I realize that all of my applications are now completed, and not that I wish to go back and change anything about my essays, but my head keeps wandering back to a few points about them that I simply can’t take my mind off of. Perhaps someone here could give me some reassurance (if it’s deserving, that is).
For a little background, I’m one of those all-AP type people. My high school is private and takes that prefix incredibly seriously, and I’ve taken around three times the suggested number and maintained a high gpa. I could rant about how stupid grades are and how much I dislike them, but maybe that’s a little too off topic (just trying to demonstrate that my life does not revolve around numbers). Anyways, in my junior year I ended up dropping one of my ap classes. It was an additional course, and combined with a number of other events (below) my schedule proved to be too time consuming for me to focus on the many issues I needed to tend to.
During junior year while I was getting more than a bit stressed out over numbers, schedules, and sleep, one of my parents was gravely ill and worsening to the point that I was unsure if they would live much longer. Thankfully, within the past few months they have near fully recovered. However, the fear that I lived with day after day in and out of school was enough to drive me insane. Naturally, I figured this was an incredibly important event and chose to write about it for my common app essay – specifically, answering the one about overcoming it. In addition, I also mentioned my dropping my one ap and explained the past year had been a very difficult time for my family emotionally.
This is where I’m becoming more unsure of that decision. I chose to be vague in both of these essays because there were obviously very personal issues that I did not want to delve in to (ie, “difficult,” “ailment”). My college counselors agreed that they were written well and had no issues with it, but that doesn’t keep me from stressing out of course. I fear that by writing from the standpoint of struggle and agony, then this would come off as – frankly – a little bitchy, as in, “boo-hoo, I’ve had a rough life so now admit me because I’m in pain.” Now, I don’t think that the tone I used conveyed this attitude per se, I presented the problem and showed how I coped and helped to improve the situation. I just fear that it may come off as seeking pity points, because there are undoubtedly people who do do that. I did opt to write in a more energetic/enthusiastic tone for my additional essays to counter the heavy feelings from the other two, though. This is super long, sorry, but any thought greatly appreciated!