I really want to answer the prompt, “Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?” for my Common App essay.
I planned to talk about how insignificant we are in the face of the universe but how meaningful we are to ourselves; and if we can’t leave a mark on the universe, at least we can leave a mark on each other. The goal was to tie this into how I feel the universe doesn’t give us purpose, (instead we give ourselves purpose), and discuss how I feel my purpose is to help others (weather that’s being an engineer that is on the committee that gets the first human to mars or a lawyer that helps reform our corrupt prison system).
However, a lot of people have said that colleges hate essays that discuss questions like “why are we here,” and “what’s our purpose.” I also don’t know if my idea completely fits with the prompt and I’m afraid that it’s too controversial and opinionated. I’m not religious, but I’m afraid someone might get upset with me for not saying that God gives me purpose. I have other things I can write about, like my love for music or my hardships in life, but this is something that really interests me and I think my passion for science and helping people will really show through with this type of essay. I’m just not sure if writing this essay is a risk I’m willing to take. What do you guys think?