I am an international student who came to the U.S. two years ago to study in high school, and I want to write about the differences in speaking.
For example, it is kind of normal to see a stranger say “hi” to me on the street in New York; or the use of “have a nice day” is routine and I hear it almost everyday. While these are not common in my country because we don’t used to say such things. I want to talk about how these experiences made me confused at first and then I get to used to them. And also when I came here, I cannot adjust myself to my new life, so I felt that I was not belonging to here at first. But these greetings or common phrases made me feel that people were being friendly and nice to me, and I started to realize that my loneliness was all because I refused to the city, but not the city refused me.
I would like to say it’s for option #1, the background or identity …but I feel like it’s off topic and it looks weird
Could anyone help me out? Can I write my essay about this or should I change
This sounds like an interesting essay, and definitely fits the “background” prompt.
I second the recommendation to get a proofreader or editor to look it over. Your use if the word “refused” above is odd - you will benefit from a native English speaker reading the essay for you to point out such issues.
Just make sure you show the attributes your target colleges are looking for. Eg, let them see you’ll bring this same openness, curiosity, adaptability, etc, to your new campus. Show, not just tell. Since the essay is for your college review, it’s different than just a story.
I agree with everything mentioned by @lookingforward. Also, be careful to come across as positive; the tone of the OP could be construed as negative and that won’t help.