<p>First post on this site, as I really need a second (or fifth) opinion on this. So far the input has been pretty even for yays and nays. </p>
<p>I'm in the process of writing my personal statements and essays, and am considering including a more taboo subject: A bad trip on mushrooms that literally changed my life. I am thinking about writing a piece on this for only Stanford and UCLA, my two are-you-seriously-even-trying reach schools, on the basis that without something truly noticeable to set my application apart I won't be looked at at all. (I'll be finishing HS with around a 4.05 weighted, 3.65 unweighted, and 33 ACT.) </p>
<p>I frequently refer to this day as "the day that changed everything" -- because it really did. It was undoubtedly the most profound and intense thing that has ever happened to me. Any advice is greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>The book The Gatekeepers follows a year in the life of admissions for Wesleyan, a fairly liberal school, and this issue came up. I may not have this exactly right, but this is the gist of it as I remember it. The book follows the story of a high school girl who took one bite of pot brownies, then changed her mind and threw the rest out. When the pot brownies were discovered the administration asked students to confess if they had participated. She was the only one who confessed. She was disciplined, but it changed her life. She became a leader in the school, got very involved in student leadership against drugs and was highly respected by the school. She wrote about what she had learned and her principal wrote about the event and how much he admired her integrity in confessing and what a difference she had made as a leader and role-model in the school. When her app came to the admissions group for decision, it was a split vote with the majority wanting nothing to do with someone who had broken the rules and the law around drugs. That was for one bite of pot brownies. This story would suggest the answer to your question is no. They have more qualified applicants than they have spaces. Don’t give them an easy reason to reject you, IMHO.</p>
<p>I’d stay way away from that. Admissions officers don’t want to hear applicant’s stories on drugs/alcohol/sex. Not only does it scare them that that applicant may be a rule breaker/bad influence, but it also makes adult admissions officers uncomfortable reading a 16/17/18 year old applicant talk about their experience on drugs. Many adults would be incredibly uncomfortable reading about a teenager’s experience on something as intense as shrooms. That’s the kind of thing that could ruin a great application.</p>
<p>I would say no, too. The issue with controversial topics is that you never know who’s going to be reading it. It could be someone who had a sister who died from an experience with shrooms and she has a very bad reaction to your essay, or it could be someone who had a similar experience or understands what happened to you. You just never know, so stay away from the really controversial topics.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t say outright no for two reach schools but I definitely would say an outright no for every other school. It is a very risky approach. As the other posters have pointed out sex/drugs/alcohol are all taboo subjects but then again there are times it does work although infrequently. If you try this approach keep it to those two schools and keep the focus of the essay to your profound change mentioning the drugs minimally. You can always write the essay have someone else read it and depending on their reaction you can send it or go with your safe essay. </p>