<p>I'm still trying to figure out what to write for my common app essay, but my parents, grandparents, relatives, friends, etc. are all advocating that I tell my "life story" since allegedly, that's the most interesting story I could tell. I've moved around a lot, and having wandered about, I've had to "adjust to life." In addition, I'm multiracial, so the "identity crisis" thing applies to me. </p>
<p>If I chose this route, I'd go into how I've fared in the places I've lived. Obviously, I'd pull it all together at the end, but I'm a little wary, especially because I've read in multiple places that one shouldn't tell their life story in a common app essay. Would this "topic" work for me, though? Thanks in advance =)</p>
<p>do not listen to them. telling your life story would take up far too much space and smother admissions officers with excess information. multiracial stories are also very clich</p>
<p>I still do not think it is a good idea. These essays need to have focus. Unless you can make it ****-your-pants hilarious, I don’t think it will impress.</p>
<p>Depends on how your life is. If you think your life is extremely unique i.e. out of the thousands of appicants applying, you can truly distinguish yourself. Then do it.</p>
<p>Ooooohhh I’ve gotten into more arguments with client’s parents over essays than anything else. Most parents remember when they applied to schools and hand wrote something about their experience on the soccer team or something. Times have changed…essays about "how going to Peru to build roads (with an expensive summer pay to play program) changed my life and overcoming “struggles” are commonplace even with the most interesting of “stories”</p>
<p>My advice is (and If I don’t say so myself it’s my life’s work) you want to take some SMALL ASPECT of say your “life’s story” and elaborate on that, make it INTERESTING. You can use humor if your FUNNY, but entirely humorous essays are risky.</p>
<p>Say, your mother fought breast cancer. Instead of a “how I see the world different after my mother fought cancer” …dig deeper. Maybe I developed a passion for cooking when my mother fought cancer and had to run the family’s kitchen."</p>
<p>MANY schools have at least a short answer on “diversity” and what it means to you, that would be an ideal place for citing a specific meaningful event in your life.</p>
<p>These adcoms read HUNDREDS of essays a day and no matter how interesting someone’s “life story” is to you, even (Al Capone’s) tackling it in 500-600 words isn’t smart.</p>
<p>One client whose mother wanted her to write about going to Mexico with her church group, brainstormed and decided to write about what it was like being 6’ 1" at the age of 12.</p>
<p>Which essay would you rather read? You want that adcom smiling when they set your essay down</p>
<p>what if youre life story entails years of abusive parents, horrendous divorce, multiple arrests(parents), rehabs, addictions, crime(sisters), severe poverty…</p>
<p>A huge problem I see with life story or tragedy essays is that people tend to elaborate on the extent to which things happened TO them rather than discussing what they did in reaction (other than surviving, you guys) or how it affected them.</p>
<p>If you take a broad topic, you won’t be able to go into depth, so readers won’t get to the level of understanding where they see you as having a distinct personality. You’ll just be a person to whom bad things happen, which… I mean, you’re more than that, I hope.</p>
<p>honestly, i’ve moved around about eighteen times to many different countries. </p>
<p>but i’m not writing it for my common app (i will mention it in my supplement/interview), but i had to take a small aspect of an interesting country i have lived in.</p>
<p>and it was difficult for me b/c all i wanted to do was tell them “look at all the places i’ve lived in!” and there was so much i wanted to say, but you can’t do that because you won’t be able to write about it in a clear, concise, and interesting manner, or at least i couldn’t. </p>