<p>New York is a city full of people from other places. They all bring with them a story of where they are from. Tell us something about where you're from and what single facet of your hometown experience has shaped you into the person you are today.</p>
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<p>That is my essay prompt and I want to write about how my small town frustrated me cause everyone was the same and there was no opportunities and it made me hungry for more.</p>
<p>Would it be bad to criticize my hometown?</p>
<p>I have read in several books offering advice about college essays that is it very important to write a positive essay. I can see the wisdom in that, but in your case if may be more a matter of framing your point in a positive way. Perhaps you can talk about some of the great things about small towns, yours in particular, like the close-knit community, the ability to know people in the context of their families and over generations, and not just as individuals… you know, that sort of thing. Then you can talk about the less advantageous aspects of small town life, and how it’s awakened in you the (very positive) impulse to also experience a wider world, a world were people can create themselves anew… but bringing with you the ethos of a smaller more interdependent community. Or whatever adaptation of that theme works best for you and best for your own home town. You can still frame it in a positive way, but address how it has shaped you and made you eager to experience more diversity, more activity, more energy… whatever.</p>