so, i’m a homeschooled kid, been homeschooled for four years. i’m in my essay writing process right now, and while i have an essay that i guess is alright and another one i’m betting will be much better, the parts of my personality they address are less important to me than my religion (or lack therof) and queer identity. my parents are extremely christian + lgbtqphobic and because i’m homeschooled, my mother is my school counselor and can see all my essay + supplements (or so i’ve been told). how can i get my essay in without having my mother see it?
I’m sorry that you have to deal with your parents lack of acceptance of your identity. It can be really tough.
Your mother/counselor cannot see your application unless you give them permission to preview the application. You can change your essay after they’ve reviewed it, but they also may as to look over your completed application after you have submitted it.
It really is dependent on whether your mother will demand to see the full application just before you submit it or after you have submitted it. This is very likely, so I do not think that putting a different essay in there without your mother knowing is a strategy which would work.
Moreover, despite what you may have heard, the essay topic of “hoe I overcame adversity” is not a winning topic. Your essay is where you show something about yourself that will not be in the rest of your application, including your recommendations. In particular, you want to show something that will make the admissions people say “Actung21 is a great person, and would be an excellent addition to our college”.
The operative word here is “Show”. The mantra to repeat to yourself is “show, don’t tell”. Think about what you are trying to convey to your readers (in this case, the AOs), and see if your essay is indeed showing this. What are you trying to show about yourself, besides your sexuality? Can write your essay without being explicit about that?
thanks mwolf. i was going to talk about a group for lgbtq+ youth that i managed despite facing this opposition at home, but i’ll keep all of that in mind
I have a bit of difficulty with the oft repeated advice of “show, don’t tell” because the advice is almost always told and not shown.