<p>For the Common App's personal essay, I wanted to write on the issue topic. Namely, about the issue of striving for perfection and the effects it can have. The issue is very close to me because I struggled with an eating disorder for about two years, and had to spend months of my freshman year inpatient in different places. </p>
<p>Pros:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>It's an issue that really shaped me</p></li>
<li><p>It explains why I do some of the ECs I do and why I have such a passion for children</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Issues/Fears: </p>
<ol>
<li><p>That, even though I don't struggle with it any more, colleges could reject me on the basis that I might not be mentally stable enough to go to their schools or to handle their rigorous courseloads</p></li>
<li><p>That I would be somehow slighting all of the students who worked their butts off taking the hardest classes, doing a lot of ECs, etc. to get into the top colleges (since I am applying to a lot of the top colleges)</p></li>
<li><p>That I'll generally come across as too depressing or self-pitying</p></li>
</ol>
<p>The idea is just a seed right now, but I wouldn't really know what else to write on... Any thoughts or feedback is welcome...</p>
<p>I kind of have a similar question. I’m a perfectionist to the extreme, and though I’ve never had an eating disorder, I beat myself up a lot if I feel that I’m ‘imperfect’. I’m really considering writing an essay about how I’ve had to convince myself that it’s okay to not be perfect, and how that’s manifested itself in math. Math is my weakest subject, so I wanted to write about how math brings me down to earth and reminds me it’s okay not to be perfect. But I also am unsure as to whether that looks too self-pitying, so I can understand completely why you’re conflicted. On the one hand, I’ve heard you should never bring up any emotional/mental shortcomings like depression and whatnot, because you seem like a liability. On the other hand, I’ve heard people say that you should absolutely call attention to something if it really did impact you. Just make sure to say how you’ve learned from it and how it’s changed you, especially if a lot of what you do today revolves around how you grew from your experiences. So I want to say that you should write about striving for perfection, as long as you don’t primarily focus on the eating disorder, but focus on who you are today.</p>
<p>Any other opinions? I’m really curious as to how others feel about these issues.</p>
<p>I also struggled with an eating disorder and was unsure whether or not it would make for a good essay. I ultimately decided against it for myself, but I think that, if handled right, this could make a very powerful essay. What you want to avoid is turning it into a poor me sob story, and, of course, you dont want to make it look like you may be a danger to yourself or others. My suggestion would be to focus on the positive things that came out of your experience, such as how you overcame it, what you learned, or how it shaped your goals and aspirations. I would suggest keeping discussion of your struggles to a minimum and centering the bulk of the essay around what came out of it. If it did shape your career goals or even just extracurricular activities, that could be a great way aspect to focus on. Some colleges will reject people if they think they are unstable, so make sure you emphasize that you are doing better and demonstrate that you can handle the coursework. When I tried to write about my eating disorder, it was hard not to get bogged down in all the pain and emotional turmoil. The result was an essay that was dramatic and intense, but focused way too much on my problems for the purpose of an application essay. Going into great detail about how despairing and inadequate you felt may paint an all-too vivid picture. Thats why its better to focus more on how your experience shaped you or how you overcame it. If your disorder affected your schoolwork strongly, thats even more reason to write about it, in my opinion. For example, if you had to drop classes or your grades suffered freshman year, the admissions people may assume you were just goofing off. If you explain the reasons behind this, they are more likely to accept these lapses and appreciate your improvement. Colleges dont necessarily want someone whos perfect. What they want is someone with passion and determination who will make a positive contribution to their school. It sounds like you have that. Im definitely no expert on college applications, but I would say go ahead and at least write out a rough draft on the topic. See what comes out and maybe have some people review it. It could be a tricky topic, but Im sure you can find a way to make it work.</p>