<p>Is it too risky?</p>
<p>What is the context ? </p>
<p>’‘I sat anxiously in the back of the police car. I could hear my 3-year-old brother’s frantic cries in the car behind us, while a hard-core version of "Bad Boys’’ played on the radio. Gosh, cops actually listen to this? Why are the seats so damned hard? I tried to distract myself from reality…’’</p>
<p>If you’re going to use the watered-down “gosh,” I’d replace “damn” with something less risque. </p>
<p>I think Gosh is fine 
! Hahaha it makes your essay sound very personal 
About the damn … well … it all comes down to who reads it , it’s definitely not too risky still if there are some very fussy old fashioned readers they may find it a bit out of place , I’d suggest try and look for a just as cool synonym otherwise risk it , it’s a word vs your whole application can’t have that much weight ;)</p>
<p>I would avoid anything that could be construed as disrespectful on an application, and this includes common “bad words”.</p>
<p>“Damn” has been fairly acceptable ever since Clark Gable used it in 1939. In this context, I’d say it’s fine.</p>
<p>Just make sure the essay is relevant to a college app. </p>
<p>Thanks everyone, I really hope it doesn’t come off as rude and disrespectful.</p>
<p>You could write “darn” and the reader will understand :)</p>
<p>@MYOS I was actually considering that, thanks!:)</p>
<p>Yeah I don’t think it should be that big of an issue. You can play it safe though, of course. Just a little thing that probably won’t matter too much either way you play it.</p>