Thinking about essay topics

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't use it as the focus of the piece, just write about it as aspect of his identity, the way I would write about my heritage or similar. Don't hide it, but use the essay as an opportunity to tell a very compelling story they have not heard before. His autism/adhd/anxiety is part of who he is - not his defining trait.

I think key for his applications will also be the Why Us supplements - he sounds like he would be an excellent part of any community, so have him make the case for why he specifically belongs in each particular school and how he would thrive there. Too often people assume that folks with his dx are insular. Good luck to him!

Yes! Thank you for saying this. For him, because of his IEP, it has impacted his school placement and the opportunities that were available to him. That's the part I'm really concerned about.

This can also be addressed in the “other information” section.

I have a 2e kid also and the advice we’ve heard is that if it is going to be self-evident in other materials (eg your child had a resource class) there is no reason not to address it head on.

And my personal perspective is a school that doesn’t want my ASD kid probably isn’t the right fit for my ASD kid.

That said, I do worry the topic can be hard to make original and/or interesting. Our DD wrote several essays before she landed on a topic. I’d give it a try but if it isn’t coming together be prepared to pivot to a new topic.

Thanks for this advice. My kid never had a resource class so from his transcript it’s not blatantly evident. But something is off—-like why does the kid not take honor level or AP courses but scores a 5 on APUSH. Why is he taking Quantitative Literacy but scores a 5 on the BC exam.

I agree with you about the fit of the school. If you don’t embrace my ND kid, your probably not the right place for him.

I posted earlier about providing context for his application. AOs examine the applications in the context of the school and related opportunities. In that sense, his achievements look even more impressive. He has gone out of his way and self-studied for all APs. If that’s not impressive, I don’t know what is…

By the way, I am already rooting for your son. His application just needs to make the AOs root for him too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't use it as the focus of the piece, just write about it as aspect of his identity, the way I would write about my heritage or similar. Don't hide it, but use the essay as an opportunity to tell a very compelling story they have not heard before. His autism/adhd/anxiety is part of who he is - not his defining trait.

I think key for his applications will also be the Why Us supplements - he sounds like he would be an excellent part of any community, so have him make the case for why he specifically belongs in each particular school and how he would thrive there. Too often people assume that folks with his dx are insular. Good luck to him!

Yes! Thank you for saying this. For him, because of his IEP, it has impacted his school placement and the opportunities that were available to him. That's the part I'm really concerned about.

This can also be addressed in the “other information” section.

I have a 2e kid also and the advice we’ve heard is that if it is going to be self-evident in other materials (eg your child had a resource class) there is no reason not to address it head on.

And my personal perspective is a school that doesn’t want my ASD kid probably isn’t the right fit for my ASD kid.

That said, I do worry the topic can be hard to make original and/or interesting. Our DD wrote several essays before she landed on a topic. I’d give it a try but if it isn’t coming together be prepared to pivot to a new topic.

Thanks for this advice. My kid never had a resource class so from his transcript it’s not blatantly evident. But something is off—-like why does the kid not take honor level or AP courses but scores a 5 on APUSH. Why is he taking Quantitative Literacy but scores a 5 on the BC exam.

I agree with you about the fit of the school. If you don’t embrace my ND kid, your probably not the right place for him.

I posted earlier about providing context for his application. AOs examine the applications in the context of the school and related opportunities. In that sense, his achievements look even more impressive. He has gone out of his way and self-studied for all APs. If that’s not impressive, I don’t know what is…

By the way, I am already rooting for your son. His application just needs to make the AOs root for him too.

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

I think the improv has the potential for a good topic. It's unusual for a teenager. It's very brave. A lot of the SNL cast over the years got their start in improv - second city, groundlings, and so on. It's a genuinely interesting topic. And people like Kate McKinnon and Jack Black are clearly neurodivergent and have had great success.

Could be a fun topic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC is also 2e (severe ADHD, 1590 SAT, NMSF, etc.) The essay focuses on a specific experience that led to personal growth. Heading to T10 next fall.

The standard advice is to avoid the topic that your DS has in mind. One thing that may help is to write 2-3 personal essays. In the process of doing so, he may find out that another topic works better for him.

Congrats to your DC! I know the standard advice is to avoid the ASD topic. I don't know why though. If a child had been born missing a limb and they wanted to write about overcoming that challenge, would it be considered a topic that should be avoided?

I think this is probably a little disingenuous, but first, it's quite common, much more common than missing a limb. Likely about a third of applicants to some of the school's op's child is applying to have some form of neurodiversity. Second, ASD/ADHD correlates with depression/anxiety and colleges are currently overwhelmed by students' mental health needs. It's not that a student can't be well supported and succeed, but a student who centers his/her neurodiversity struggles in the essay might seem like more of a risk or less likely to contribute to vibrant campus life.

[Anonymous]

I also have an autistic child whose HS was chosen because of the support it offered and she had to seek out academic challenge and ECs elsewhere. She wrote about one particular EC -- her special interest -- and how she built a community around that activity; it wasn't just handed to her. She was class of 25 and got into all her top choices (although didn't aim as high as your son). I would encourage him to write about something he is enthusiastic about in his main essay; he can use the extra information section if there's something about autism he wants to discuss.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the improv has the potential for a good topic. It's unusual for a teenager. It's very brave. A lot of the SNL cast over the years got their start in improv - second city, groundlings, and so on. It's a genuinely interesting topic. And people like Kate McKinnon and Jack Black are clearly neurodivergent and have had great success.

Could be a fun topic.

I agree! I think it could tangentially touch on the ASD, but the general advice is not to make disability or trauma central to a college essay. Your kid sounds great, OP. Also, it’s totally fine to wait 7 months and revisit this in the summer.

[Anonymous]

My child is 2E and has chronic illness. They did not discuss either in their essay. It isn’t the most interesting thing about them, nor does it define them. One college counselor said they should write about their autism because our child did lots of interviews for SLACs and it “might be obvious.”

Another counselor was neutral, possibly leaning against writing about it. Because face it, there is still discrimination about neurodivergence no matter what schools say.

My child wrote about their special interest (not mentioning autism). I am very against cliche topics that kids write about e.g. my autism (sickness, misfortune) taught me or I overcame… boring. Your kid has the ability to write about a special interest they have been devoted to since they were young. It shows intellectual curiosity, dedication, and is outside the box. My kid’s essay was praised as very unique and they got in ED to their top choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think I'd try to convey that a school might welcome his neurodiversity and be a great fit while also being interested in other aspects of his personality, accomplishments, and interests.

Can he write about improv for example and mention his neurodiversity but focus on an experience related to improv?

What about growth from participating in the local food bank? He started in 6th grade and we go once or twice a month now. When we started, I had to go with him and he was the behind the scenes stock boy so he didn't have to interact with anyone but me. Over the years he became more comfortable and was able to move up to manning the tables. He learned basic Spanish from the people in line. He learned how to help the elderly select their groceries and carried their bags. His school teaches ASL rather than a foreign language and he is very proud that he's one of the few people that can help the hearing impaired navigate the lines and selections.

NP. Love this for a topic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think I'd try to convey that a school might welcome his neurodiversity and be a great fit while also being interested in other aspects of his personality, accomplishments, and interests.

Can he write about improv for example and mention his neurodiversity but focus on an experience related to improv?

What about growth from participating in the local food bank? He started in 6th grade and we go once or twice a month now. When we started, I had to go with him and he was the behind the scenes stock boy so he didn't have to interact with anyone but me. Over the years he became more comfortable and was able to move up to manning the tables. He learned basic Spanish from the people in line. He learned how to help the elderly select their groceries and carried their bags. His school teaches ASL rather than a foreign language and he is very proud that he's one of the few people that can help the hearing impaired navigate the lines and selections.

NP. Love this for a topic.

+ 1. The improv topic sounds very promising too. It sounds like your kid has much to draw on to convey his unique personal narrative.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't use it as the focus of the piece, just write about it as aspect of his identity, the way I would write about my heritage or similar. Don't hide it, but use the essay as an opportunity to tell a very compelling story they have not heard before. His autism/adhd/anxiety is part of who he is - not his defining trait.

I think key for his applications will also be the Why Us supplements - he sounds like he would be an excellent part of any community, so have him make the case for why he specifically belongs in each particular school and how he would thrive there. Too often people assume that folks with his dx are insular. Good luck to him!

Yes! Thank you for saying this. For him, because of his IEP, it has impacted his school placement and the opportunities that were available to him. That's the part I'm really concerned about.

This can also be addressed in the “other information” section.

I have a 2e kid also and the advice we’ve heard is that if it is going to be self-evident in other materials (eg your child had a resource class) there is no reason not to address it head on.

And my personal perspective is a school that doesn’t want my ASD kid probably isn’t the right fit for my ASD kid.

That said, I do worry the topic can be hard to make original and/or interesting. Our DD wrote several essays before she landed on a topic. I’d give it a try but if it isn’t coming together be prepared to pivot to a new topic.

We heard the same advice and also addressed it briefly in the Additional Info section. I think it's fine to write an essay about it but only if the kid wants to. My kid didn't want to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't use it as the focus of the piece, just write about it as aspect of his identity, the way I would write about my heritage or similar. Don't hide it, but use the essay as an opportunity to tell a very compelling story they have not heard before. His autism/adhd/anxiety is part of who he is - not his defining trait.

I think key for his applications will also be the Why Us supplements - he sounds like he would be an excellent part of any community, so have him make the case for why he specifically belongs in each particular school and how he would thrive there. Too often people assume that folks with his dx are insular. Good luck to him!

Yes! Thank you for saying this. For him, because of his IEP, it has impacted his school placement and the opportunities that were available to him. That's the part I'm really concerned about.

This can also be addressed in the “other information” section.

I have a 2e kid also and the advice we’ve heard is that if it is going to be self-evident in other materials (eg your child had a resource class) there is no reason not to address it head on.

And my personal perspective is a school that doesn’t want my ASD kid probably isn’t the right fit for my ASD kid.

That said, I do worry the topic can be hard to make original and/or interesting. Our DD wrote several essays before she landed on a topic. I’d give it a try but if it isn’t coming together be prepared to pivot to a new topic.

Thanks for this advice. My kid never had a resource class so from his transcript it’s not blatantly evident. But something is off—-like why does the kid not take honor level or AP courses but scores a 5 on APUSH. Why is he taking Quantitative Literacy but scores a 5 on the BC exam.

I agree with you about the fit of the school. If you don’t embrace my ND kid, your probably not the right place for him.

It’s evident because he’s at a therapeutic school