<p>So it's obviously that time of year and I have been thinking about which essay topic i could write about. I might consider a few of the actual common app prompts, but this thread is more about the "choose your own topic" prompt options:</p>
<p>First here's a bit about me:
My academics and test scores are the strongest part of my app (4.0, 34 ACT, good class rigor). I should have good recs as well. However my EC's are kind of weak. I was involved in a decent amount of things and they are by no means bad, but I don't have AMAZING ECs like many kids at the schools I'm applying to do. The schools I am planning to apply to are Michigan(In-state), Duke, Emory, and Northwestern and if I don't get into Michigan Early Action then some other safeties. </p>
<p>Option 1: I moved from connecticut to michigan the summer between my soph. and junior year. I went to a very large (1,800 students) liberal public school in CT to a small (550 students) conservative Catholic high school. I was thinking about writing about how i encountered differences and how i learned more about myself, changed for the better, adapted to the move even tho it was hard blah blah blah. In one sense I'm worried that this may be a generic and boring topic, but then again (and my parents want me to do this topic) I think about how many people had to move halfway across the country halfway through high school and I would think the answer is not a lot, but you never know. The thing that I could see this topic helping with is displaying my scattered EC's, ex I decided to switch sports when I moved (tennis and soccer to running), and lack of a lot of leadership positions, it's pretty much impossible to really become a leader during 11th grade when you have just moved and don't know anyone, i will be president of student gov senior year but junior year i was pretty unleaderly. I feel like they will look at my EC's through an easier lens if they realize how difficult it can be to move halfway through high school(yet this WILL NOT be a pity me story at all, rather how its made me better and how I wouldnt trade the experience)</p>
<p>Option 2: spring of sophomore year I was cut from the tennis team at my old school(extremely competitive program, even tho I was ON varsity and got a letter freshman year). It was a pretty depressing time in general, I had just found out I was leaving all my friends and going to a less academically strong school, and I was thinking about writing about how I had limited running experience in the past(only indoor track which i didnt take seriously and did for fun/friends/stay in shape) but how I decided to pick it up and start anew and now I am a serious runner and I love it, its how i have made a ton of new friends, blah blah blah. Again, I'm worried it might be kind of generic. </p>
<p>Option 3: Another interesting(maybe) thing about me is that Im gay...I havn't actually come out to anybody yet and due to my conservative catholic high school environment I don't plan on it until either after I graduate or right before during the last quarter of the school year. I have read that colleges get a lot of coming out stories and that it can be generic, but I havn't come out yet so I dont even have a story to tell. However I was thinking about writing about how even though being in the closet is a horrible experience overall that nobody should have to go through, that I could write about the good things for me personally about being in the closet and how these transfer into my life, maybe using real life anecdotes, Independence, strength , etc. If I wrote this essay I wouldn't show my parents or anyone for that matter and would probably have to write another essay to show them and then send this one( I would probably mention this). </p>
<p>Option 4: Choose a prompt from common app. </p>
<p>What do you guys think? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!</p>