If there is any list of “things to avoid” or “topics to avoid” in admissions essays, that would be very helpful, thanks! =)
I have heard you should not write about the following: My Service Trip to Guatemala and How It Changed My Life; That Unbelievable Buzzer Shot I Made at the State Championships; How I Overcame My Sports Injury; My Family Tree; anything having to do with sex or drugs.
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Also anything trying too hard: “I Am Writing This Essay and Wondering What Brought Me to This Moment That I Am Writing This Essay.” or “Imagine If You Will French Toast.”
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Thank you hillybean! Sorry for being ignorant, but could you explain why those topics are not good: what’s wrong with service trip to Guatemala if he/she really did that, or sports injury? Too many students wrote about those before?
Are the standards for BS essays same with college application essays that it has to be convoluted and reflect deep humanity? or could it just be simply answer the questions that the form asks - for example, what I like to do most; what I think is my biggest achievement etc, what I can contribute to the campus - for example being involved in the band etc. I’m in the middle of writing my essays and I’m feeling quite nervous now.
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I believe that the point is: you don’t want to be a cliche, nor do you want to raise red flags.
“What I learned from my psychiatric hold” or “What I learned in rehab” would be a huge red flag in an application to most traditional boarding high schools, as, at least in my experience, children who have had those sort of experiences need a support network beyond what traditional boarding high schools offer (although there are boarding schools that serve that population). (An adult applying to college with a similar essay title might be conveying an entirely different message.)
The sports injury story might come across as cliched, and the service trip is something the parents paid for.
I think you should worry less, though - the AOs know you are applying to high school, not college, and expect you to sound like the kid you are. They’re looking for smart, likeable kids who they can visualize as an active part of their community.
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Mental illness…
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Manslaughter…
This. I have heard this many times before. Unfortunately, while many students have overcome depression and other mental health related issues, this is something colleges often don’t want to take a risk on.
Also, don’t want to hear about your parents divorce.
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This is in the prep school category, which is a little different from college.
Unlike college, there are prep schools that specifically cater to students who… need extra resources, due to their (ongoing) challenges. However, that wouldn’t be in one’s essay.
Also, for a prep school applicant, a divorce might be relevant to the application. I was asked point blank during a parent interview about my ex’s parental involvement.
Colleges don’t interview parents because their students are considered adults.
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@Jane90 - try to focus on the idea that the school wants to get to know you. So let them get to know you. They’re not looking for or expecting you to be a spectacular writer (though if you are, cool!) Check for spelling and grammar of course 
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Don’t worry about it. Your parents should be writing these for you anyway.
Now get back to playing video games, youngster…
Omg… I really needed this
I’m going to show this to my mom before I go steal my brothers PC to play Minecraft 24/7 until January 15.
Seconding @DroidsLookingFor.
So I’ll add NOT to write an academic piece. This is a chance to reveal something about you. Not a literary analysis essay or other academic thing to show how smart you are. Write about YOU. (The smart will shine through.)
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I’ve heard it’s bad to write about philosophical topics, is that true? I have an essay on optimistic nihilism =’)