<p>In response to the Common App prompt of a place where you feel perfectly content- Is saying the in the bathroom too crude or offensive? I think it could be spun in an interesting way and definitely stand out from the crowd. Obviously not getting to into the more graphic bits, but I don't want to come off as unrefined. Could this work or is it too ridiculous? </p>
<p>Does it showcase your personality (in a positive light)? Is this really where you feel content, or are you just doing it to stand out? In my opinion, it’s probably a bad idea, but a talented writer can make almost any topic work.</p>
<p>Could you change it to in the shower to be on the safe side?</p>
<p>The location prompt needs to be spun not just in an “interesting way” but in a way that really highlights who you are. Focus more on telling them about yourself than being funny or creative. It’s not patently offensive, but seems like dangerous ground. For example, if you have a huge family and the only place you can have some privacy is the bathroom, the focus of the essay would be your family relationships. The “bathroom” location becomes incidental and would not be offensive at all. </p>
<p>I feel that I could spin it to be in a positive light. That was honestly the first place I thought of for being content. It’s private, you can relax, and you’re unplugged from the constant technology of the modern world. In response to the shower thing, I suppose a lot of the same things apply but that sounds more typical, it doesn’t push the boundaries as much.</p>
<p>It’s gross.</p>
<p>Your response to the shower suggestion implies to me that what you mean by “the bathroom” is “on the toilet”. Don’t do that. The negatives far outweigh the interestingness. Don’t make the reader imagine you sitting on the toilet.</p>
<p>Alright, I’ll stay away. It wasn’t too developed, just a random thought I had and i wanted to see if it was too far.</p>
<p>Generally speaking, if the question is “is this crude or crass?” the answer is always yes.</p>
<p>In Harry Bauld’s book on writing a college essay, one essay in particular is featured for having a risky yet enticing topic sentence: “I do my best thinking in the bathroom.” The essay was responding to a prompt concerning world issues and the author went on to explain how the political leaders don’t do enough thinking and should spend time in the bathroom doing so. It was a very solid and interesting essay and impressed the AO’s that Bauld had shown. One AO in particular noted how the author went into the touchy subject of the bathroom without going into the graphic parts and executed his essay well.</p>
<p>Maybe I’ll at least give the idea a try, it’s only 650 words. A rough draft won’t take long.</p>
<p>bath and shower are less negatively charged words than bathroom</p>
<p>You are going to say that sitting on the toilet taking a dump is the place you are most contented? Perhaps you could elevate it by discussing Freud’s thoughts on the anal stage of psychosexual developments, lol. </p>
<p>But there was an essay this year that started “Its 6 a.m. and the bathroom stinks”. It was used to illustrate extreme frugality in that the toilet was not allowed to be flushed until there was grey water from laundry to use for that purpose. Kind of a risk of being a bit gross, but it was used to put the reader in her shoes. This may have put some people off but the student did well in admissions.</p>