I know it depends on the questions but most of the highly praised essays that I have read contained very sad stories
like “My entire family was killed and their dream was for me to go to college” Now before all the haters start, I believe that person SHOULD get into college over a middle class white kid from Ohio if their academics are similar and hopefully get scholarships as well. My point is that how can we stand out when the toughest thing we had to deal with is “I still have the iPhone 4”. I just saying that many kids in wealthy or middle class don’t have the struggles like inner city kids have or kids from third world countries. What can we say in our essays to stand out. Any thoughts please??
…I know you started by saying you think those kids should still get into schools but your post comes off as extremely whiny. 1) those kids that have had to overcome significant obstacles don’t even need “similar” scores, they just need sufficient scores. They should not and do not need to be held to the same standard as the more fortunate. 2) Try to sound a little more grateful. It’s almost as if you’re searching for some struggle to write about.
Anyway the admissions officers aren’t looking for sob stories but they’re looking for interesting stories. No amount of privilege or lack of privilege will make you into an interesting person. It’s all about how you write, not what you write about. People of all races, income levels, and backgrounds should be able to write something that they think makes them stand out. If you struggle with that then you need to reevaluate. The goal is to paint the realist version of yourself and your personality. I don’t see the point in searching for a struggle.
My kid wrote about how his first introduction to origami was being dragged through a museum in Japan with his Mom and how boring it was. Flash forward a few years, he’s teaching himself to fold paper through youtube videos and making origami earrings and selling them. He ended the essay, saying that while he regretted not paying attention at the museum, he was pretty sure he’d still be whining that I was taking way too long. His self-deprecating humor really came through. The same kid’s other essay was about work he did cataloging some neighborhood association papers and how he felt like an historian as he only got one side of any story.
My older son started his essay with the results of a computer program that combined sample essays from all over the internet and said, that the results showed he obviously needed better programming skills. I don’t think he said it directly, but it was pretty clear from the subtext he’d rather program than write an essay.
I’ve read good essays about loving physics and roller coasters, about finding wallets, about what eating rice means to the student, about looking at the stars at music camp.
If you are capable of being funny (and it reflects you) I recommend it.
Both my kids (from an affluent family) wrote engaging essays about things they experienced or did that had nothing to do with “sad stories about deprivation”. It’s the quality of the writing, not the story.
Sad stories of how I overcame this horrible experience and emerged a stronger/better person risk sounding cliched. I’m betting you can do better. Find anything you are passionate about and write about why it’s your passion. S wrote about playing Scrabble. D wrote about her volunteer work. A friend’s kid wrote about biking from the suburbs into the city at 3am because he couldn’t sleep. Another wrote about why he goes snow-camping. Another girl wrote an essay on how she learned to do mehndi. None of these were deprivation stories - all of them revealed a lot about the applicants personality and what they had to offer to a school.
Sometimes the best essays are the simplest and that can mean drama free. Almost any topic can make a great essay as long as it is well written and reveals something about the author. Some college web sites have sections on essays that worked. Checked those out. Yes you will find some sad stories, but you will find many that revolve around a seemingly ordinary event. Someone wrote about doing crossword puzzles, another Sunday dinners with her grandparents, another working in a fast food pizza place. A simple story can likely stand out more