<p>So when I was younger, I had to undergo neurosurgery because my brain was too big for my head. The doctors said that school would be difficult for me, but I overcame that in high school, particularly after freshman year. Would this be a good story to include in my essay? Or is it just a cliché story that colleges have seen with variations to the beginning part?</p>
<p>That’s a very original and interesting story. Could you explain exactly how you overcame the difficulties of school so I could get a better understanding about what the essay is about?</p>
<p>Yes! But what difficulties did you face?</p>
<p>That sounds pretty interesting and unique. Be careful not to make the essay too “woe is me” - focus on the positive aspects and your own personal development. </p>
<p>@lillewwy my idea is to write about how I overcame learning disabilities like ADHD and I also subtly included how my freshman year I was still affected my ADHD so hopefully colleges will see why my grades were not up to par. Also I kinda of tied in the fact that my brain is outside of my head so I am outside my group of peers because my unique experience
@spiral7 school was always kind of difficult for me because I had ADHD and other minor learning difficulties. I never got horrible grades (mainly B’s and the occasional A or C in middle school and ninth grade), but I talk about how my strong work ethic helped me overcome my ADHD to let myself get mostly A’s.
@frozens yeah I realized that after I wrote my rough draft. The essay came out over dramatic and kind of somber, but now I am working to do what you said and make the essay positive.</p>
<p>@Andyhunt10 The essay would be great if you dramatize the “brain was too big for my head” part and make the rest look sincere.</p>
<p>@Andyhunt10:<br>
The adcoms don’t care at all about your surgery or about your learning disabilities.<br>
How are you a different or better person today because if the challenges that experience gave you? </p>
<p>@phongtheha yeah I made the introductory paragraph VERY dramatic. I used a lot of imagery and created suspense to describe what it was like first receiving the diagnosis, but now i’m trying to dial back the rest of the essay to make it about my sincere like you said. </p>
<p>@jpm50 Thanks for the advice! I am working on a new draft were I talk more about the solution and less about the problem. </p>
<p>I think it would be very interesting to use your brain as a metaphor for your academic pursuits. </p>