<p>My son just finished his Common App essay. About a third of it involved a candid discussion of how his Faith has impacted his education and career goals. Is that taboo? It is sincerely written, and not overbearingly religious in nature, but it is a theme he feels is quite important in defining his own character and beliefs.</p>
<p>Thanks for feedback.</p>
<p>My common app essay was about the separation of church and state. It’s risky, but as long as you aren’t shoving your beliefs down anybody’s throats and it is something you are truly passionate about, it’s a fine essay topic. </p>
<p>The essay is meant to show the admissions officers who you are as a person. If your son feels that his faith is an important part of who he is, I don’t think this would be a problem unless he wrote it in a way that came off as extreme or proselytizing.</p>
<p>Which can be hard for someone close to the applicant who shares their faith to judge… That is a lot of space to devote to the topic in the essay, IMHO. Guessing it might be “telling” more than “showing” the admissions office what his personality is like.</p>
<p>True. But – and I say this as a wholehearted atheist – if his religion is important to him, and expressing that importance would make a school not want him, then he might not be happy attending that school anyway. </p>
<p>I would vary my response depending on the school he is writing this for…</p>
<p>The religion element is in the context of explaining his study of Plato and Aristotle, and the two philosopher’s idea of what constitutes the “best life”. He talks about his take on their philosophies, but feels they both lack the Faith element to make that pursuit of the “best life” more meaningful and fulfilling. This ties into some of his different volunteer work–what worked for him, and what did not.</p>
<p>I just told him to write from his heart, and I echoed what jpheys said above, that if a particular school considered it a negative, then he probably does not belong at that school.</p>
<p>Not fishing for praise for his essay, just trying to make sure we are not off the rails here and it would be a huge red flag for AO’s.</p>
<p>Once he is done with it, he could have someone like a trusted mentor familar with the admissions process (a GC or a teacher) take a look at it or have an unbiased person on CC look at it. As of the moment, as long as he has a strong focus and connects all those elements back to himself, it sounds like a good essay. I’d only recommend not putting it in if it is antagonizing other people or religions, but if he is using it to support why he volunteers and why he does charitable work, then that sounds perfectly acceptable</p>