What should I write about?

College Essays
1

OK, I am starting to right college essays for questbridge, the common app and Gates Millennium Scholarship, I have been centralizing on my disabled mother and me taking care of her… but I was wondering should I also include my Grandma who has dementia which I help care for 2-3 days a week… or should I focus about the toxic home environment (parents marriage crumpling, dad very verbally abusive towards everyone in the house) and bullying at school or me and how I did not let ADD stop me from doing rigorous course work,
I can write really long essays for all of them but I don’t know which one would look the best to a college admissions officer, or to scholarship staff.
Thoughts?

2

Don’t they have word count limits? Really long is not always the best tactic. I think Questbridge asks specifically for details of your situation. Pay attention to the specific prompt you are being given. I think you can focus on care of your mother and yes care of your grandmother in that 2 to 3 days a week is a lot, especially with your mother as well. Then the other things can just be mentioned as background. You don’t have to mention your coursework because they will already see that. I think you can mention ADD in another section like additional information, I don’t think it is necessary to focus on that.

Did you read the tips the Questbridge people give?
http://www.questbridge.org/for-students/writing-essays

3

I did look at the questbridge tips. That is why I am reformatting my essay, I felt it was not as strong as It could be. I am changing the focus, so that include more of me in my paper, my story.They have limits I write up to the limits. The Gates Millennium is 1000 words per essay (haven’t started because redoing Questbridge)

4

All of the topics you’re suggested deal with things that have happened, either to you or to your loved ones. They’re all passive from your point of view.

Write an essay that talks about a decision you’ve made, an action you’ve taken.

You don’t have to have saved someone from a burning building, but you want to portray yourself as a doer, not a victim. It should be more about YOU than your story, your circumstances.