<p>Hello. Alright, so I come from a family that would be considered upper middle class, I go to an expensive prep school, but when I was about 13 my Dad lost his job. From there my family kind of went down hill...my parents got divorced and my Dad was basically unable to get another job until recently (I am 17 now). Through that time we have basically maintained (through money from grandparents etc) an upper middle class perception, but at one point, for 3 months, it got so bad that my Dad could not pay child support and actually had to go to jail. We kept this quiet and basically nobody that we know knows about this (somehow pulled it off). What is key to point out is that my family comes from a lot of money (this is important for the topic)...we live in a very expensive area of a large city, we associate with excessivly rich people....but I always kind of had this little secret, that we actually were kind of putting on an act and living a lie. My question is, is writing about my expierences with my Dad being in jail (I maintained good grades, normal life, etc) and trying to hide it from everybody around me at my prep school who would NEVER imagine we had such problems a good topic? or is it a bad idea b/c they will think we can not pay for the college and be uneasy about admitting? another weird angle is that my Dad's father has a friend on the board of trustees at an ivy league school writing a recommendation for me (she will probably mention how she thinks we are a good family etc)....any advice please, thanks.</p>
<p>Well, I'm certainly intrigued, and I don't know why adcoms would feel differently. If you can write this well enough and give it some context and significance, it will definitely stand out.</p>
<p>That's an awesome topic! It certainly is intriguing and if you can articulate it with gumption and sincerity it would definitely be a knockout. You shouldn't worry at all about colleges thinking you "cannot pay for the college and be uneasy about admitting" or about a contradictory statement from a rec about your family because the essay section is the part where the adcom gets to know YOU... not your family or whether you can shovel up the grands to pay for their overpriced education. BTW it's really commendable that you maintained good grades and a seemingly normal life despite all that you have described. A measly essay should be nothing to you! Good luck and hope things turn out for the better~</p>