<p>As september is nearing, I realize that I have to start on these essays. Okay, so I plan to write about something personal. I don't want to give details but I plan to write about a death of a family member and write how that death helped me become the person I am today. Is this cliche? What's your thoughts on this topic?</p>
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<p>Yeah, I’d say “dead grandmother stories” are a little clich</p>
<p>^^No hard feelings man. I asked this because I value you guys opinions. The thing is that the death happened at 5 but it actually change my life.</p>
<p>But ah, it’s so hard because as I’m typing this to you, it honestly does sound like a sob story but Im trying to differentiate it from a sob story by communicating I didn’t mope for the rest of my life, I continued to be the best that I can be and etc etc. </p>
<p>But IDK. Thinking about it, Ima little iffy.</p>
<p>Any more ideas?</p>
<p>I think that this could turn out to be a bad idea, and it could be very cliche. On the other hand, it could be great, and it could be the best death-related essay an AdComm has ever read. </p>
<p>Execution is everything. </p>
<p>So, that in mind, with two very different roads your essay could go down, why not try writing two different essays: One on this topic, and one on another, and then getting feedback from people who know you best (parents, people you trust, etc.) to see which essay truly captures your voice.</p>
<p>I’m sorry about the death in your family, but I have heard from lots of people – including an admissions director at a law school who is a friend of my family – that essays about the death of a family member are a) a dime a dozen and b) not really that revealing because they tend to be more about the dead person than the applicant. It’s too bad because it may be the most significant experience in your life. My two cents. Good luck.</p>
<p>Marry me (rchhay)? LOL.</p>
<p>That’s a smart idea. What would be your opinion on me differentiating the essay from a cliche sob story?</p>
<p>So hear’s a basic overview on how it works:</p>
<p>The death happened at 5. At that time, I didn’t know neither was it significant to me bc I was a kid. But as I got older It slowly started to catch on to me and by age 10 or so, my mom and I thoruoghly talked it out and I ended up crying for the first time. So my mom has been a single mother since and has helped shape me into the person I am today. Main point: I didn’t let the death over take my life; I learned that there’s more to life and life doesn’t it. Though the death has latter proven to be rough on me, I didn’t give up and continued to be the person that that person would want me to be.</p>
<p>^^^That’s it a nutshell.</p>
<p>Gohawks: Yeah that’s totally true though. I see where your coming from. Im trying to steer clear from that route because I truly feel that I can make the essay about me and I want to show how I used the death as a motivation factor to do better in my life.</p>
<p>Overall, what would be you guys opinion on weeding the “sob story” from an essay about me?</p>
<p>Also, are they going to read the topic and brush it off as a sob story? because if they’re not going to thoroughly read it and assume it’s a sob story then I’ma just npt write about it at all.</p>
<p>Honestly, I think that that essay would end up glorifying your mother rather than highlighting yourself. I think you might want to add how some of friends may have had different lives than you did as a result of the death (maybe 2 sentences on this, max). </p>
<p>PM me if you want to talk more. I’m bad at checking boards, haha.</p>
<p>Haha okay thanks.</p>
<p>I’m in a similar situation, I’m not sure if I’m going to go for the death of a family member topic either. I think it’s fine as long as it’s not a “look! something bad happened to me! aren’t you sympathetic? don’t you totally want to admit me to Harvard now?!”. If it genuinely shaped your life in a way that you can write about positively, then I think it’s as good a topic as any.</p>