<p>Hi, I'm actually a junior and I'm trying to get a head-start on my essays by brainstorming and hopefully, by August of next year, I can Frankenstein together my essay and not have to spend too much time stressing out about it.
I'm using the first prompt in the Common App, where it broadly asks you to describe your life.
I'd like to start by questioning the very idea of being able to describe my life and my story in a finite number of words, especially 650. I'm also considering using a hook at the beginning by making some kind of rash(ish) statement, something blunt and attention-grabbing that would lead into my point about how it's impossible to completely describe myself and my story in a finite way.
I plan on talking about how I was raised entirely by male family members without any female influence in my life. (I myself am female.) I'd like to talk about the struggle I had with teaching myself to be feminine through trial and what I personally felt it was like to be truly gender neutral. I wear dresses, love vintage fashion, shopping, and makeup. But I also love rugby, Dungeons and Dragons, and I play a lot of video games. I'd use these things as examples to build up my case and talk about what I personally feel it means to be feminine and the difference between girliness and femininity. I'd also maybe discuss why it was truly difficult for me to understand the words and concepts of "nurture" and "intimacy."
This would be a primary point, around 250-300 words. I'd also talk about the struggle I had knowing that my mother voluntarily had no interest in being in my life and refused to support me. (I'm wondering if it would be appropriate or relevant to discuss that my father is an alcoholic and I had an EXTREMELY unstable home life, the details of which I couldn't get into here, let alone in my application. Would this make me seem unstable or would it make even more of a case for me, overcoming adversity and all that?)
I want to ultimately lead this into the second half of my essay, in which I want to discuss my strong desire to help other people, particularly those who cannot help themselves, because at one point, I wasn't able to take care of myself, and I find that buying a young homeless woman a sandwich or saving lost dogs off the side of the road or donating blood make me feel as though I have a purpose, and this is why I want an education, because I already have a passion for learning, but I need to be given the tools to succeed and to be able to go and make a true difference in the world.
Even if I wasn't able to change the world, why not the world for a few people?</p>
<p>I'm not too sure how cliche this is or if my family situation with my mother is a unique enough hook. It's had a definite impact on my life. I have not written my essay yet and this is not it, I'm just asking for structure questions and if anyone knows what they're really looking for.
I'm mostly applying to private liberal arts colleges. Thanks.</p>