Is this a good essay topic?

College Essays
1

Hi everyone. I’ve been working on my common app essay and started to write a draft about what I learned from my first job.

I worked at a retirement home as a dining room server, and really did not enjoy it. A majority of the residents were very rude and cranky (I wouldn’t focus on that, though) and it was monotonous and boring work.

I wanted to write about an interaction with a resident named Viriginia. Whenever I made my rounds to take the residents orders she was always so happy and told me different stories about her life. I realized from her that at the end of my life, I don’t want to be the dissatisfied residents who have regrets. I wanted to be like Virginia and be happy of my decisions when I ultimately end up at a retirement home. I thought that I could end the essay with my decision to quit the job because I had the opportunity to work on a muon detector with my physics teacher, which would show that I have decided to quit the job I didn’t like in order to start working in something I am actually happy and interested in.

I don’t know if this essay is cliche or just too much for an admissions essay. I feel like it is such a big topic that I don’t know if admissions officers would even enjoy reading it.

2

I think it sounds fine.

3

A look back essay stating what you’ve learned and how you want to live your life going forward is a nice approach. Good luck!

4

It would be a pretty good topic as long as you don’t focus on Virginia too much.

5

Yeah i started writing it and think that I actually want to change the theme of it.
I’m thinking of talking about how I realized that service jobs aren’t easy and how I learned to treat people in these jobs better. I used to never think about my waiters and cashiers and how they are stuck in long, boring, and tiring shifts… kind of realized now that I am no better or worse than any of the other people working in those positions, gained empathy, been humbled, etc