<p>For a supplement, I wrote about how I and my friends always pull pranks on each other. I told a story of fooling one friend about cancer to see her reaction. The prompt is quite light-hearted so, I wrote about pranks. But, my counselor said that the essay might have a really bad effect because "I joked about a sensitive thing like cancer." Also, that would portray me as evil (I don't remember the exact word she had used but it was something like that). </p>
<p>Now, actually, I didn't joke "about" cancer. We just sort of lied to a friend about having cancer to see how she'd react. Will that give a really bad impression about me? What do you think?</p>
<p>If it entirely depends on the reader, do you think I should take the risk?</p>
<p>Personally, if it depends on the reader, I'm feeling like taking the risk!</p>
<p>Of all the topics you could pick why do believe picking this topic presents you in a particularly good way and helps school understand you better than other possible topics?</p>
<p>Cancer is not something to joke about. If you’d have “joked” about cancer to my daughter, whose mother really DID have cancer, she would have burst into tears. If I were an admissions officer reading your essay I would see you as thoughtless and immature. </p>
<p>Writing about being a prankster is fine, but you need to make sure the pranks you write about are appropriate, not cruel.</p>
<p>@3togo: Actually, all of the other essays basically concentrate on more serious stuff. But, I do pull a lot of pranks and so, I though that would show another side of me. </p>
<p>@Sue22: That reference really answered everything. Thank you very much! By the way, will it be fine if I change the prank story (I mean prank about something else)?</p>
<p>Any time you send a school something you should think about what it says about you. What will your prankster essay say about you and what you’ll bring to a college campus? Will it show you as a rule-breaker, someone who is mean and gets in trouble a lot? If so, you’ll have done a poor job of presenting yourself. If, on the other hand, you can write an essay that presents you as inventive, social, funny and creative you’ll be giving colleges something positive to work with. My advice would be to choose your best prank and find a way to show your best side through it.</p>
<p>You should probably avoid that topic. Some admission officers may not view it negatively, but others may be extremely offended; you never know who is reading your essay.</p>