I got a couple tattoos this year (I’m 17) and I was wondering if I could/should write an essay about it and whether or not it would affect my college admissions if I wrote an essay about it.
Seriously? Someone else may think that if you do an amazing job as a writer it will be fabulous. I find it trite, trendy, and immature. I don’t see how getting tattoos demonstrates that you are the person an AO cannot pass up for their campus community. Everywhere I look I see tattoos - nothing special there. Where I live getting a tattoo at 17 is also illegal. Not impressive.
It depends on your essay. Are you writing about why you did it? A subsequent understanding that it was “for life”? Getting a tattoo is hardly worthy of an essay but if you can use the story to reveal something about yourself that shows who you are, it could work.
Does the tattoo have significance and a story behind it? For example I have an aunt who got a tattoo of a pink breast cancer ribbon after her sister passed away and her daughter was diagnosed with breast cancer. So if she were to write about it, the essay would be about her relationships with these people, how breast cancer has impacted her life even though she’s not the one who has/had it, and how the tattoo relates to that. Something like that I can see working. But just about a tattoo? Nope. And if you are in a state where it’s illegal for your age, that is a concern as well.
Hi Endrealee,
Writing a college admission essay can become the most exciting part of the application process because admissions officers use them to find out who you are. Use concrete details and stay focused on the intention behind the prompt. The essay allows you to shine, and become more than test scores, course descriptions, and grades on a high school transcript.
When reading student essays I enjoy hearing about what makes them unique and memorable. Explain how your interest in tattoos fundamentally shapes your identity. What character trait is strengthened? How could this trait help you in your chosen course of study? Make sure this essay introduces you as an individual who has interests, strengths, and weaknesses you can use to leverage the program you are applying for.
The essay is the best way to win admissions officers over with your personality!
Good luck!
The OP posted this in November and the deadline for most colleges has long past. So the advice given is really of little use to the OP.