<p>I'm doing my common app essay on my experience in Israel, which I lived in for about 4 years, and how even though it was painful, it made me curious about a lot of things. Maybe the fact that I lived in China, Israel and USA make me stand out a bit more.</p>
<p>I'm also thinking about writing about how all of my grandparents were poor Chinese peasants and how their difficult lives motivated me. Would that sound better?</p>
<p>I think it could be an interesting essay, depending on your approach. If you want, you can send your draft of it to me via PM to review, or you can send it to my college e-mail address, which I will send you in a PM. Post back if you are interested.</p>
<p>tokyo</p>
<p>Do you support the war on Lebanon? </p>
<p>Interesting topic. How did your grandparents end up in Israel? Be sure to focus on yourself, not the grandparents.</p>
<p>Well, don't turn it into a pity party, but I used my experience living in another country (for 7 years) to write a pretty decent essay that got me into a couple very good schools.</p>
<p>My grandparents didn't end up in Israel, I did. Sorry if that wasn't clear.</p>
<p>Tokyo, thanks, I'll PM it to you.</p>
<p>I don't think any admissions officers are going to look at your essay and say, "Oh crap, not ANOTHER Chinese Israeli applicant!!"</p>
<p>Big thing though. All our grandparents were poor chinese peasants. The only good jobs were soldier, factory worker, farmer which are jobs that bourgeois people cannot do. My grandparents were deemed as "bourgeois" because some of their relatives went to Taiwan.</p>
<p>Unless your grandparents are actually poor for chinese peasants, then I don't think you should write it.</p>
<p>haha, tourguide, that's hilarious.</p>
<p>Overall, I like your original topic better. I'm sure a lot of applicants write about their experiences overseas, but if you're able to express it uniquely, then it won't make a difference. The best way to do this is to focus on the details and imagery, anecdotes, etc. anything that is specific to your experiences in Israel. You can always sum it up and make an universal statement about the conditions, life there, etc. at the end. If you choose to do the latter, make sure you focus on yourself more than your grandparents. Their lives would be a good intro anecdote, but the rest should be about yourself.</p>