<p>I had an idea for one of my essays for college and I just wanted some feedback to see if it was really cliche or an acceptable idea.</p>
<p>In short:</p>
<p>I have always been a perfectionist and I've always considered myself open to trying new things, but really only if I was sure I would succeed. I want to write about how I suffered from an eating disorder for two years, and after I got back to a healthy weight I was still a perfectionist. I went to a new competitive residential high school (kind of like Hogwarts without the magic part haha) and I got my first B+ by one tenth of a point and this B+ really saved my life in the terms of still suffering from extreme perfectionism that was making me criticize myself. Also, I started an organization to raise awareness about eating disorders & self-injury. Basically, getting a B+ showed me that when I didn't meet my standard, nothing happened, I was still ok .. and this realization helped me develop into someone who now can try new things despite my projected idea of my success.</p>
<p>Is this topic too.. "oh boo hoo i had an eating disorder" because I really don't want it to come off like "pick me because i had a mental & physical illness" </p>
<p>i’d like to issue a warning about the eating disorder topic. i went that route, and i believe it’s part of the reason i was rejected from most of the schools i applied to. they won’t say anything, but putting stuff out there like that may make you appear as a liability to colleges (which isn’t always true, but colleges have a terrible bias). i feel that although my essay was about overcoming symptoms (like yours), the subject matter ultimately hurt me in the admissions process. i’m not saying you shouldn’t because it does make a powerful essay, but it’s just a warning.</p>
<p>i think that the perfectionism is a relatively safer way to go, as long as you talk about overcoming it, which seems to be the main point. i don’t think the eating disorder topic is a “no no no” but it can definitely be risky. i don’t like the attitude that colleges have about it at all, and i don’t believe that eating disorders should make people look bad. i think the conception is that it is a disorder of choice, but i think you and i both know that that is NOT true. it does NOT make you look bad, but it could hurt you because people are so ignorant about it. good luck!</p>
<p>The ED topic is an art form. It’s like, applying to a school in itself. An Ivy League school. Part of me wants to write about it myself, but I know that its probably a good idea to just zip the lips! shut up! they are going to freak!</p>
<p>I’ve heard of kids getting in/doing well with their ED essay on related threads. You know, personally, my experiences have really changed me, and to purposely not mention it would practically be lying.</p>