficulty has affected you; how did it make you become the person who you are today & how did it affect your view of the world.