Is this a good essay topic?

College Essays
1

<p>The prompt:
Zoom in and out on a person, place, event, or subject of interest. What becomes clear from far away that you can't see up close? What intricate structures appear when you move closer? How is the big view related to the small, the emptiness to the richness?</p>

<p>The response:
My friend wants to write about his pet dog who he's had all his life. From what I can tell, he's incredibly close to his dog, and could take this in interesting directions (eg "move closer" and personify the dog or look at its little quirks and intricacies, or "zoom out" and look at the bigger picture, how his pet has influenced him and shaped him throughout his life).</p>

<p>However, his concern is that the school wants to see him focus on an interest, and he thinks because so many people are close to their pets, this topic isn't really unique.</p>

<p>Do you think this topic could work as a strong essay, or would you recommend he rethink things?</p>

2

<p>Any advice?</p>

3

<p>It will be intimate and powerful if he describes the the dogs quirks well and also transitions well to the bigger picture of how his pet has influenced him. In another words, whether or not the topic is unique will be determined by how he writes it.</p>

4

<p>A very strong anthropological/evolutionary argument can be made that mankind owes a lot of its success to the man-dog relationship. Have your friend review the material at: Dogs</a> and More Dogs to help him fill out the big picture.</p>