<p>I'm a student, but I posted my question here, because I want to hear from you guys.</p>
<p>"Some students have a background or story that is so central to their identity that they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story."</p>
<p>What exactly does this "background" term mean? Can it stand for your path from birth to this day? I'm asking this because I don't know if I should focus on only one moment/story of my life, or if I could use several little moments that have made me a person I am today? Something like an autobiographical essay, but less formal.</p>
<p>Yes, background can be your path from birth to where you are now. I personally think the essay would be more effective if you talk about one aspect that was most significant vs several elements.</p>
<p>That’s what I thought too, but then I remembered that many people will think the same way: describing a simple moment that has changed them. Every single person on this Essay Thread advises this. Maybe the essay would stand out more if it was somehow different from the others?</p>
<p>Good point. So if you weave a story that combines all the aspects that formed you, it could be a richer essay than the simple moment idea. </p>
<p>“Significant moment” used to be an essay prompt on the common app. The one you have chosen is different and I think you’re on the right track.</p>
<p>Thank you, I’m glad somebody agrees with me. I’m sick and tired of that “unique story that has defined your life”. I just have too many of them. Some of them made me stronger, others made me smarter…So, I’ll just simply combine them into one path. :)</p>
<p>I will add that an essay about one thing in your life can tell people a lot about who you are. I learned that from an essay I wrote when I was in college. The assignment was similar to that of a college ap essay and many people in the class took the life story route. I wrote about a simple insignificant project that I was working on. Why I picked it; how I considered doing it and the amount of time I spent on it. I didn’t purposefully mention those things they were just part of the story. The prof. read it and asked the class what they learned about the person who wrote it. I was amazed at what my classmates “learned” about me from this simple essay. That might be something to think about when you write your essay. You can sometimes say a lot about yourself even if you don’t say it directly but it might be easier to do this with a detailed description of one thing that you zoom in on rather than snippets of many things.</p>
<p>Looking at your examples of things that made you “stronger” or “smarter” you might indirectly show your strength or smarts in your actions so that the reader will draw that conclusion rather than stating that they made you stronger and smarter. The former can be more powerful.</p>
<p>I’m sure either approach is fine it is just a matter of how you handle it. It is rare for one single event to define a person, however, how a particular event is handled can say volumes about the person and reflect both strength and smarts…Just a suggestion.</p>