<p>my dad recently passed away from cancer (last month)
and obviously, its been a really big impact on my life, i was wondering if i should mention it in my essays, and if i do, how should i go about it. i dont want to sound like im writing a cliche sob story</p>
<p>First of all, I'm very sorry for your loss.</p>
<p>If it's something you're comfortable with, I would say definitely write your essays about it. Yes, these days everyone tells you to avoid the typical "my grandma died; it was tragic" essay...but this is referring to the essays that barely touch the surface. I am a strong believer in following your instincts when writing college essays, or anything for that matter. If this is something that you can use to show your strengths and reveal your true character then, by all means, go for it!</p>
<p>maybe you could write about the good times (or one specific one) you had with your dad, not mentioning that he passed away until the very end (in a creative way of course, don't just say, "oh, by the way, he passed away"). just a creative spin on it I guess</p>