I don’t want to go into too much detail here, the title explains it. I’m aware that the essay should be structured around me, not another person. I’m also aware that depression/suicide is a controversial topic, and is not recommended to write about in a college admissions essay (for fear that it would reflect poorly on the state of my mental health). However, since I was not the depressed/suicidal individual, I was wondering if this might tell a different story. I in no way intent to capitalize on my friend’s horrible situation, so is there a risk of it coming across that way? The reason I want to write about it is because it was a hugely important moment that revealed to me what I truly value in life. Thank you for any advice.
I would be concerned about friend’s privacy rights.
Also, such an essay could be misunderstood- a reader might think you’re describing your own suicidal event - the whole “asking for a friend” meme.
Substitute a single generic phrase for the part about your friend (“I was involved in a life and death situation involving a friend”) and then write the rest of the essay: From that experience I discovered X about myself. Since then I have [what you have done with this new self awareness]. If your essay doesn’t hit your word limit based on what’s in the brackets then you don’t have enough meat about you to write that essay. If your essay is strong enough on it’s own it doesn’t matter if it was a suicide attempt or a car accident or cancer that created the situation.
Personally I would avoid this type of essay. If it takes the misfortune of others to make yourself look good, is that really the best reflection of you?
I like collegemom3717’s proposed changes, especially if you can leave out exactly what happened with the other person, but I still feel it’s a fine line.