<p>nevermind (delete thread, please).</p>
<p>Wait, I changed my mind. Assuming that I develop each one equally well, which of these topics do you find most interesting? </p>
<p>Here are the topics, in random order:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>How being a mentor to kids at this after-school program has posed greater challenges than being a leader of a citywide organization because of the personal investment I've put into the kids' lives. This will focus on a scene in which one of the kids told me he hated me (for trying to discipline him) and how it was more hurtful, for personal reasons, than any the criticism and harassment I've been subjected to as leader of the organization. I've been pretty devoted to this program, reading parenting books and designing a program based on my sociology/community psychology research.</p></li>
<li><p>Another scene from this program in which a kid told me that I reminded him of his mother after another kid asked him if I was his father. Will talk about the influences my father and mother have had on me growing up and how their dynamics has helped me become a feminist. Will talk about how much I admire my mother, in particular, even though she hasn't been supportive of me because of my identity.</p></li>
<li><p>An ethnography of the people in this after-school program and how I was changed by them. I will describe the people: the director who gave up a lucrative career to establish the program to give back to the community and to realize his dream of having kids (he has no kids of his own), a jobless Stanford engineering grad who at 50 something is still hopelessly alone (she's also gay and gives advice on those matters), the kids who are sons/daughters of Bosnian refugees and at-risk youth (problems faced: poverty, child abuse, parent in jail).</p></li>
<li><p>Reconciling conservatism and gay identity. I was politically conservative before I came out. Will discus how being gay compelled me to join the liberal mainstream, and how I've found the courage to identify myself as conservative once again.</p></li>
<li><p>How, when I emigrated to the US, I was in culture shock. I was partial to the culture I got used to growing up, but I went from loving it to hating to being ambivalent about it to being detached to it to now being appreciative of it. For a long time, I blamed it for my parents' intolerance for my identity, but my niece's undying passion for the country (giving up her chance to live in the US in her quest to improve the situation there) has made me question my attitude towards it and has also made me optimistic about dreaming of changing it. This will discuss how I've been trying to rid myself of partiality to any culture but how this effort has pained me.</p></li>
<li><p>How I used to be wealthy (security guards, driver, maids) but now I'm poor. Will discuss what has changed in me and what hasn't. Will talk about my extremely frugal ways (ha ha ha trust me, I'm extremely frugal).</p></li>
<li><p>How I struggled to come into terms with the fact that I'm atheist, especially in a household that's very religious and at the same time sincerely and wholeheartedly believes in ghosts on Earth (my family would put garlic on our window sills and Xs on our doors to ward off flying vampires, I'm not joking). How I became extremely scared of being possessed by the devil after proclaiming myself as atheist because my parents have ingrained that idea in my head. I still get scared sometimes, to be honest.</p></li>
<li><p>How I worked on a project so intensely that my state of consciousness shifted for several months-- how I became hyper-aware of everything (like blood going through my veins) and how my perception of the world was so different at the time that it's scary. It truly changed my thinking about the world. It was also one of first serious challenges I faced in maintaining my composure at a time of great distress, because I didn't know what was wrong with me, my parents thought I was possessed by the devil (for being gay and atheist-- no joke), and no known mental illness fit my condition.</p></li>
<li><p>How people have been baffled by my age (some people have mistaken me for a professor and others for a 7th grader) and what this reveals about my demeanor and the effect my life experiences have had on me. </p></li>
<li><p>How Asperger syndrome has affected my peer interactions (I don't plan to specify Asperger but rather describe my peer interactions-- for example, attributing all kinds of theories to my friends' social dilemmas, how I don't “get” certain things-- for example, people's tolerance for baseball fights, and boys' aversion to leg-crossing and umbrellas)</p></li>
<li><p>How this man at the cafe I frequent has seen me grow up, so that he now calls me “sir” instead of “bud” and what he reveals about the importance of certain constants in my life. Will also discuss how I grew up pretty quickly and found my own definition of manhood.</p></li>
<li><p>How my friend and I used to sit in a public place, watch people and make up stories about them, often reflecting our lives, ambitions, and revealing certain truths that we would hesitate to disclose in a normal conversation (it's understood that our stories allowed elements of fiction, so we sometimes mix up fact and fiction and let the other person read between the lines)</p></li>
<li><p>How I came out through a project which earned national recognition, essentially forcing me to come out to the entire city following media inquiries (it was a most unexpected way to come out, but hey, it worked). I will talk about what this strategy reveals about how I approach life and its problems.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>These don't sound like different essays to me, but rather all versions, departure points or sections of the same essay. If it were my essay I would start with #3 to broaden my canvas and avoid a "confessional" mode. However, I am sure that as the essay progresses you will touch on some of the more personal issues as well.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>I agree with Mythmom: All of your indiviidual stories revolve around a central theme. So, pick one that, after you write it, would make somebody want to continue sitting with you, still drinking that cup of coffee, wanting to share more back-and-forth.</p>
<p>For me, personally, the most interesting ones were #1 or #13, because they showed you handling a larger context than yourself, and then what you brought to it. I think those two have the largest scope, and could include some of the other items as examples of the main point you want to make, to show a bit of a pattern. It's good that your life has these consistencies and parallels!</p>
<p>What's interesting to me is how you have had these huge arcs in your life, from one country and economic class to another, from one side of the political spectrum to the other and back again, from straight to gay identification and so on. A good thing is that you bounce your experiences (at the childcare work, for example) around in your thoughts, so you are obviously a reflective person who derives meaning from your activities. A worrisome thing is that with all these grand changes, I'd like to know what is the core basis for your solidity, that you're not just a bouncing ping-pong ball (j/k).</p>
<p>Since you are obviously capable of managing huge change in your life, I am curious what are the values that help you keep it all together through thick and thin, through all these changes. Also, I wonder if I meet you, I want to know if you'd be a friendly person to share a cup of coffee, or if I'd only hear nonstop about you and your angst. I'd like to end up thinking about you (as I close the essay file), "Man, that kid is brave and courageous!" not "Man, that kid has problems!" (Sidenote: I just saw Angeliina Jolie this weekend in "A Mighty Heart" about Mariane Pearl, wife of slain journalist captured by terrorists, so if you want to see a movie that shows a person tangled in a tough situation and how she finds her courage, that's for you!) </p>
<p>So, I'm challenging you to include mention of how you keep it together. I think you have that in mind, as yo mention a strategy, but that's interesting as a conclusion certainly! Mention some coping strategies (humor, good listener, and so on ) that sound like appealing, even friendly, human traits! In your enthusiasm to describe the monumental changes in your life, remember to represent these positive moments, as well. Perhaps that's what the bantering with the friend means; you know how to do that. I'd like as an imaginary AdCom to picture you as someone who'll be able to be a friend on the campus, even to one person, and add to someone's life in addition to growing your own. I don't think the banter-with-friend is a whole essay, but maybe it's part of your strategy? Just don't leave me thinking you are all alone with your politics and thoughts all day long, 24/7. It's fine if you just have one friend, but I'd refer, however briefly, to that dynamic if it's part of your strategy to just chill, people-watch, or joke with a friend.. </p>
<p>In essay #1 where you compare one group of people criticizing you versus another group of people criticizing you, I know your point is that you care more about the children than the political flak from an organization (that's a good conclusion, IMHO). But it leaves the reader feeling as though you are a person who is more alert to negativity than able to contribute positively. I doubt this is TRUE about you, I'm just pointing out what take an older adult might get from this emphasis. So if you write that one, keep it more attuned to how you handle criticism, but perhaps add a sidestory where you were well-received and it wasn't all about you and the criticism.
I would pick one of your big "arcs" and describe it, how you handle it, what it represents to you, what you learned from it or continue to learn (notice the present tense; not all your stories are done deals!) -- etc. Perhaps show some critical thought by brief reference to one or two of the other items you list, just as phrase or sidestory if it runs parallel. Not too many, that's confusing, but if it falls into place to strengthen your main point, then it could be "another time when I...."
But somewhere in there I'd be sure to express some positive images about yourself, too, so I don't put down the essay thinking, "Yeesh, that kid has a pack of troubles..." If you want to say that you value courage, or have a great commitment to tolerance as a working conclusion from your experiences so far, that at least leaves me with a positive memory of you.
Specific reactions: #6 just be sure not to sound like you're poor-mouthing or trying to gain sympathy, i don't think you will but that's a general warning that it could be misinterpreted as a sympathy grab; 9 sounds shallow as a whole essay topic, again it could be a cute vignette or sentence if it points out something larger from antoher essay; 10 might just get you downhearted writing about it, even w/o mentioning Aspergers so maybe avoid; 11 - I'd like to know more about "certain constants in my life" in fact that's the balance I'm looking for to counterbalance all these arcs; 12 could get a big confusing to the reader unless you have a really strong message to pull from the many stories, the fact that you horse around with a friend and make up stories shows you can be a good, creative friend but I'm not sure it's that remarkable all by itself, depends on where you take it. </p>
<p>And, good luck! These essays take many drafts and it's great that you're starting now. My sons had to go through many variations before they found an approach they were comfortable with. Good for you on that.</p>
<p>^^p.s. #3 is your fallback!
if you go down in flames, repeatedly, trying to write directly about yourself, don't despair. I think you could actually fall back upon #3, because when you describe those other people and what they mean to you, a lot comes out about you! And it puts you into relationship with others, so that's good. What you think about those others at work tells a lot about you and what you value.
So if you can't write directly about yourself, take a try at just developing your #3. Then see if you like that one better.</p>
<p>BTW, I'd drop #8 completely! Just too weird for me.</p>
<p>2 GRAND CONCLUSIONS: 1)Above all, I'd like to know more about the "certain constants in my life..." as well as your "strategy" for dealing.. once you've set up the first part, of course, with a choice from your menu that establishes that you have these huge arcs of change.</p>
<p>2) A way to decide what to write about is what you feel most Comfortable about as you write, where you don't feel you have to force the words out, where your shoulders feel a bit relaxed as you write and you smile to yourself. That's the topic that best lets you open up and reveal your "writer's voice" as you go along with the story. It's the most natural.
In a way, it matters less what you write about (the topic) than that it's a vehicle where you feel comfortable writing and revealing your inner thought process. You'll know it when you see it. It'll be the draft that "sounds like you." </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<h1>7 Sounds the most interesting to me--if you can do it with some humor.</h1>
<p>I like 1,2,6,9.11.</p>
<p>Some of the others seem a bit too abstract and not as revealing of you, or unnecessarily touching on controversial issues, which aren't really necessary. Personally, I don't see the need for that risk. (But maybe I'm too risk averse).</p>
<p>A lot depends on which one(s) you can just really let flow from you - kind of what paying3 said.</p>
<p>I like 9 and 11. I also like 4 if you can do it well and without offending or generalizing (which would be difficult for that topic) and 6 if you write it well.</p>
<p>I wouldn't do 7, 8, or 10. I think 7 would end up too generalizing and offensive, I think; 8 is too weird; and I'm not sure how colleges would react to 10. Many colleges tend to look for the social, active, "popular" kids who "get" social interactions. I'm sure many colleges would be fine with that essay, but I think others would react poorly.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone (especially paying3tuitions for the elaborate post). I read all of the posts and will keep your suggestions in mind. I'm not really sure which topic I will end up writing about, but it'll probably deal with identity struggle (which is the unifying theme of most of the topics I posted). I welcome additional input.</p>
<p>I think most of these could make interesting topics. If I were you, I'd tackle several of them and see which ones end up being fun to write. You'll know fairly soon if it just isn't working</p>
<ol>
<li><p>I think this could be quite good, just as a previous poster mention make sure it ends up sounding positive.</p></li>
<li><p>This strikes me as a excellent jumping off point for an essay - could be funny, could be poignant...</p></li>
<li><p>This one doesn't seem to be about you. You run the danger of just talking about others.</p></li>
<li><p>A little risky.</p></li>
<li><p>This has been done a million times. It's a good essay, but I think some of your other ones might be more interesting.</p></li>
<li><p>This is similar to 5., but strikes me as more interesting.</p></li>
<li><p>Risky, but I can imagine a very funny essay here. I'd try it and see what happens.</p></li>
<li><p>I don't think I'd try this one. </p></li>
<li><p>This could work - it might make it too obvious that you have a typical Aspergers profile?</p></li>
<li><p>See 9.</p></li>
<li><p>This doesn't grab me, but it would depend on where you went with it.</p></li>
<li><p>I rather like this one.</p></li>
<li><p>This cold also be a good topic.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I agree with paying3tuitions that there seem to be some grand themes here that are similar for all your topics - you may be able to combine some of these ideas - though 500 words is not much. Some schools also require more than one essay. My son found that some essays which seemed just fine in the abstract just did not work when he tried to write them. I suspect you may find the same thing.</p>