FantomBassoon

Okay, I do understand what you're saying mathboy98. I suppose you need to trust the very secretive admissions procedures and not take rejection personally. It sounds to me that the OP really wants to write this essay; I say go for it.

simonster

Definitely write the essay. It sounds like you have something valuable to say, and it's far better to write something that arouses controversy than something that's boring. As long as you don't hold beliefs that are in opposition to accepted scientific evidence (e.g., creationism), I doubt it will give anyone a reason to reject you.

CharmingQuark

I think that the admissions committee is looking for students who can add to the community, not just robots who solve math and science problems. They will be trying to get a sense of who you are from your application, and it sounds like your religion is an integral part of that. Any essay that sets you apart from the rest of the crowd is excellent. And honestly, I can't see what negatives there would be to writing an essay about something you are passionate about.

Also, Caltech does have a lot of religious students. Discussing your beliefs won't hurt your chances.

mathmom

Knowing Caltech, I can't imagine that this type of essay would be held against the OP. Just don't sound like you are proselytizing. I am in the camp that if a school doesn't like the essay you want to write, it's probably not the right school for you. My son wrote a "I am a computer nerd" essay. It was interesting who accepted him - Harvard but not MIT or Caltech. He's happy as a clam at Carnegie Mellon, so it all turned out very well for him ultimately. And much as he liked Caltech, I don't think it was the best place for him.

zinja

My friend wrote about her atheism, and she got accepted into stanford. And you probably know that atheism is more controversial. So I say, go for it. If you have are competitive applicant, your essay will be read by more than one person anyway, so bias shouldn't be too big an issue.

mathboy98

Right, that's what I mean FantomBossom. Basically, if it's a strong essay that shouldn't reasonably offend someone, go for it. The school does what it can to admit students, and all one really can do is apply. It's silly to put something on an application that would outright offend someone, but I'd count on schools to be reasonable rather than not, unless they have a terrible reputation for being unreasonable in some regard. I'd never recommend suicidal bravery, but it doesn't sound like anyone has a clear idea writing the essay would be suicide, and rejection or acceptance could of course come for any number of reasons, so have fun writing the essay and be positive!!