My kid from a stable, UMC home like yours wrote about how her desire & ability to build community has shown up throughout her life. She gave multiple examples from a variety of experiences she’s had, both small and big moments. She wove in other aspects of who she is such as being creative and a leader.

She’s starting her second year at Cornell.

The trauma essay is not necessary.

Anonymous wrote:DD is not there yet, but is starting to think about the college application process. She came to me and asked me how she, growing up in a stable, UMC household, with not really any challenges in her life, would find a topic for her college essay. Friends seem mostly be leaning into catastrophic events in their lives - divorce, illness/death of a parent, that sort of thing. I don't really have an answer to that, other than telling her that colleges are looking for information about who she is as a person, something not revealed by her transcript, scores, awards, etc. Sort of a 'What distinguishes you from everyone else?' Is that the right advice? If not, what is?

Haven't you googled essays that worked?

https://apply.jhu.edu/college-planning-guide/essays-that-worked/

https://www.conncoll.edu/admission/apply/essays-that-worked/

https://www.collegeessayguy.com/blog/college-essay-examples

The sob story trend is over.

Just have her brainstorm about something interesting in her life -- something that shows off her positive qualities without being a recitation of her activities and accomplishments.

I’ve seen posts/reels about topics that AOs say are the most memorable essays and they aren’t all sob stories. They’re interesting and out of the box.

Definitely look at the prompts.

My kid had just one decent theme for the essay of your choice essay. But it was enough. He was good at writing "why this school" essays because he is an honest person and was not shotgunning apps.

Many people get through the community/diversity essay by telling something interesting or funny about themselves.

You also need to tell your kid that part of status competitions/societal advancement is understanding the rules of the game and playing it well. For elite schools, having an interesting communication style and background is what they are looking for. It can feel like a cynical game but it's on the applicant to figure out how to play it. To be honest, we're kind of lucky that we don't have to be hereditary nobility or have a minimum guaranteed wealth to play. The applications are like a written version of a startup's "elevator pitch" or a job interview.

It's okay to be concerned that you don't have the most interesting background or profile but with good scores and grades, and interesting essays, you can get consideration. Try not to write anything that makes one look naive or patronizing.

Have you looked at the common app college essay prompts? They are not all sob stories.

It’s actually a very short essay; it doesn’t have to be about some drama or a grandparent dying and in fact, they recommend that you don’t talk about that exclusively.

DD is not there yet, but is starting to think about the college application process. She came to me and asked me how she, growing up in a stable, UMC household, with not really any challenges in her life, would find a topic for her college essay. Friends seem mostly be leaning into catastrophic events in their lives - divorce, illness/death of a parent, that sort of thing. I don't really have an answer to that, other than telling her that colleges are looking for information about who she is as a person, something not revealed by her transcript, scores, awards, etc. Sort of a 'What distinguishes you from everyone else?' Is that the right advice? If not, what is?