<p>should i talk about my gaming addiciton and how i overcame it? its for common app</p>
<p>My opinion is NO. Find something else to write about. I think “overcoming” essays can be good, but I am always wary of overcoming some kind of addiction. Overcoming obstacles (parent illness, homelessness, poverty, etc.) can work well. But I would really find something else. The issue with addiction is that you might slip back into it – that has to be on an ad com’s mind.</p>
<p>As a rule, no. It’s usually not well done and most people may react adversely to this information. You have no idea what the person who is reading your essays and assessing them is like. Always keep that in mind unless you are an incredible writer and decide to take a chance on a few apps.</p>
<p>The people reading your essays are regular people, well to an extent. Think about how a teacher might react to the essay. They might say it’s good, but most likely their opinion of you will change. It’s better not to risk it. Although overcoming an addiction is a great story of personal success, it might raise some red flags or cause the reader to form less desirable opinions about you. The readers might worry about what prompted you to form the addiction, how you might relapse, etc. so in my opinion it’s best to just avoid the risk.</p>
<p>Don’t write about it directly.</p>
<p>If you are doing something positive in your life now, write about that instead and how that has helped you develop/how you can carry that forward. No need to address what you were doing before then.</p>
<p>The problem with addiction essays is that you only had the opportunity to overcome the addiction because you started the habits in the first place, and some people don’t react well to that (whether that’s right or wrong). Essays like this are often inequitable, in a way. People who didn’t have addictions can’t write about overcoming one, so there tends to be a bias against someone who writes about overcoming it. Focus on something going on now, post-addiction.</p>
<p>If you have developed an addiction in the first 18 years of your life, adcoms might well assume that you will struggle with other temptations during your college years.</p>
<p>In other words, my recommendation is to find another topic.</p>
<p>No def. do not write about that! Find another topic!</p>
<p>I wouldn’t go there either–for many of the reasons already given.</p>
<p>Relapsing is a lifelong possibility among addicts. So think about risks adcoms have to evaluate.</p>