"My challenges" essay

I have been lucky to live a fairly easy life, and have not faced extreme challenges. However, I have to write a 250-word essay about a challenge I faced and how I overcame it. One significant period of difficulty in my life was when one of my friends admitted they had attempted suicide. I would like to write about how this moment made me struggle with turning them in and losing their trust, or staying friends and possibly allowing their death. I would like to show how this changed my priorities in friendship and my outlook on life.

Should I write about this?

That seems like a fairly tricky prompt to work with - make sure, if you do choose to write about it, to make the focus on you and how it impacted your growth and mindset, and less so about your friend.

I think it is an okay topic given the prompt you have to work with.

I think it could be fine. Just be sure to make sure it’s an essay about you-- a few words on your friend is enough. The little you’ve told us conveys the situation pretty clearly, and will leave lots of room for you to “sell” your application. I would also make it a priority to show that the path you choose was the right one-- that you were willing to risk a friendship to preserve your friend’s life. If that’s not the path you choose, to be honest, then I think I would hesitate to use this topic.

Thanks for your thoughtful input. I will make sure to clarify in my essay that I did do the right thing in the end. They are doing much better now after treatment btw.

Maybe part of the point is that turning them in wasn’t the end. If it has changed how you view your responsibilities in friendships or how you approach them, how you view news of suicides of public figures, etc, you could explore that.

Seems like you have to go with more hard work.