Reply to Should you really avoid an activity as a main essay topic?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I 100% hate all the advice to kids about their essays.  It makes me actively angry that we put kids in these impossible positions.

Be different!  But not weird!
Don’t write about something lots of people do!  But write about something you know!  (Which by definition will be something lots of people do for lots of kids).
Show your personal growth and grit but don’t write the cliche essay about how you faced a challenge and grew because of it!
Show who you are but don’t write about the things that are listed on your activities list (even thought that’s basically what you did for the past four years with all your time)!  
Tell a good story but don’t feature other people hecsuse we want to know about YOU!  
Don’t sound spoiled but also don’t dwell on hardship or really feature any significant challenges that the AO might worry might impact your ability to succeed at the school!

The vast majority of excellent writers and excellent people could not meet these criteria.  It’s really dumb we expect 17 year olds who have incredibly limited life experience to do this.  [/quote]

Amen!
Tell me about a time you overcame a challenge... but don't write about sports, or school, or a family trauma, or anything that suggests your family has money, or anything too mundane, or anything too weird....
I mean, for most 17 year olds, their life is pretty mundane, and being class president or being persistent when losing a game, or struggling in a class ARE the major things that have happened to them.[/quote]

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