<p>My mom "came down with" schizophrenia 3 years ago, first semester of my freshman year of high school. The transition seemingly happened overnight, or rather she went from normal to crazy in the gradual course of a week. It has been something that has shattered our family and changed us all because it feels as if my mom died and some stranger took over her body. That being said, I plan to write one common app essay about how her illness forced me into the transition from childhood to adulthood seeing as I'm extremely independent now. I'm going to reflect on the change and what lessons it has taught me. Would this be considered a pity hook or will it not help me at all? Btw I plan to apply to Cornell, Duke, Vandy, UNC Chapel Hill, GA Tech, and UGA if that's important at all.</p>
<p>I’m terribly sorry. I am grateful that I’ve never experienced a loved one’s mental illness. I can only imagine the toll it took on everyone in your family, including your mother.</p>
<p>I think it’s an excellent essay topic. A well done essay on this topic will certainly explain to admissions committees who you are and where you’re coming from, and it will make you memorable. All of which is good.</p>
<p>And none of which is really a hook, exactly. In college admissions, a hook is an attribute of a student that meets an institutional want or need. Colleges need athletes for their teams, and wealthy benefactors. So if you’re an outstanding basketball player, or you come from a family that would make a seven-digit donation, that’s a hook. Many colleges want ethnic and economic diversity, or want to enroll celebrities. So if you happen to come from an underrepresented minority group, or from impoverished circumstances, or if you happen to have played Hermione in the Harry Potter movies, you have a hook.</p>
<p>Colleges don’t need the children of mentally ill parents the same way they need point guards and power forwards, nor do they want them in the same way they want Native Americans or Emma Watson. So in that way, no, this isn’t a hook. But I am sure it will be a compelling story, and it’s one that you ought to tell. Tell it well.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Thank you for clarifying what a hook is! I had a hazy idea of what it is</p>
<p>Hey, in the grand scheme of things, lots of things matter more than being able to give a good explanation of what a hook is! Lots of skills are more useful (e.g., driving a car), and lots of skills offer more to society (e.g., nursing).</p>
<p>I hope there have been other adults who’ve been able to step in and provide at least some measure of stability and guidance in your life. What a tough way to spend one’s teens!</p>
<p>Thank you for caring! It’s been tough but I found that I turned to school for solace… As nerdy as that sounds. I decided that excelling at school would be a sure way out of my unfavorable circumstance, for I would hopefully get into a good college that I could escape to.</p>
<p>I had a student in the '90s with a story very similar to yours. Her story turned out well. (I mean, you know, so far. She’s still only in her thirties, so it’s not as if her story is over, but I think you get my point.) I truly hope yours will, too.</p>