I really want to write about the story of my grandfather and how all of the hardships he overcame have inspired me to work harder. Even now at 82 years old he is the strongest and smartest person I know. He overcame extreme poverty in the Philippines, survived Japanese bombings during WWII as a child, escaped the Philippines during the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos, emigrated to the US where Filipino college degrees were not recognized and he could not speak English, worked for 5 years at places like Burger King, eventually rose to a high level in his field as a chemist, and even developed the formula for the paint used for the White House, all while caring for his wife and four children. Even now as an 82 year old, he is always active and working on some construction project (building a deck, flipping a house, redoing a roof) all by himself. In addition, he is extremely mentally acute and I would often go to him for help with AP Chem homework. I’ve also been to the Philippines and witnessed the poverty that many of my family members there still experience, but I want to know if this type of story is too cliche to write about for a college app.
It sounds like a great topic to me. Remember that the purpose of the essay is to learn more about you. It should be from your perspective and convey your qualities. Avoid making your essay just a bio of your Grandfather.
not cliche at all. it demonstrates where you come from and can show what you’ve learned from your grandpa. i think it’s an excellent topic. best of luck.
The details of your grandfather’s rise are not what gets you into a college. Yes, this is often included in a short list of cliche or off topic essays, “Grandpa’s War Exploits.” That’s Grandpa’s story, not yours.
You need to focus on your own story. A line or two about him is fine, then what good you’ve done because of this. Not just, "So I studied harder. " And not just “I witnessed poverty,” or, “Now I’m more sympathetic,” but what you’ve actually done.
“Show, not just tell.”
Don’t sweat “cliché.” That word, in and of itself, has become a cliché around here.
You’re a 17 year old kid. Your life experiences are very likely pretty similar to the life experiences of most other kids applying to college.
Your grandfather sounds like a wonderful man.
But here’s the issue I see with your essay: It’s not yours. It’s your grandfathers.
As @lookingforward said, you’ll have to find a way to limit your grandfather’s experiences to very, very few of those 650 words, almost as an introduction. The rest of those valuable words need to “SHOW” the reader that YOU would be a great addition to his campus.