Essays about death/loss

College Essays
1

<p>So I'm thinking I'll probably write at least some of my essays about my mother having cancer and ultimately dying, because that affected me very much for almost my entire life. I can bring my personality, etc. into it, but how do I keep it from being overly cliche, or from seeming like I want the admissions officers to feel sorry for me? Thanks.</p>

2

<p>the bad news is yes, many people write about it and you wouldn't stand out. But if you can make it really unique, any topic, even a common choice such as death, can stand out. You just have to write about it in a way nobody has done before.
<a href="http://www.antiessays.com/free-essays/college-applications/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.antiessays.com/free-essays/college-applications/&lt;/a>
Somewhere on this page you'll find an essay where a girl writes about her mother's death in a unique way. You can come up with a new idea.</p>

3

<p>I am very sorry for your loss.</p>

<p>Look at this essay from UVa, in which your specific question is addressed:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.virginia.edu/undergradadmission/writingtheessay.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.virginia.edu/undergradadmission/writingtheessay.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

4

<p>Thanks, I'll check those out.</p>

5

<p>sorry for your loss</p>

6

<p>But a positive spin on it (A MUST), and don't make it a cliche spin. One harvard admissions officer said his favorite essay came from a girl who used to play jepordy with her dad. he got cancer, and she talked about how she would go to his hospital room and they would still play, but he could barely say the answer. I know thats a bad summary, but I hope you get the idea.</p>