<p>Hey,</p>
<p>I was considering beginning my long common app essay with a 'slice of life' story of one of the family alcoholism rehab sessions I attended for my father when I was younger. I wanted to use this as a starting to point to explain the work with the local health system (through presentations and undercover attempts to buy) that I have done to stop the sales of alcohol and tobacco to minors. I'd really like to avoid appearing like I'm looking for sympathy or anything, but my dad's problems have had a profound affect on who I am as a person. Do you think this topic is all right as long as I try to focus on how the situation has affected me? </p>
<p>Thanks :]</p>
<p>Depends how you talk about it. Serious? Conversational? What subtlety and flow will you use? Being too operatic, as I said somewhere else, is the key to failure. Even if you're Patrick Henry, no piece of really successful writing is without breathers from what would be called the main topic.
With all that played right, any essay works. I did one like that (out of 2) for Oxford (no joke...and it was about a really bad family situation) and spent a while on being minimal in many areas...think of it like adding "pepper" to a dish...a small amount goes a LONG way. Fill in the rest with nicely structured other points, and see what you get.</p>
<p>And you have it right on about it affecting you. Lots of essays start stright and take the long road to nowhere, boredom, and ultimate rejection because of not staying on the topic.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>