Hello All,
I’m currently thinking on what topic I want to write my personal statement. I have Asperger Syndrome (high functioning end of Autism Spectrum Disorder), and I was considering writing the statement on the challenges I faced having this condition, how I dealt with them, and how these experiences shaped my passions (Engineering and East Asian Languages & Cultures) which I intend to pursue in university.
I ran this idea by my close friend who was accepted into a prestigious school, and he was not supportive of the idea. He gave the following reasons why I shouldn’t use this theme: 1. There are already an abundance of Aspie-like students in prestigious schools, so this wouldn’t be unique or inspired. 2. My Asperger syndrome is not very important because it hasn’t given me extraordinary abilities (I’m a high achieving student, but not a savant) He reasoned that unless I had done something very impressive as a result of my Asperger tendencies, it is not worth mentioning, at least for the personal statement.
I see my friend’s points, but I am looking for a second opinion on the situation. Any feedback would be appreciated, especially if you also have Asperger’s.
The challenges of using a common topic (physical/mental/psychological differences/challenges) are two-fold: making it interesting to a reviewer who has almost certainly read thousands of similar essays, and not having the challenge be the center of attention, instead of a data point. If you think of an adventure story, where the lead character goes through all sorts of trials and tribulations and emerges triumphant, your essay is the epilogue. For most people, that is the hardest part, as it requires you to step back from yourself. If you decide to stay with the topic, try working from the present back, rather than the past forward. Use your ‘now’ to show the outcome of your ‘then’, rather than telling the journey.
You don’t have to take the prompt so literally. Many Asperger’s students don’t choose to reveal their diagnosis when they applynto college. It may not make admissions more likely to admit you, and that is what you want from your essay.
If you can really relate the syndrome to how it inspired you, go for it. But I suspect that it would be hard to do.
I think your friend is right, that it is a topic the admissions office see too often. How I won (or lost) the big game and it made me a better person, how I overcame a physical issue, the death of a relative. It’s really hard to make that material seem fresh.