<p>If in my college essays I talked about my love for my religion, Islam, and how i wanted to be successful and actually fix problems in the world so that I could prove that muslims aren't violent and destructive like recent terrorism may suggest, would it be too contraversial and ultimately work against me? I'm from Bangladesh, and I want to apply to UVa.</p>
<p>It wouldn’t be controversial. It might work against you, but not because of the reason you are thinking of.</p>
<p>could you explain how itd work against me?</p>
<p>I was wondering the same thing, if I should say that I was Muslim in my essay. The only worry is if the essay readers have a strong contempt or fear of Islm. But if you can tie your intended major into it, it might just work.</p>
<p>If you can successfully convey your passion in an essay that has to do with your respective religion, by all means go ahead. I think Eatyoualive was getting at the idea that you might not be able to properly convey an image that accurately represents you as a driven high school student if you wrote about your religion. If you wrote about a subject that displays what kind of impact you could have on the student body and college (something a bit more realistic than breaking discriminatory walls in society, not that I’m trying to put you off from doing that), that might be more advisable than writing about Islam.</p>
<p>Its not a controversial topic to write on. But do make sure that you focus more on yourself rather than on your religion. For instance, it’s better to write about how Islam has impacted your ideology/ beliefs rather than focusing the essay on explaining an Islamic event </p>
<p>(I hope that i could say it clearly)</p>
<p>And anyways, if a college discriminates you based on your religion, then it’s better not to attend that college. Best of luck</p>
<p>I’m Muslim and I did check Islam for religious preferences. Also, for my extracurricular essay on the common app, I wrote about how being a tutor at an Islamic Studies school helped shape who I am by developing my passion for helping others and teaching me how to act under pressure (I helped a lot of kids at once and it got overwhelming at times). So I mean, being a Muslim should not hurt you (I got accepted to my top choice) but, just as the poster above me has stated, focus on yourself, not the religion. I wish you the best of luck!!! :D</p>