<p>^ No, 10chars.</p>
<p>Just remember that what seems obvious to you may not seem obvious to others. Have some adults read your essays, and preferably not just your parents.</p>
<p>
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One topic that has been taboo at Yale for ages: "Why I really like Harvard more".
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</p>
<p>LOL, vicariousparent.</p>
<p>Here are a few lessons I've learned from college counselors and actual admissions officers:</p>
<p>Okay, they do not like it when you send them something uncomfortable to read. For instance, this one girl sent an essay about being raped. She did not really talk about how it changed her or how it has affected her, but rather she focused on the act itself and a little of the aftermath. Imagine how awkward it must feel to read something so personal that should have been discussed in the comfort of a therapist's office.</p>
<p>Also, showing how original you are can go too far. For instance, one girl wrote her essay backwards, so that it had to be read in a mirror (Leonardo DaVinci style). If your an admissions officer and you spend hours and hours reading essays all day long, you don't want one that is too complex or difficult to read. (By the way, they didn't read it.)</p>
<p>Admissions committees love voice. They want to hear passion and thought. No matter what you write about, don't sound aggressive, formulaic, close-minded, or fake.</p>
<p>There actually is a book all about application mistakes that can completely ruin an application. Most of them occur in the essay. Have a multitude of people read it and make sure they like it, it doesn't make them feel uncomfortable, and that they understand your purpose.</p>
<p>so would be okay to say hypothetically write an essay about going on exchange and the effect it had on me?</p>
<p>Very good post (made it seem like you are an AO btw). I noticed all my friends applying to colleges try to find the perfect situation to write about but any situation that is genuine can reveal alot about one's character and poise.</p>
<p>Yeah, I've seen people talk about their Grandmother's hairstyle as a metaphor to genocides in Eastern Europe.</p>
<p>They got in.</p>
<p>To this day, I have no clue how they did it.</p>
<p>Also, I'm pretty sure BF/GF stuff are offlimits for essays.</p>
<p>Don't sound cocky, or AOs will hate you and instead of cherishing your accomplishments resent them.</p>
<p>Well I know this guy from a quite cold country in Europe who wrote - not one, but two - essays about him selecting which color to paint his walls with. 2x500word essays. Just about that. When asked to elaborate on one of his activities, he explained how he enjoyed relaxing in a chair with his two cats. Kinda not the "how I helped mankind by visiting Equador for 3 days" essays. </p>
<p>He got in where he really wanted to - and is presently attending one of America's most prestigious universities. And by the way - his SAT was 1930. (no special intl/nat awards either).</p>
<p>If I were an admission officer reading about someone loosing their virginity, I would've enjoyed reading it. But wouldn't it be kinda not-cool to meet this admissions officer on campus? "Yeah, I remember that Jake wrote about his love for off-road biking, and you, ah, you're the one that lost your virginity while doing this-and-that!"</p>
<p>''I heard that they hate, HATE the typical immigration story -- how one has had to adjust to the language, culture, and how he/she are now proud to have knowledge of two different cultures, blah blah blah.''</p>
<p>Hmm. I am an international applicant, but I lived for one year in the US as a child. It was nothing like adjusting to the new culture/becoming patriotic/experiencing typical struggles, but I have very unusual stuff to tell on it. What would be considered a no-no then?</p>
<p>^No, you should write about that. As long as it is genuine, it can't sound typical.</p>
<p>ok that post scared me....my commonapp essay was about my arab-american immigration experience....i thought that would be good since there really aren't that many arab-americans with iraqi parents applying to colleges.....everyone i showed it to liked it...is it too cliche??!</p>
<p>It's only "cliched" if another person could have written the same essay with a similar voice. If this is not so, then it is not "cliched"</p>
<p>To summarize</p>
<p>Disastrous and chinnychang above wrote great advice. The same thing really. If you write in your own voice then the essay isn't typical.</p>
<p>Then someone else said to think from the reader's perspective on page 1. Do this and you shouldn't ever write a taboo "why I want to kill everyone on earth" essay.</p>