<p>Hey CC'ers</p>
<p>I'm wondering if I write in my common app essay about the hardships of living in Romania pre and post communist regime fall, will the adcoms think I'm a whiner? Or worse still, dis-consider me because of "political undertones"?</p>
<p>I'm really busting my butt trying to come up with epic essay ideas. Aaaaain't working in my favor...</p>
<p>You can really write your essay about anything. From a church Easter service to your job at an ice cream store to overcoming hardships in Romania. It all depends on how your portray yourself and how this experience has made you who you are today. </p>
<p>If you write it as whiny, it will make you seem like a whiner.
If you write it in good perspective and you avoid focusing on why it was so hard and so grueling, rather than why it has made you a better person and what you have learned from it, it will make you seem mature and able to reflect on your life. </p>
<p>Keep it in mind it’s not so much what you write, it’s how your write it.</p>
<p>Hum, I see… I guess that makes a lot of sense, and I hope I can write it in a good way. Or eventually change topics lol</p>
<p>Sounds a bit trite, to be honest. I wouldn’t recommend it because it can very easily make you sound like a whiner, yes. But if that really is the first thing about yourself you’d tell a complete stranger, then sure, go ahead.</p>
<p>Lol! Well, when you put it that way, of course it sounds like a stupid idea hahahaha, but thanks for being honest! Now I know what to think about when coming up with ideas</p>
<p>The Romanian revolution was 22 years ago. And you are how old…?</p>
<p>Oh, I didn’t mean from my perspective 
At least not pre-revolution. Some things have stuck even after the revolution, that I can talk about. Also, I’m very involved in the european youth parliament, which deals with discrimination, poorness and the like. Somehow they interwind.</p>
<p>Admissions essays are not research papers. Rather, they are an attempt to give a deep insight into who YOU are. I recommend taking a specific incident from your life and then showing how that incident changed/improved/strengthened YOU. To be effective, the essay has to have a story arc about you, showing the before, after, and in-between. As an example, see this essay: [Jump</a> Start Your College Essays](<a href=“http://www.jumpstartessays.com/essay]Jump”>http://www.jumpstartessays.com/essay)</p>
<p>Thanks!!!
I never really understood what the essay was about, so thanks a lot!</p>
<p>My family has visited Romania nine times to explore the caves there - some of the best in the world - and to see the friends along the way. I am assuming you live in Bucaresti, but have you visited some of the fantastically beautiful areas of Romania? [Beautiful</a> Nature Photographs. A Gallery With Nature Scenes Photographs, Wallpapers Free To Download And Photo Tips.](<a href=“http://photos.cristinsculpture.com/]Beautiful”>http://photos.cristinsculpture.com/)</p>
<p>I was asked to write the foreword to a Romanian book on caves - sort of an essay. I wrote it in English, then it was translated into Romanian for editing. Then back into English for me to do the final edits, then back to Romanian for the book. THEN back to English again for the actual English text that appeared in the book. Hahaha… You can imagine what it ended up looking like. </p>
<p>–Robert Cronk, author of Concise Advice: Jump-Starting Your College Admissions Essays [Second Edition]</p>
<p>Actually, I live in Caracal, a small town about 200km from Bucuresti, but I have relatives in Brasov. Indeed, Romania is a very beautiful country. Too bad people live in it.
I’m not saying that to be mean and cynical, but in the end, it’s the truth. It ****es me off to no end when I see people treating the country like their personal garbage disposal. Even in the caves you speak about there’s always a bottle of something just laying around…</p>
<p>Hahahaha! I can only imagine! Romanian translations are never up to par with their English counterparts. Especially idiomatic expressions. What book on caves are you talking about?</p>
<p>The book was “Caves Beyond Time” by Cristian Lascu. I know what you mean. A “treasure cave” of Romania is Onceasa Dragon Cave in the Bihor area. The floor of the cave is littered with the bones of cave bears, which have been extinct for 20,000 years. We’ve visited that area several times and it breaks my heart to see how those treasures are plundered. Skulls and jawbones are the prize, and they are sold around the world for big money. We once interrupted a “pirate” group at the cave, and they scattered into the forest. When I see the fossils displayed for sale in the United States, and the tag says “from a Romanian cave” it makes me sick to know EXACTLY where that fossil came from.</p>
<p>There are lots of spectacular natural areas in the country, but my “emotional” favorite is the Apuseni Mountains - it’s like being transported back in time. It is a real shame what happened to the town of Baile Herculana, near Orsova. It was once a beautiful, thriving resort, and now its is a decaying (almost) ghost town.</p>
<p>I makes me so happy to hear someone speak so nice about Romania, especially a foreigner. I feel that people only know about Dracula, Hagi and Nadia Comaneci. Aaaaand recently, gypsies. So it’s nice to hear what you say, even thought the exploiting of the fossils is a real bummer. Luckily, when I was in the States, I didn’t come across any such sale, because that would’ve really ticked me off. </p>
<p>I’ve never really seen most of Romania. Mainly because of the cost of trains/gas and also because my parents just don’t want to. I’ve always wanted to see the Western part and also the Moldova monasteries.</p>
<p>Yes… the painted monasteries are incredible. Also the Bihor area west of Transilvania is beautiful. And the Danube area and one of my favorites - visually - the Fagaras Mountains. They are not so high as the Alps, but look just as rugged. And the Black Sea area, and…</p>
<p>Anyway, if you want me to look over any essays you want feedback on, just send me a PM. My mailbox is sometimes full, so if that happens, just wait a day and try again. Also, if you have an amazon.com account, let me know (via PM) and I can gift you a electronic copy of my book. You can download the Kindle for PC (or Mac) software to read it. I think it would help.</p>
<p>Oooh, my uncle lives in Fagarasi. It is indeed a beautiful view. But the Transfagarasan kills me haha.</p>
<p>That would be lovely! But neither I nor my parents own a credit card, so I can’t get it. I’ll work with the sample essay on your webpage
Also, thank you very much for offering to give me feedback. I feel that if I asked an English teacher, they’d want something more overflowing of metaphors, which aren’t my thing, so it would ruin the purpose of the essay</p>
<p>As someone mentioned farther up, there’s definitely a lot of potential in this essay, and if you don’t write it whiny, then it won’t be whiny. (:</p>
<p>Though people usually write about their own experiences, because it really isn’t so long after the fall of communism there, you could definitely spin that into an essay. Maybe you could even just focus on growing up after the fall, with just a sentence or a few about post-fall. You could explain what it has been like growing up in a country that just went through such big changes, and how it has affected you and the person you’ve grown to be.</p>
<p>Thank you! You really didn’t have to do this, though, but thank you so much! That is exactly what I meant to say!
I’m also applying to top tier schools, so here’s to us both getting in!</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>