Writing about physical and verbal abuse

If you asked anyone one trait to put for me, it would be passionate. And I understand how cliche it sounds, but I want to talk more about why I am so passionate and determined. When I was younger, I would watch my mom and brother take so much verbal(sometimes physical) abuse from my father. I felt like no one was fighting for them, so I would stand up for them and retaliate because my dad wasn’t able to suppress me or make me feel like I didn’t have a voice. Of course, at times I would be verbally or physically abused, but nothing compared to that of my mom and brother. Should I mention the physical abuse or strictly keep it verbal. I felt like a lot of kids have parents that verbally abuse them, but with the addition of the other stuff it would be a little different.

This could be an interesting topic, but it would have to be very carefully and well written. For one thing, ask how it sells you to the college, how it indicates you are a match for what they’re looking for. Does your overall application indicate how you might contribute to the university community?

How long ago did this happen? If it was over before high school, consider whether colleges might be more interested in more recent events.

In writing about the abuse, would you be - in some way - throwing your mother and brother under the bus by implying they were too weak to stand up for themselves? Using the misfortune of others to make yourself look better might not be the way to go.

It is an interesting backstory, but without knowing more, how you plan to weave it into the rest of your application (make it relevant to the college), and how skillfully you can write this, it is difficult to say whether you should go for it.