<p>Hey guys just as the title suggests, do you think its a good idea to write an essay about quitting drugs as an obstacle i overcame?</p>
<p>Well, I wouldn't think you'd want to admit to being on drugs in the first place. If I were you, I'd play it safe and find another topic.</p>
<p>Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.</p>
<p>Don't do it.</p>
<p>What kind of drugs are we talking about?</p>
<p>bad idea unless drugs are a reason for low grades or something</p>
<p>Marijuana. and yes they were, but now im rankin 1st, 4.2 gpa , 2200 sat... ill just stick with another topic</p>
<p>Good because writing about drugs, sex, or something juvenile is a one way ticket to the reject pile. This information comes from interviews with college admissions officers.</p>
<p>Yes indeed.</p>
<p>It's a good thing you got over drugs, but colleges admissions officers could see your former use as a sign of weakness (and stupidity).</p>
<p>It's sad but true. I think that overcoming drugs would be a powerful topic, but for some reason admissions officers would see the downside of it. It depresses me that an essay about how you didn't succumb to the temptations of drug use or sexual exploitation magically gets you accepted everywhere, whereas a story of overcoming the obstacles of your own weakness (goodness knows we've all got some weakness) will send you to the reject pile. </p>
<p>Sorry, I just am excited to finally have a chance to vent about that essay on the chances section... where you guessed who got in where by reading their stats and essay? Yes, that chick who wrote about Reviving Ophelia made me angry with her essay- especially since I read that book, too. OK, anyway...</p>
<p>I think there's a fine line between a risk and a backbreaker. I think drugs/alcohol/sex is crossing that line.</p>
<p>If I were you, I would write an essay like that to an extreme reach school- one that you would probably not get into, like Harvard. I read somewhere on cc that a student with reasonably low SAT and GPA but an extremely creative essay got into like Upenn or something. Besides, if the school is an extreme reach, you have nothing to lose, but if the admissions officers fnd it inspiring or something you might get in.</p>
<p>I actually agree with Homer. IF it is like a super-reach dream school, then I guess it couldn't hurt. If you aren't very competitive for that school, then you really have nothing to lose-a huge risk could produce a huge reward. Besides, if it fails miserably, it won't really have an effect. In fact, for Harvard and Yale's supplement essay I made a descriptive essay about the time my bus hit and killed a little girl when I was in 5th grade (kindergartener I believe). It was after either an hour or 90 min. delay, so kindergarten still was in session for AM. My town now only has a 2 hour delay (no AM kindergarten) because of this.</p>
<p>However, if you are applying to anything BUT a super-reach, I would advise against it.</p>
<p>I wished to write a pretty random essay but I didn't apply to Harvard :(</p>
<p>I would say go for it.</p>
<p>Why? People make mistakes. EVERYONE has done something stupid, and it takes a good person to admit their mistakes and correct them. If you can, spin the story a bit so that your reason for starting doesn't sound tooo stupid or bad do it</p>
<p>If I were an admissions officer, I would be EXTREMELY impressed that you overcame that obstacle to become 1st in your class and had the guts to write about it. Your honesty and bravery in being able to discuss something controversial and illegal that you did would win big points, and if it was very well-written, it just might be the kind of thing that would put you in the accept pile. </p>
<p>Of course, I'm not a college admissions officer and there's no guarantee that an actual one would see things the way I do.</p>
<p>I would be impressed as well.</p>
<p>However, you don't really know who you're dealing with as far as an admissions counselor goes-it could be an older, conservative adcom.</p>
<p>well there is only one way to figure this out...email or phone an admissions officer and ask without revealing your entire name.</p>
<p>i also know that an admissions officer from johns hopkins is on CC a lot so you could pm him.</p>
<p>Writing about overcoming an obstacle that you chose to put yourself into in the first place? Naah, I dont think so.</p>
<p>Both "The Gatekeepers" and "College Confidential" contained anecdotes about an applicant who had smoked marijuana. The answer to your question is NO!!!!! When it goes to committee, somebody will want to deny you and there won't be anybody standing up to stop that.</p>