<p>Hello everyone! I'm currently finishing my applications for UC Berkeley and UCLA but im having major trouble with the essays. I wrote the essay about "describing the world you come from" about my dad being in jail and my mom raising me and my step brothers by herself and how it has affected my life and attitude. Now im trying to find a topic for the second personal statement of "Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud, and how does it relate to the person you are?". </p>
<p>I wanted to write about overcoming my eating disorder and how it has changed me, but im scared to write two essays that make my life seem hard. I do not want to annoy the admissions officers or make them think I am being fake...</p>
<p>Skip the eating disorder. While it is something that was a big thing to overcome and is important for you, I don’t think it is a good topic at all for a college essay in 95% of cases. It just that is a pernicious condition they can’t be sure will reoccur and it makes you a possibly unstable candidate. That with the first story does make for a very heavy application, which you rightly assessed, imo. I would find something else to write about that shows you as a potential vibrant member of a community, or that shows other strengths of character, intellect etc.</p>
<p>Write something good about yourself, there are plenty of uninteresting people who have it way worse then you. Just take a look at all the boring people starving to death in Africa. Enduring pain doesn’t make one special, people do it everyday. Enduring pain and still being able to come out and do something awesome with one’s life, now that’s what makes one special, that’s what makes one great.</p>
<p>I think it would provide a nice balance if you used this to talk about a positive experience. This would make the admissions officer see something awesome you have done despite having adversity in your life. For instance, in a couple of my supplements, I talked about being born on a really bad day in history (so much so that it was “blacklisted” and never talked about in my home country) and felt incredible anguish as it related to events in my home life, then overcoming it and leading to my greatest passions. In one of my other essays, I opted for a more fun topic that showed a different side of myself, including my sense of humor, choosing my own name and how it impacted my personal identity. I think those provided a nice balance and showed that although I could write really passionately about really serious topics, I could be lighthearted and show a different side of myself too.</p>
<p>The eating disorder one, though I have nothing against it, can be difficult to write about and simultaneously put it in a positive light. I had many friends who had such eating disorders, and though I read one that turned out really well, it is understandably difficult to put those feelings into words in a college essay and show that you can be a positive contributor to the community.</p>