His recent diagnosis has been the majority of my life lately, and therefore I feel like it’s important to write about. Although, I’ve heard it’s not super appealing to make my essay about stuff like this. So how can I make a good essay with this topic? Tips?
You can mention it is Addl Info if you do not use it for your essay. The goals of the essay at to reveal more about you and make them want you on campus. I wouldn’t try to force this topic if you have trouble meeting those goals with it.
I am so very sorry about your father and the difficulties that his diagnosis must be bringing. Of course it is a major impact on your life now, and will be for the rest of your life.
Bear in mind that the admissions essays are supposed to give insight about YOU, however, not about other people, things, events, places etc How is this development affecting you, how you are viewing the world. It’s all about YOU in these essays, and what you would bring as part of the college community to which you are applying.
Watch out for the 3 D’s (death, divorce, disability). Not great essay topics in many washes.
I realize it will probably be difficult for you not to write about this, but it is generally best not to write about things that are too personal, serious or important to you. It often makes the writing process harder and people who are helping you edit your essay will be more hesitant to critique it, which results in a weaker essay. You may also find this topic increasingly difficult to write about as things progress.
Also, essays like this usually don’t have what college admissions officers are looking for.
I’m sure that in the future, you’ll be able to write movingly about this pivotal time in your family’s life. But please—give yourself the time and the space you need to experience his diagnosis. You can’t force it or push the process…and you do have to force yourself to write a great essay for a serious deadline. Yes, you can mention this set of circumstances in your essay or in another statement. But don’t try to build your essay around it. Even if you could make such as essay truly illuminating and about YOU, that’s way too much to ask of yourself at this moment. Take care of you.
@AlaskaGirl02 I am so sorry about your dad.
I would suggest that you write that essay. I think your personality could really come across, especially if you write about your relationship with your dad, and what you do to cope with this. Avoid medical details, cliches and self-pity (although no one would fault you for having some). Then, find a trusted and relatively objective person to read it—a teacher, guidance counselor, or someone else in your life who would be sure to give honest feedback.
You want the reader to hear your unique voice. The essay shouldn’t make them feel sorry for you, but rather like they know you better and you’re going to come through this ok. If you don’t get solid positive feedback, write a different essay. It will still be good for you to have written about this.
I know a case where a kid felt like they had to write about something similar. The essay was matter-of-fact and gave the reader a real sense of the writer as a struggling but growing person. Kid did quite well in admissions.
Again, my heart goes out to you and I wish things could be different for your dad.
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I am very sorry to hear about your dad, but I would not write about this. It is not a case of hiding the truth, but rather showing an admissions officer who you are. I strongly suggest you let your guidance counselor know this information, because he/she can note it in your letter of rec. It is better if a GC addresses this issue, in addition to you making a note of it in your additional information section.
I agree with post #4. What is your essay supposed to be about? You. They want an insight into your personality. If you would like some ideas of how to get started, look at the common app prompts, which are going to be similar to last year’s prompts. Come back here to CC if you need more advice.
While it is true that some students are able to successfully write about these topics, most are not skillful enough to create an essay that will make the admissions officer say “yes, I want this student on our campus.”
Yes. I agree with all the other commenters. The essay is supposed to be about YOU. I understand how this topic is a strong part of your identity, but it has to be more direct and put into perspective. As others have noted, your GC is the best person to include that information into their letter. The underlying objective of an essay is to understand how the student views the world. The most successful essays accomplish this task by having an authentic voice that shows how this student will contribute to campus/faculty/roommate.
My heart goes out to you! I think if you choose to write an essay on this topic, I would suggest that you think about it as a backdrop, not the main focus of the essay. So, for example, if you and your dad have developed a new tradition that you share post his diagnoses, or you’ve had a conversation or experience with him that has really helped you hone in on what is truly important in your life and what kind of community you are looking for in a college. Small moments often make the best essays. So don’t write in a broad way about your dad’s illness. Write about a car ride, conversations while keeping him company during chemo, a walk in the woods, or even a moment with mom. And make sure that it is revelatory about you – what kind of person you are, what you care about, what your strengths are, who you want to be, what you want to study, where you want to study, that kind of thing. And to the extent possible, show don’t tell, meaning don’t say: “I’ve become less selfish and more able to show emotion,” but describe yourself helping your dad shave, telling him you love him, that kind of thing.
And don’t feel like you are not taking your dad’s illness, and your upcoming loss, seriously if you choose to write about something entirely different. Your essay is not required to be about the most important thing in your life right now. It can be about anything, and it is no disrespect to your father to choose to keep that piece of your story to yourself.
I am so sorry that you are going through this terrible situation. I am going to come at this from a different perspective. My husband passed away a few years ago. My oldest kids were 14 and 11 at the time. Both of them touched on it in their essays and both of them had wonderful reactions from admissions counselors.
They did not write about it in a self pitying way, but for both of them it changed their lives, They had to take on more family responsibility for a toddler sibling while I had to go back to work. They had to grow up fast. It informed who they became and impacted their career choices in very different ways. It would have been odd for it not to be part of their essays. Both essays were uplifting and not depressing and both really showed who they are, how they overcame and how they can bring these lessons to others in a wonderful way.
Dealing with something like this will change you profoundly. I don’t think there is anything wrong with writing about it IF you can do it in a way that shows your strengths and isn’t just asking for sympathy. Also, the advice about not writing about death is more about writing about the death of a grandparent or other relative – because most people have experienced this and it isn’t usually original. A parent is a completely different matter. Kids your age are not supposed to lose their parents.
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Ack autocorrect above- the 3 d’s are not great topics. Not sure what “washes” was supposed to be (can’t recall!)
First, let me offer my sincere sympathies, and wishes for dad’s recovery.
Keep your eye on the point of this essay! It’s not therapy, and it’s not true confessions. It’s a sales job. The point of this essay is to give the reader a reason to say yes to your application. It’s to convince him/her that you would make a great addition to that college. Period.
Chose a topic that shows a part of you that isn’t on your application. That separates you from every single other kid with the exact same stats and the exact same EC’s. It’s about showing your personality, not the things that have happened to you or your family.
I would suggest, strongly, that you find another topic.
And, again, prayers for dad.
Writing a first person essay about a major challenge (such as the 3 D’s) is actually exceptionally difficult- especially when you are in the middle of it. It is rare for any writer to have the perspective necessary.
A comparable situation that pops up on CC a lot is students wanting to write about sorting out their sexuality: it is such a huge factor in their lives at this moment. But again, they have no perspective: they can tell their story, but (mostly) it’s too current/fresh/recent for them to be able to show what they have done with the experience, the longer term effect, how it has shaped them into the person that will be coming to the college campus.
Your Dad’s illness will shape you, but it will be a good while before you know how. Right now you just need to be in the present with him and with your family.
Google “Hacking the College Essay 2017” and read it.
You have to write about YOU, not your Dad.
And if you chose this topic, you have to make sure it would not sound like an essay anyone else with a family member with health issues could write.
Write the Essay No One Else Could Write
“It boils down to this: the essay that gets you in is the essay that no other applicant could write.
Is this a trick? The rest of this guide gives you the best strategies to accomplish this single
most important thing: write the essay no one else could write.
If someone reading your essay gets the feeling some other applicant could have written it,
then you’re in trouble.
Why is this so important? Because most essays sound like they could have been written by
anyone. Remember that most essays fail to do what they should: replace numbers (SAT/GPA) with the real you.
Put yourself in the shoes of an admissions officer. She’s got limited time and a stack of
applications. Each application is mostly numbers and other stuff that looks the same. Then she picks
up your essay. Sixty seconds later, what is her impression of you? Will she know something specifically
about you? Or will you still be indistinguishable from the hundreds of other applicants she has been
reading about?”