I was reading over the common app essay prompts and noticed this one:
“Reflect on a time that you challenged a belief or idea, what prompted you to act?”
I thought that I could talk about my experience having rejected religion, after being brought up in a strict Christian household. I thought that this could make for a very powerful essay, but I realize that it could potentially anger readers if they are religious, or seem in bad taste. Any thoughts?
Religion and Politics are always controversial.
Personally I would shy away from that territory.Even if you have a really great argument you do run the risk of offending someone out there. It is a bit of a risk.
I agree with @Mothersv - your essay is essentially your first “conversation” with the school via the reader. Just like face-to-face interactions, it’s best to stay away from sensitive topics at first.
It clearly could be a powerful essay but I would hesitate too. If you were to write a draft of the essay, are there people you could share it with who could give you feedback? Also, what kind of colleges will you be applying to and where (generally) are they located?
It’s a risky topic but it could work if you try to make your essay less about rejecting religion specifically and more about discovering your own values and acknowledging your sense of independence. Basically, don’t criticize your former religion for being “oppressive” or anything; focus on portraying your own personal development. I personally didn’t write about religion (or rather lack of) in my common app essay but I did write about it in the supplemental essay I submitted to my “high reach” school and I was accepted. The point of application essays is to show schools a glimpse of what you value, why you value it, how you learn, and what experiences/beliefs/opinions have shaped you as an individual. If you believe that your rejection of religion was a highly formative experience in your life (and spirituality adjustments often are), then I think it is an acceptable essay topic as long as you remember to keep it respectful and considerate - perhaps you can even acknowledge the positive aspects of your religious experience, if they are relevant. I would second the suggestion to have someone qualified to review your essay. Again, it is a risky topic but I can provide you with some anecdotal evidence that an essay about religion will not necessarily result in an automatic rejection.
You could write the essay without specifying what faith. Just say you were raised in religiously strict household.
In your posting history you mentioned that you were interested in Boston College. I would not write about rejecting religion in that essay. In fact, you would probably not like BC at all.
As @PrimeMeridian indicates, the point is not the facts of your upbringing or even your rejection of your upbringing, but what comes after that: where are you now / how does the inherent internal conflict color your world (b/c no matter how comprehensively a person rejects the core of their upbringing, it is still a fundamental aspect of what shaped you) / etc. Just making your case (my family was x, but I rejected it for y reasons) isn’t going to show who you are.
Haha, I realize that if I were going to choose to write about this it would eliminate some choices. @TomSrOfBoston
@Sonya97 I really like your comment, I think that any essay I would write about rejection of religion would stray away from any bashing of religion, especially because I have no problem with the concept of religion or religious people. Also good point about the supplemental essay, that seems like a much smarter play than using such a controversial topic on the main essay.