Thoughts on my Essay Topic

College Essays
1

So I’ve began to get a headstart on college apps (CommonApp, Apply SUNY, just to name a few) and seeing the essay prompts, I got really inspired by one of the CommonApp Essays:

“Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or experience there, and why is it meaningful to you?”

So in response to it, this topic inspired me:

“I’ve traveled to the Philippines at least three times to see family, however every time I go, I see it as an adventure, especially the most recent time I went.”

I’m not just explaining my visit there as a vacation, but I will be incorporating the huge culture shock that I experienced during my time there, and how it affected me and how I learned to appreciate the little things that we normally overlook in the US. Would this fit what the prompt is asking, and more importantly, would this be something that Admission officers can get a sense of my personality from?

I would love to hear great feedback!

2

That prompt is from last year.
Here are the 2015 Common App prompts

http://blog.commonapp.org/2015/03/31/2015-2016-essay-prompts/

3

@scholarme Awh darn. Well hopefully ApplySUNY doesn’t update their Supplemental Application to include the new essay prompt

4

I think that prompt may have led to too many boring essays. I initially liked your proposed response, especially the adventure aspect. But when you continued on, I realize it is too much like the essays that seems to be on the most overused topics: the service trip abroad. The talk of culture shock etc is surprisingly uniform among those types of essays. It is very hard to differentiate your answers from others but the more personal and specific you make it the better. Don’t use familiar phrases like “appreciate the little things”, instead show that through a story.

5

Also I looked at the notes for the new prompts and and 3/4 of colleges wanted this prompt removed.