<p>Hi there. I was just wondering what you guys thought of these two possible essay ideas. I would appreciate any input.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Writing about my twin brother with learning disabilities(not social impairing, but makes him a bit of a horrible student and bad at analyzing) and how i've helped him, and the struggles we've gone through, kids calling him retarded, etc.</p></li>
<li><p>Writing about "First World Problems" and how they really do exist, especially in my family, writing about people screaming at each other all the time, and the pressure to do well, conflicts that arise out of seemingly trivial matters, about how everyone in my family feuds with each other except me, who has to act as a mediator of sorts. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>What do you guys think? Any comments and suggestions? I'm planning on applying to ivies/upper tier schools. If you think these are bad essay topics, other suggestions would be helpful. Thanks!</p>
<p>I fell in love with your first idea. I think it can make for a PHENOMENAL essay. You can write about how in some ways, your twin is your counterpart because of his disability, giving you an opportunity to reflect on yourself. You can also talk about how you are similar, another way to reflect on yourself.</p>
<p>I’m not as big of a fan of your first idea. I’ve read dozens of essays about the family member with disabilities and it sounds like your take on it really isn’t that unique. Then again, I rarely like essays about a “person who influenced you” because more often then not they’re cliche or tell more about the person than the applicant.</p>
<p>The second idea I think has potential. You just have to be careful not to sound like a whining “first world” rich kid. Conflicts arise in “first-world” families? Yeah of course, but there’s familial conflicts in most family dynamics. Also, the term “first-world” is no longer politically correct. The terms people use now are “developed” or “developing” nations. If you could pull off the second idea without sounding spoiled and like you’re making a big deal out of problems everyone has to some degree, I think it would be very impressive.</p>
<p>I don’t think either of those are great, tbh. I feel like the first one sounds kind of cliche–essays about disabilities are way too common. The second one, I think, would kind of sound overprivileged, as well as being kind of too much information–colleges don’t want to hear all the details of your family life, and they’ll have plenty of essays to read about real problems like poverty, illness, natural disaster, and abuse.</p>
<p>I like the first one. Write about your love for your brother, how his disability has influenced you (good and bad), and if you have tried to help other kids with similar problem. I would approach it with a bit of humor.</p>
<p>I think any topic is fine as long as it helps adcom to get to know you as a person instead of just bunch of stats. My younger daughter wrote about her move to another country when she was in high school. It maybe kind of trite, but it showed she was not afraid of change, her love of different culture, her ability to make lemonade out of lemon. She was a good writer, I laughed and cried (a bit) when I read it. </p>
<p>Adcoms want to know you can write at the college level, but at the same time, they also want to see your personality come through. The second part is very important. It is a fine line. When you write the essay of “Why college X,” try to write about what YOU could contribute to College X, not what College X could do for you.</p>
<p>Although it may be more work, why not try to write both and see which one works best? If they both work, you may be able to get a supplemental essay out of second.</p>