<p>So, I'm gay, and I was thinking of writing my college essay on my coming out experience.
I think that I would be able to write a really heartfelt and meaningful essay on that, but my mom (to whom I am openly gay and who is very accepting of it) thinks that, especially for the upper-level colleges, admissions officers would think that it would be too risque and I would risk having a homophobic admissions officer reading my application.
what do you guys think?
personally, I feel like it would make my essay stand out from the rest and would therefore be a beneficial thing, but I definitely see where my mamma's coming from.
should i use this topic to write my essay?</p>
<p>i think your mom's point is a good one, however, i also think its a really good topic to write about. take the risk, do it anyway! i give u permission to blame me if you end up getting a homophobic admissions officer reading it...except not really lol</p>
<p>I'm sure there are others who may write about this topic. If you're willing to take the risk, do it. Jut make sure it's personal enough that it's not clique. :)</p>
<p>Write away!</p>
<p>If properly read by the admissions officers, it can surely make an impact.</p>
<p>I agree with everybody else.</p>
<p>Do it.</p>
<p>I think college admissions officers have a more open mind anyway. Then again, I probably shouldn't be lumping them together like that.</p>
<p>k gooddyyyyyy
this is so exciting
but the thing also is, my mom was my english teacher this past year, so she's inevitably going to be the one to edits and structures the essay with me
and that's just going to be so awkward
but
i think it could be so good.</p>
<p>I'd guess that nearly every gay person writes about this.</p>
<p>This isn't meant as a stereotype -- it's just an honestly important part of their lives. However, this also means that you need to make sure your essay sounds personal, because the topic is a very used one.</p>
<p>taggart's comment is a little offensive to me. i'm queer and my essay does not remotely relate to my coming out. my sexuality is not my only attribute or even my most interesting one, which is likely true for the o.p. as well if ze is out and not an activist.</p>
<p>if anything i would term that experience too personal (and to a substantial number of people too traumatic) to be the subject of a essay which strangers will read. that said, if you're comfortable with sharing the experience, you should do so. remember, most campuses are relatively liberal, and all (that you should be applying to, at least) have non-discrimination policies.</p>
<p>Well, I've written that I do not mean it offensively.</p>
<p>Literally every gay person I know's college essay has been, or is planned to be about their coming out. It's an important experience, I suppose.</p>
<p>i know this probably sounds bad, but you might want to tailor your essay to different colleges. if you are applying to presumably conservative/religious/etc universities, maybe use a different one, although i think the essay will be great unique, and personal, it would really suck to be put at a disadvantage. and just because colleges have non discrimination policies doesnt mean people's innate prejudices wont play a part in your admission.</p>
<p>Well, usually your essay is read by a committee, so it's not like if one person is homophobic, then you'll get automatically rejected. Also, if that were the case, there would be no gay people on the campus. Writing about the topic will be especially okay if your college is very open about these things. At Swarthmore, for instance, people tend to be very accepting of all sorts of diverse people.</p>
<p>When I was considering writing about a potentially controversial topic, the advice that I got was if they’re going to reject you just because that’s who you are, maybe that’s not the right school for you anyways. Think about it, do you really want to be at a school that would reject you just because you’re gay? How comfortable would you feel expressing yourself once you get there? Also, one homophobic person on the committee is unlikely to make the difference between an acceptance and a rejection.</p>
<p>I agree that if it you feel it’s an important part of who you are, and from what you’re saying it sounds like it is, then write about it.</p>
<p>Dont fear the homophobic admissions officer. Fear Neo-Conservatives and the cliche "coming out" experience essay. Whoops, did I say coming out experiences were cliche topics? Yes I did. Eventhough it was a very (I mean extremely) important episode in your life, I fear that the story you will tell is going to be a typical cliche Hollywood script. I think that adcoms will be desensitized sicne they have probably read hundreds of similar essays over the years (most of these guys have been reading student written essays for 20+ years). Be a bit more "creative" I guess....</p>
<p>I can already predict what your essay will sound like, but I wont spoil it for the others ;)</p>
<p>Coming out is not a cliche topic at all!</p>
<p>Not all adcoms are old guys who sit around and read essays in the winter. There are a vast number of adcoms who are quite young.</p>
<p>CCFanatic, it's great to be creative and everything, but it's also important to be humble at the same time, and not write these highfalutin essays that aren't genuine. There is no way you can predict what his essay will sound like because, no matter how much you hate it, everyone's experience is different.</p>
<p>Actually, it's usually the humble and genuine essays that are more "creative", as in more unique and more likely to catch the attention of the reader as being an honest and heartfelt essay. Write honestly and be true to yourself, don't write to impress other people; that's the way to avoid the cliche essay.</p>
<p>I attend a top-20 university and I wrote my personal essay on being a lesbian Mormon. I have several friends at school who also wrote about gay-related topics -- one wrote about starting a GSA against a lot of administrative pressure, another wrote about something else activism-related; so from experience, I can tell you that a gay-related essay can be successful.</p>
<p>Even schools that are considered "conservative" will probably be just fine for you to write a gay-related essay for (e.g., I don't see a school like Vanderbilt being a problem). Just don't write anything about being gay for schools that prohibit homosexuality (that's mostly religious schools) or that don't protect sexual orientation in their non-discrimination policy (not that I anticipate you applying to a school that fits that description). But I'm sure you already know that.</p>
<p>Also, as people have said, make sure the essay is unique and insightful! "I'm gay, it was hard to accept at first but now I'm comfy with myself", though a meaningful experience in life, probably isn't quite enough for a good essay. Push for more -- it's probably there, and if it's not, a different topic will probably be better.</p>
<p>if a school doesn't accept who you are then it's not the school for you. end of discussion.</p>
<p>it's not you who is losing anything by getting negative feedback from haughty, obnoxious, unaccepting colleges. it's the college who is losing a good, unique human being.</p>
<p>I agree with everyone who says "go for it!" Don't just say that you were scared to come out but then built up the confidence, but explain it. I think your perseverence/determination would be admired.</p>