Is my common app subject to controversial?

For my common app I wanted to write about my experience growing up without a religion. I feel like this is one of the defining things that sets me apart from other people and it would allow my paper to stick out in college admissions minds, but I fear that, living in the south, the topic is too polarizing and colleges will be put off by it. I’m really scared that I’ll seem preachy although my goal is to seem honest and open to other people’s ideas. Any help is appreciated!

It would be a problem if you are applying to a school like Bob Jones, otherwise, no, it’s not a problem.

Agree, unless the school had a religious affiliation it shouldn’t affect your app at all.

Unless the essay is written extremely poorly (i.e. preachy, anti-religion, negative about religion and not about you, etc.) it should not affect your app to most schools. It’s not too controversial. If you’re planning on applying to more religious schools it could be risky.

@Pgflanagan9

i guess i will be the dissenting opinion.

i really don’t see anything noteworthy or unique about being a non-religious college student, or coming from a non-religious background. i think that is increasingly the norm.

i find it a little strange that of all the things you could write about that would give a glimpse of who you are, you would settle on, “I don’t have a religion.” that doesn’t make sense to me. do you have some other belief system or personal philosophy that guides you in life, that you could write about instead? why would you define yourself by the ABSENCE of a particular characteristic or attribute?

I would not care who or what you are NOT, i would want to know who or what you ARE. saying “I don’t have a religion” does not really give me any insight into who you are or what is unique about you.

i don’t know. maybe you can write this in such a way that is compelling and makes sense, but IMO it does not sound like a good topic.

@Wien2NC - the question was not “do you think this is a good topic” but rather “is this topic too controversial.” Of course it could end up being a lame essay, but it doesn’t have to be, and it shouldn’t be ruled out because of its subject matter, which isn’t remotely “too controversial.”

Hmmm. I find these comments interesting, since the advice given students who have asked of writing about their religion strikes me as being pretty much the complete opposite. Oh, and I’m a complete agnostic/semi-Zoroastrian myself, so I have no horse in this race.

OP: if you think it defines you, then go for it. Don’t be preachy about it [I’m thinking “my classmates are bound up in their church rituals while I get to do real stuff on Sundays.” I’m not insinuating that’s what you might do. Just offering a clear example if something that’s way over the line.]

My advice has been about the same to those students.

Ha ha ha. Good one @marvin100. Note that I did not say everyone. I said “pretty much the complete opposite.”

Yes, you hedged in other ways as well: “strikes me as,” no links/quotes.

Oh my. It would have taken too long to track them all down – and, if you’d ever been chastised for being too blunt in your expression of an opinion, you would phrase your comments circumspectly as well. Enough of this. We now return to our scheduled program: answering the OP’s question.

Growing up without a religion is not as uncommon as you think. At least not within the applicant pool. Although not many applicants write about not growing up with a religion (honestly, probably because it’s not such an uncommon thing these days), I feel that it would have to be an interestingly twisted essay in order to wow adcoms. I feel like that fact won’t set you apart from applicants (although I’m from LA, where over half of the people I know don’t have a religion). If it is “taboo” to not have a religion where you live, that would make for a more intriguing essay.

If you are applying to a religiously non-affiliated liberal arts college, I would say writing about being non-religious is not controversial, as generally a majority of applicants are non-religious (make sure you can truly still show your “uniqueness” in this case). If it is a state school (in the south?) or religiously affiliated school, you may want avoid it or be extra cautious in case an admission officer has bias. With that said, many schools are looking for open-minded people, so even at a LAC you’d want to make sure the essay is cautious and really about YOU, how it shaped who you are, not why having no religion is superior, better than having one, etc.

According to the latest PEW reports 80% of people under the age of 20 have never attended a church service. Controversial to be no religious? No. Iffy topic for an essay? Depends on how you approach it.

Not controversial unless you’re applying to very conservative schools. Honestly, though, it strikes me as something that could be sort of navel gazing and boring. If it led you to do some specific project, or something tangible that you have done * as a result of not being religious * then I think it could be a good essay topic. Could work if you used it to as an aside/intro into some activity, but just to write about not being religious sounds somewhat akin to writing about why you don’t like the color blue.

@marvin100
@Pgflanagan9

I should have began my reply with, “No, it’s not too controversial … the problem is it’s not controversial enough.” It seemed clear to me the OP wanted to know if he/she should go ahead with this topic. IMO the topic is not too controversial, but there were other reasons why I thought OP should go with something else. In 2016, there is nothing controversial at all about saying you don’t have a religion – but there is nothing unique or noteworthy about it either.

I really don’t think the OP meant, “I only want to know if my subject is too controversial. I don’t want any other type of feedback or opinion about it.” But OP, if this subject gives you the springboard for the best essay you can write, then go for it.

I don’t think the OP meant that either. However, personally, I’m a big fan of just answer the question asked. The OP asked if the subject was too controversial, not if it would make a good essay. It’s pretty much a given that even the best topic can be a crappy essay if the applicant does a poor job in writing it.

I think he is writing about not being religious but living in a religion community.