<p>I haven't. Or well, that's to say I don't have one that I want as my personal statement. I have an essay on how I developed my passion for history and politics, but I don't know if it reveals enough about me as a person. I also have an essay on why I want to attend the school of my dreams, but that's a supplement.</p>
<p>See the dilemma? I know it's horrible to ask for topic advice, but I'm really nervous.
1) I don't think I should write about my low-income status/neighborhood. I think colleges can already see that I come from an under 40k single-parent household and that I don't live in the best of neighborhoods (since they can see my address and look it up.) So, they already know I would bring diversity.
2) I have a passion for where I volunteer, but I'm already writing this in the "main activity" paragraph(s).
3) I too have had the problem where I start to write about a person who has influenced me, and the essay reveals more about this person than it does about me. I like this prompt, does anyone have any advice on how to make it work?
3) I've been trying to think of a creative topic, but the more I read about students thinking of "creative topics," the more I see that students who try to do this usually sound the most cliche.</p>
<p>Any advice on what to do?
I know most people say something like "find something--a quote or book--you love and write about it," but would that be overused?</p>
<p>From all that I have read regarding the essay (which lately is a ton!), the ADCOM wants to get to know YOU- what makes you, you! Just from reading what you posted I am already interested in what a day in your life would look like. Single mom, neighborhood, diversity. You may take fopr granted that it wouldn’t be interesting, but I would think to write about a SPECIFIC day you remember in your “typical life” would be interesting, yet not cliche. </p>
<p>I just bought a book filled with college essays. It first shows students stats, a photo opf them, their highschool, their promt and the schools they are applying to. To see where they were admitted you have to read the back of the book.</p>
<p>The essays I remember are the ones with vivid details. There was a good one about a kid who volunteered at a nursing home and as a musician and thought all the residents would be thrilled to hear him- instead, they turned hearing aids off, said “who is this clown?” ! It really good how the student dealt with that kind of unanticipated rejection.</p>
<p>Anyway, I would help read for you when ready.
Good LucK!</p>
<p>Well, if you’re applying for top schools, the first mark (single parent / low-income) - if done well - is ideal because right now it’s “cool” for those schools to recruit low-income students. I’m struggling with the same thing, though. How do I make a great essay out of it? It’s really just my life, and it’s nothing new.</p>
<p>Also, be careful with throwing around the term “low-income”. I don’t know how big your family is or what your income actually is, but I’m not being frivolous here. The term has an official definition - so when it comes to fee waivers and financial aid, I don’t want you to be surprised that you’re not “low-income” and that you’re not getting what you thought you’d get. For a family of two, “low-income” is $21,855 or less. For a family of three, “low-income” is $27,465. For a family of four (you, your mom, and two other siblings), it’s $33,075. That’s a looooooong way under $40,000. Like I said, I’m not trying to nit-pick - I just don’t want anything to come as too big of a surprise financially. You might live in an expensive area and you certainly feel low-income (how far is the departure from 33 to 40 anyway?), but colleges and the government usually don’t care.</p>
<p>You are not “low-income”. Low-income for a family of three is $27,465. You are a lower middle class income. Low income is an income bracket defined by the US government just like the poverty line. It may or may not mean anything that you are just over the low-income line, depending on where you are applying. You do NOT qualify for the Automatic 0 EFC, so I highly suggest running a few EFC and CSS/PROFILE (otherwise known as “institutional methodology”) calculators to find out where you stand. You may have a 0 EFC even if it is not the Automatic 0 (which has numerous benefits such as not taking into account assets or the student’s income).</p>