<p>I was planning on writing about my older brother failing out of college. He was a very smart kid who just stopped caring about grades/school and got really into the whole party/drinking/drugs scene at college. It's an interesting story that affected me and I plan on talking about how I don't plan on following him down that path. It seems like a solid enough idea so far but I was curious about the taboos that exist on mentioning drug use in college essays. Obviously, I wouldn't self-incriminate myself but I was planning on talking about my brother's drug use (and dealing) and basically how he messed up his life. Would this be okay or does this violate some unwritten laws about college essays?</p>
<p>Don’t worry. If you want to write about that topic, then you should. However, be sure to make this essay about you and how your brother impacted you rather than only your brother’s situation.</p>
<p>You can write about someone else’s drug use affecting you, especially a family member. If you ever tried any yourself, do not mention it.</p>
<p>^^^such suggestion</p>