Hi all,
I’m really curious about whether those blogs about “Writing the perfect college essay” is actually right. All of them have few things in common that they emphasize, which is picking a specific event and explaining that in detail rather than writing about many events.
I chose to answer the #2 prompt (“The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?”), and I had unusually a lot of hardships throughout my life that I think was all very important in shaping who I’ve become. I think I still covered enough details though, and I’ve proofread it many times. I think it has a main point and each paragraph has its own example from my life that answers the question. I wrote about 5 different challenges (I also wrote that those were not the only ones) I had that I had to overcome myself in my own way, which I also explained.
Since I lived a very unusual life from most people, I don’t think I can talk about my background the way that most people do. However, most blogs tell me that I shouldn’t do what I’m doing. I can’t sufficiently explain my background without “disobeying” these advices. What should I do? Personally I like my essay and think a stranger will have some good idea about me by just reading that.
Unique situations can call for unique ways to approach a prompt - I think you’ll be fine. Just try to find a way to tie together all of the challenges you write about (especially considering the fact that the prompt does technically specify “a” challenge) and emphasize how you changed for the better, grew as a person, etc. as a result of them.
If you feel like it shows who you are, it’s probably fine. If you have a teacher or CC who can read it, ask them to describe the person portrayed in the essay. If you are happy with their description of you, you’ve succeeded.