Is it a bad idea to write about McDonalds for a college essay?

Ok, so let me elaborate a little. I come from a poor country where we don’t have a McDonalds and as a child I would always dream of someone one day opening up a McDonalds. I will talk briefly about that in the introduction but then I will move on to my experiences growing up in my country. At the end I plan on talking about my new dreams for my country, like democracy etc. It’s genuinely something that sticks out in my childhood and I think it’s a pretty interesting contrast between poor and rich countries. Is it a good idea?

I don’t know the topic or the university, but I would argue yes it is a good idea. Write about what you truly believe and your voice will come out. Colleges want to learn about YOU, not every other person so writing something unique like opening McDonalds sounds like a fascinating essay!