<p>i know i wont be applying for a while, but i really hope to get in early action. anyways, i've kind of been through a lot of emotional things in my life, and i kind of want to incorporate some of that into my essays. do you think it will come off as pitiful or something? obviously, my essays wont just be about some tragedy (or even focused on one), but i simply wanted to get those points across about me. Would it maybe not come across properly to the admissions officers, and should i focus on the positive defining moments in my life, instead? thanks a lot for your time, and if any of you got in, do you mind sharing what you wrote about? I know it's all about how you write it and what not, but i just want to hear some ideas.</p>
<p>Basically: is writing a college essay about depressing things in my life a bad thing, and would anybody care to share what they wrote about?</p>
<p>In a word, yes! Colleges do NOT want to hear about all the depressing things you’ve had to deal with in your life. They want to hear how you have overcome those challenges, they want to know that you’ve become a better person despite all the adversity. See: [“Homeless</a> to Harvard” student tells her story - CBS News Video](<a href=“http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7411142n]"Homeless”>http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7411142n)</p>
<p>As you begin to write your essays think deeply and honestly about how YOUR values have been shaped over the years…how you, along with your FAMILY unit, continue to grow and INTERACT with the environment on a daily basis…how you react to adversity, how you develop integrity by choosing to do the right thing when no one is looking, how you become the peacemaker when no one dares to step in to stop a fight, how you stand up for people being bullied, how you choose to lead when others cower, how you challenge the status quo if the status quo is WRONG, how you admit to making mistakes and learning from them, how you grow each day to become a better person…</p>
<p>…yes, essays can be deeply introspective…but the most successful essays bring out the true authentic VOICE and CHARACTER of the INDIVIDUAL in an INSPIRING manner that cannot be explained anywhere else in your application…</p>
<p>Whatever your essay is about, just make sure it has an overall positive tone, even if some of the subject matter is not positive. Colleges don’t want to admit people who wallow in self-pity, or anger, or hatred…you get the idea.</p>