<p>Hi, I'm a junior, and in my college counseling class, we are starting to formulate our Common Application essays. I have a few topics in mind, but I don't know which one stands out from the others and which to pursue. The following is a list (in no particular order) of the topics I have in mind... please help me decide which seems to be the best potential Common Application essay and why. Thanks.</p>
<p>-my life as a Humorous Interpretation (I am really into speech, and Humorous Interpretation is the main event that I participate in. Just giving background information to show my deep investment in it... honestly not trying to sound like a tool... but I won first at state freshman year, second at state sophomore year, and first at districts and conferences freshman and sophomore year. Anyways, for Humorous Interpretation, I take a play and act out all of the characters through fast pops and stuff and try to make it as humorous as possible. For this idea, I was thinking like presenting my life through a script and stuff like that with actions and humorous and witty lines... I can't think of the FULL idea right now, but that's what I have thought of so far.)
-my family trip to Vietnam (In this topic, I would discuss my family's trip to our homeland, Vietnam, one summer. I would talk about how I really didn't expect to see all of the poverty and troubles that were in Vietnam, and then I'd go on to talk about how it kind of changed my perspective and how I appreciate much more what I have now. I would talk about the kinds of people I saw and the places I went, and how this all shaped my idea of what it means to be from Vietnam and stuff like that. This may be too cliche? I don't know.)
-my loss at state speech sophomore year (I would talk about how I came in confident for the state speech meet sophomore year because I had won the previous year. Then I would talk about how I lost and I was, well, speechless. I would talk about how this affected me and hurt me at first, but then how it also motivated me to work ridiculously hard and make sure that I came back stronger for next year. I don't know the results yet because state speech isn't for 2 months, but basically it would be about how my loss made me stronger in a way.)
-the time I watched my dad perform surgery and it made me want to become a doctor (I would begin talking about how becoming a doctor had been kind of forced upon me, but then how, after watching my dad, I had become inspired and now want nothing more than to become a doctor. I would talk about my experience in the operating room and how I saw my dad in a light that I hadn't before. I would discuss my fascination with everything and how I can really see myself doing this someday. I would also maybe reflect on my epiphany of how much medicine really contributes to the world. I knew that it was helpful before, but after thinking about this woman who broke her leg and now is going to get better is just such a powerful thought to me. I'm not sure... but maybe this would focus too much on what I want to do after college, which could be unappealing to admissions officers. But I could talk about how I want the best education possible to get me there and stuff.)</p>