<p>so I'm supposed to write about defining moments. I feel like I haven't really had any....my life has been boring. I know there are probably simple things. So, what are some ways to evoke this stuff? And how do yo umake overcoming these obstacles not sound like a cliche?
Also, I know i'm supposed to "show not tell" but how exactly does one do that?
I'm so confused/nervous/stressed so anything would help!</p>
<p>You haven't had any obstacles? How about the stressful process of applying to colleges? Or trying to make the school <em>blank</em> team? Or a huge argument with a friend? Transition to a new school? ..Being born? lol, idk, i'm sure you can think of something.</p>
<p>i know but everything i think of ends up in a cliche...</p>
<p>well why don't you list what you have on your mind and we can help you from there. Defining moments don't have to be profound, they can be quirky or even something small which upon closer examination reveals something profound. I wrote my essay on playing with wild monkeys, and getting lost in india during a monsoon and how those events incited adventure and curiosity in me.</p>
<p>is it too hackneyed to write about sports?</p>
<p>There is virtually no topic that is "too hackneyed". </p>
<p>"It was the day of the big game. I had worked long and hard. At the crucial time, I either scored or failed to score. Therefore, my team won or didn't win. I learned that hard work pays off or I learned to accept defeat."</p>
<p>Yeah, that's hackneyed. Don't write that.</p>
<p>But somehow, sports columnists throughout the country manage to write interesting, insightful stuff about sports every day, year after year (for example, read the New York Times sports columnists). No one ever told Roger Angell that sports are too hackneyed to write about. </p>
<p>If you can write a sports essay is personal, detailed, honest, and revealing, so that your essay comes close to being something that only you could write, then your essay can be successful--meaning, it reveals your uniqueness, your unique experiences, your unique take. In that event, it won't matter who else may have written about your sport, or about sports generally, or how many other people are involved in your sport--your essay will still help you in the admissions process.</p>
<p>yea, i agree, no topic is over-used or cliche, it's the angle or the "moral" from the essay that's the same (im not saying have a moral though). so you could do overcoming some huge obstacle, but you don't need something dramatic to catch admissions' attention.</p>
<p>One book i read, the highest rated essay was from a gay Asian. Other top ones were vacations/trips abroad, what a guy learned from the shower, everyday things like that, that the student took a unique perspective on. So yea, I'm sure you have even everyday things you could write about!</p>