"Issue of importance to you" - controversial?

College Essays
1

<p>UT Austin's prompt is "Choose an issue of importance to you—the issue could be personal, school related, local, political, or international in nature – and write an essay in which you explain the significance of that issue to yourself, your family, your community, or your generation."</p>

<p>My question is, how controversial can this issue be? My college counselor said that any topic should be fine because the essay should be about me, using the issue as a jumping off point. Still, it feels uncomfortable writing an essay referencing abortion and women's rights for a Texas school. Other ideas I had were equally controversial:
gay marriage
drone warfare
economic inequality</p>

<p>These are the things that really make my blood boil and I am truly passionate about. However, I feel like writing about any of these, or using the words "rape culture" in an essay would just turn off an admissions officer. </p>

<p>What do you guys think?</p>

2

<p>Well … if you have such strong feelings about those issues, you should attend a college where the administration is accepting of different views. If they don’t like it, screw them, maybe that’s not the right school for you. But it’s a public school, Austin is a liberal city, and the prompt is intended to give you space to express yourself. The admissions officers aren’t trying to weed out applicants who they don’t politically agree with. Go for it, it’s your essay, and you should write about whatever gets you going.
Remember, though, that the essay should be a personal statement. They’re not looking for an academic paper on rape culture and gender politics, they want to hear what those issues mean to you, and what that says about you as a student and a person.</p>

3

<p>UT admin and faculty are typically conservative.</p>

4

<p>Something to think about: if this college wouldn’t accept you talking about a woman’s right to choose, gay marriage, economic inequality etc., and you are passionate and progressive on these issues…why would you want to go to that college?</p>

<p>I would stay away from gay rights/women’s rights, but drone warfare and economic inequality should be fine topics, so long as you don’t express an overarching anti-war or anti-bourgeois ideology, respectively.</p>

5

<p>

The “college” as a whole entity isn’t judging the essay, just some random admissions officer (or a few), whose beliefs are not necessarily representative of the institution as a whole – if the institution has a belief on an issue at all.</p>

6

<p>Um, you’re getting faulty advice here. UT-Austin is very liberal. You can write about anything you want - you won’t offend anyone.</p>

<p>Texas A&M might be a different story! :)</p>