<p>In the Common App, would your personality/character be conveyed better through a certain EC/accomplishment (i.e. experience in a research lab), or someone/something that has been unusually influential (a relative in prison)?</p>
<p>I feel like I could write about both very well, and I’m leaning towards the latter choice, but I feel as if that would not accurately portray my accomplishments in the last 4 years, and has had no CONSTANT influence on me (I hadn’t lived with said person prior before - it was just on vacation visiting when this occurred, and has had a profound impact on my views on life).</p>
<p>I think you answered your own question there. Colleges want to see who YOU are and what you have done over the years to become who you are today. If your relative in prison has no influence on you, then why would you write it?</p>
<p>Well, the event influenced me in that it taught me how to not judge peoples’ situations, as there might be more than what meets the eye. This has become an important philosophy that I have recognized over the years. However, it certainly doesn’t outline my passions and what I enjoy doing outside of school, so I’m not sure if it would be ideal to write about.</p>
<p>I’m a firm advocate of the EC essay. I believe that it (1) reveals your personality; (2) plays up your most important EC as something meaningful; and (3) gives the admissions committee reason to believe that your other ECs are likely to also be meaningful (rather than just items on the list).</p>