I’m thinking about writing how cultural differences between my parents and I. My blood is chinese. My parents are trying to shape me into the perfect Chinese kid, but inside I’m american…
<p>It depends how you write about it. All the classic "taboo" topics can work if the essay is well written.</p>
<p>Yea, I'm writing on pretty much the same thing. A taboo subject.</p>
<p>shoot. i guess it is a cliched topic. would you suggest i continue with it? how do you guys come up with clever topics to write about?</p>
<p>In all honesty, it's not always the "clever topic" that has an admissions edge. It's about being real, about being personal, about being YOU. If that means writing about a seemingly clice topic, then go for it. It's a matter of how you present yourself-- any "overused topic" essay can be great and DIFFERENT-- if you add your own style/experience to it.</p>
<p>I agree entirely with r2005. Well said! Being honest and CONCISE is important too... writing that is interesting to read and flows well is a definite plus.</p>
<p>I think if you can take a cliche topic and write it in an insane new way, that's much more refreshing and impressive than a "clever topic." A new perspective is always a good thing.</p>
<p>I think a very simple true story that is about something YOU do is best. You can infer the references to your parents who may be of another country as well as generation. But if you read here much, that is a cliche among many Asians, so I'd not advise it as the main topic--perhaps let it inform your topic with your special flavor. In California, there are so many Asians with this issue that it becomes a joke. However, If you are applying to a college where there are not many Asians, I'd think they would like to hear about it.</p>
<p>The problem is this--your experience is very real and interesting, but... not many high schoolers write very interestingly. Even harder if they are ESL or parents are. So if you can write extremely well, then go for it. But do realize that hundreds of others are writing about a similar deal (same with death of relative, near death/operation on self/parent, overcoming obstacles, etc.)</p>
<p>Personally, having lived a long time in San Francisco, I'm quite interested in Asian kids with cultural differences from their parents and how that whole scism works out. Also dd's HS must be 35% Asian, but that includes a very wide range of kids from different countries, and well as kids from here. It can't be the same for all, and I'd enjoy an essay on this, if well done. </p>
<p>If you approach the essay by examining the "perfect Chinese kid" and the 'American' kid you are, well, you could have a real winner. </p>
<p>I had a long discussion on a car ride share from SF to LA with a Chinese guy who wondered why we Americans are not very interested in our kids performance in school. This was very interesting, since my kid goes away to a prep boarding school because I am so very interested in her education, yet I struggled to try to explain why the country did not place much interest in school so Chinese kids excel over american kids. Yet I forgot to ask how many Chinese kids in China were A students in all the Provinces. Ouch, one point for him.</p>
<p>I would really suggest another topic. I am an alumni inteviewer for an Ivy. It seems that the many first generation American students want to talk about and write about the subject you're considering. I would bet that no matter how wonderfully you approach it, the adcoms probably would prefer reading an essay about a less common subject.</p>
<p>i agree with northstarmom - the topic is a definite chich</p>
<p>2nd most cliche topic ever.</p>
<p>What's the most cliche essay topic ever?</p>
<p>1st most cliche topic:</p>
<p>I took this trip to _____<strong><em>.The first thing I noticed was _</em></strong><strong><em>. The culture was so different because</em></strong>______<strong><em>. I had to adjust to a whole new way of life. It broadened my horizons immensly by _</em></strong><strong><em>. It gave me a whole new perspective on my own country. It had a tremendous impact on my beliefs about life. I learned more than I ever could at _</em></strong>__ as compared to history class at school.</p>
<p>vancat - lol. yeah, you're right about that one. But the sad thing is it probably is the most significant thing in many kids' lives - and its a great essay topic, that's just become too hackneyed with time...tsk.tsk.</p>
<p>hey that was (basically) my topic. I wrote about my childhood and how it has shaped me into the person I am -- hmmm... maybe it wasn't that close to your topic, but it's the same idea. I had the fortune and the misfortune of growing up in poverty in another country, and I took a very personal turn in my essay, and (if I do say so myself) it came out tremendous. </p>
<p>So, if you think about it, writing about growing up in another country is almost as cliche as the "tug-of-war between cultures" topic you're going for. But in the end, it's about how well you write and how well you present yourself as a living, breathing, human being hidden behind the stacks of paperwork and test scores, not how original your topic is.</p>
<p>Dude, I didn't know that travel was ranked so high as a common topic. I wrote about travel. Is writing about travel on an interstate for 9 years ( we drive the same route every week) and telling what i experienced, mostly family centered, be cliche?</p>
<p>The travel essay that is cliche is the one about the summer foreign travel experience purchased at great expense by parents who assume that it will propel their beloved kid into an Ivy.</p>
<p>The cliche travel essay is basically a travelogue in which the writer proudly concludes with the insight that, "I learned that people are people everywhere."</p>
<p>It doesn't matter. Just write the essay. If it's good, it'll stand out.</p>
<p>out of curiosity, is there any topic that's really not cliche?
considering the number of application essays the adcoms get... a whole lot will be on academics, ecs, summer experiences, volunteer activities... and considering these are the majority of a student's high school life (the more presentable aspects, at least =)), it's kind of hard to imagine there are topics that the adcom hadn't read 100+ times already... =P</p>
<p>let's see, I am writing one about my mechanical pencil, and another one about juggling. And one about travel^^. Also, would it be a great idea to not follow conventional essay style while writing short answer responses?</p>