<p>Well everything's cliche now days, so in order to stand out, you sometimes have to think outside the box.</p>
<p>But how much is too much?</p>
<p>Say a 2400/4.0/amazing ECs kid (btw this isn't me by a long shot lol) wrote about...how beer inspires them. Is that too much?</p>
<p>Certainly such an essay would definitely stand out. But would it make you look like a retarded bimbo that doesn't give a <em>fecal matter</em>? Nonetheless, the stats already prove otherwise: that said applicant is most likely studious, and enjoys learning. So wouldn't taking the risk be a good way to "come alive"? Convey personality? Or is it just too much?</p>
<p>I would definitely not write about how beer inspires you at any cost. That isn’t risk, that is just asking to get rejected. There are plenty of ways to take risks and stand out without talking about crazy topics such as beer, drugs, or sex.</p>
<p>Don’t take a risk simply for the sake of taking a risk. Take a risk if there is something important that you want to say that defines you as a person/student and taking a risk is the only way to achieve it.</p>
<p>As TheWikiMan mentioned, stay away from alcohol, drugs and other extreme taboos as topics. When I say that, I mean stay away from your own behavior relating to those subjects. Writing about, say, a parent’s alcoholism and how it has affected you is a perfectly good topic. It could actually be a great essay. That’s the kind of risk I would advise an applicant to take.</p>
<p>Also, if you are a 4.0, 2400, amazing ECs I would advise you to not take a big risk. You’ve got an upper hand already, so no sense in going out on a limb with a crazy topic. You can convey personality without taking a big risk.</p>
<p>Students on the admissions fence are the ones who can consider taking a strategic risk.</p>
<p>Personally, I wouldn’t do it. I do remember reading in one of the admissions books (The Gatekeepers, I think) about a girl writing her essay on trying a “brownie” at school and being suspended. Got rejected from her first-choice college. Was it worth it? I wouldn’t do it, but it’s ultimately your choice.</p>
<p>The idea is to not take any risks that make you look too bad. I know someone who wrote an essay about how he used to be a d bag, but had to do some community service in order to graduate, and fell in love with it. It was risky because I’m sure colleges would like to accept someone who was a saint their entire life, but it still made him look good in the end</p>