<p>Sandkicks, I think the losing weight thing might be okay as long as you keep it a little lighthearted, and don't get to serious about it. You don't want them to think that that is your biggest accomlishment.</p>
<p>I think the point Zemook made, which was very good, isn't that you shouldn't write about having an epiphany etc. The point is you should try to write it in a way that isn't trite. </p>
<p>.</p>
<p>NinaBanina, is that so about the personal statements? Good thing I checked out your post then. I was going to write about how my brother's schizophrenia had a psychological burden on me and how I recovered from that. I don't think it's a good topic to write about though.</p>
<p>It's ok to write about it! It's the way you convey the image that is important--not the topic!</p>
<p>Gabe's right, only don't overburden the reader with the deepest darkest secrets from the abyss of your soul. Describe the situation, and explain how it makes you a better candidate than the next guy (or girl).</p>
<p>At first I was going to do one of the traditional "how my semester in south america profoundly influenced me.." essays, but seeing as they read those all the time, I started to think about other things I could talk about. I'm a Cultural Anthro major and I would really like to study subcultures.
One idea I had was to talk about my experience on a road trip that started at a hippie commune in Colorado and ended at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota. I would talk about how I couldn't turn off the anthropologist in me, so I spent the entire time asking questions and learning the lore and traditions of both cultures. Is this way off the mark?
If you tell a story in the essay, should you use the present tense to make it more interesting?
Also, would it be too cliche if I talked about how my awful self image led to my eventual drop out of high school and moving out of my parent's house at the age of 16? It would be in relation to my desired minor in Women's Studies.
Thanks</p>
<p>Again--don't worry too much about being cliche. I had this discussion with someone the other day and he raised an excellent point. The questions are CLICHE!!! </p>
<p>So yeah...worry more about just presenting yourself, not about being cliche. If you are specific I think you also easily avoid a lot of the cliche problem.</p>
<p>I like the road trip one, it sounds interesting. :-)</p>
<p>Thanks Ninabanina! that makes me feel a lot better :)</p>
<p>Hey guys, I need people to proofread my essays but I feel kind of awkward having someone read about my open-ended essay. I wrote about how my brother's schizophrenia upset the family balance and how I recovered psychologically from this event. I mean, when you are talking to someone face to face about a topic like this you tend to feel uncomfortable, you know?</p>
<p>Hi Nikei325i,</p>
<p>For the sake of your future, you have got to get over any feelings of embarassment. I've pretty personal topics for my personal statements as well yet I have showed it to several professors and the people in my transfer center. Just do it man.</p>
<p>Sorry to sound like a mom but don't be scared.</p>
<p>IWannaIvy, yea I need get over my feelings of embarrassment. I just couldn't help but think that I'm telling a complete stranger about the deep, dark secrets of my past. All this week and next week I'm going to be having people proofread my essays. Hopefully I won't need to revise much. How are your essays coming along? I think I've read somewhere on this forum that you've finished by now?</p>