Family mantra as a college essay topic- still viable or passe?

[Anonymous]

Life is like a penis. When it gets hard, F it.

[Anonymous]

To be the man, you have to beat the man.

[Anonymous]

Kill or be killed

[Anonymous]

Don’t let the bastards keep you down.

*only in Latin

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don’t let the bastards keep you down.

*only in Latin

I have that coffee mug.

[Anonymous]

Let your kid call it their personal mantra.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have a family mantra for our household that I thought would be great essay material for DD’s application but DD was advised by her high school college counselor that it’s not captivating enough. Really?

If your kid got into college already what were they told?

Any topic can be captivating. However I wonder if the combination of it being the family mantra that presumably the parents create, that YOU thought would be a good essay means that your kid describing it isn’t captivating as a story about them instead of a story about your parenting.

[Anonymous]

OP, we’re going to need to know what the mantra is to answer your question.

[Anonymous]

I get knocked down. But I get up again. You’re never gonna keep me down.

Because of course the lead singer of Chumbawumba posts here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have a family mantra for our household that I thought would be great essay material for DD’s application but DD was advised by her high school college counselor that it’s not captivating enough. Really?

If your kid got into college already what were they told?

Any topic can be captivating. However I wonder if the combination of it being the family mantra that presumably the parents create, that YOU thought would be a good essay means that your kid describing it isn’t captivating as a story about them instead of a story about your parenting.

Yes, my question here is whose idea was it to write the essay on the family mantra? Yours or your kid’s? I do think any topic can authentically communicate who a kid is, but it really should originate with the kid and they should be inspired to write about it. I am not sure we have enough info about the dynamics here.

[Anonymous]

Mandelbaum. Mandelbaum. Mandelbaum!

[Anonymous]

The fact that this is a family mantra not a personal mantra and you’re the one suggesting it speaks more to you as a parent than your kid. If I read this essay, I’d assume you wrote it too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have a family mantra for our household that I thought would be great essay material for DD’s application but DD was advised by her high school college counselor that it’s not captivating enough. Really?

If your kid got into college already what were they told?

Any topic can be captivating. However I wonder if the combination of it being the family mantra that presumably the parents create, that YOU thought would be a good essay means that your kid describing it isn’t captivating as a story about them instead of a story about your parenting.

And that maybe the kid never asked the counselor but wants you to get off her back about this idea that she hates, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I get knocked down. But I get up again. You’re never gonna keep me down.

Because of course the lead singer of Chumbawumba posts here.

We eat what we kill.

Says it all. Family unity of purpose.

[Anonymous]

I'm disappointed OP didn't come back to tell us what the mantra is.