<p>Ugh.
Writing essays is definitely not my strong point. I went on a mission trip when I was 16 and I feel that that is my best common app essay topic. I'm worried about sounding clich</p>
<p>Just balance the two, but understand the show vs. tell thing is a spectrum. Everything you say is telling, but as you increase the detail, or as you sort of "zoom in," you are showing. You're not supposed to describe something and then summarize or tell what you described.</p>
<p>It seems you're confused about how to structure it. It's easy once you get the hang of it... just create (in your mind) a "movie" of the psychological journey that you want your reader to experience when reading your essay, hold that, and write. Trust that it will come out right.. don't be too intellectual about it, otherwise that will damage your creativity.</p>
<p>thank you leolibby, the 'movie' idea was just what i needed to jumpstart me</p>