Hey guys,
So about a week ago I created a thread about writing an essay about a relative, but decided against it after input. I have several ideas for a college essay in mind but this one stands out most to me. Essentially, before I moved into my current place of residence, a doctor lived in my house. I believe he registered his house as a place of work or something along those lines and he, as a result, recieved vast quantities of free magazines. When we moved in, our mailbox would literally be stufed to the brim everyday, many times the mailman would have to put some magazines outside of the mailbox. Not wanting all of this junkmail, my father cancelled most of the magazines that were not of use to us such as People or other gossip magazines. However, he kept several other, more academic magazines such as Inc, Entrepeneuer, National Geographic(I like this one particularly), the New York TImes, and Time magazine. I have read these magazines for several years now and enjoy them a lot and think they have had a significant impact on how I view the world and how I have conducted myself in my activities. I think writing about my interest in reading these news magazines would be a good essay topic, but I am not sure whether or not I should really include the background as these magazines don’t technically belong to us. Do you think I should do so? Or try to frame the background in a better way? Because I don’t want to just say my dad ordered all of these magazines and I read them.
I don’t think it is too important what the source of the magazines was.
It sounds like it could be a very good essay if properly focused. I would concentrate on one of the magazines in particular - you seem to have a fondness for NatGeo. I don’t know how much background you need - just say your parents have had a NatGeo subscription for a long time, it has influenced you, and then talk in detail about how. You have a word limit, so time is precious.
@JustOneDad and @NavalTradition
it seems as if I overestimated the importance of the background. I think I just feel like the situation that made this happen was really interesting as I doubt my parents or I would have even considered subscribing to a magazine if we did not have access to these. I will probably make my Harvard and Yale supplement about Nat Geo and one other magazine-most likely Business Insider, Bloomberg, or Time.
On these essays, do you think I should try to focus on one of the articles that I thought was particularly interesting, or describe in more general terms how reading the magazine over time has influenced my view of the world? Maybe a mixture of both with one magazine centered around a specific article while the other is more general?
“describe in more general terms how reading the magazine over time has influenced my view of the world?”
This sounds best.
I would definitely add the part about where the magazines originated. It’s this bit of happenstance that adds interest to the story.
I also like the background of the story. It adds a nuance to your story. I would think that it would be the doctor’s responsibility to forward his mail or the publisher’s responsibility to monitor their mailings.
@Parent1337 and @educateddarcy
I thought the story added something interesting to the story as well. So you guys think its if I just narrate the full story?
i really like this…and the admins will like the idea of how something discarded and forgotten by one person turns out to be a treasure for the next person.
once you’ve got a decent draft going, i’d be happy to read it via PM.
Are there any other contributing factors? Did you have no internet or no access devices? Did you lack TV? Anything that starved you for info?
@Parent1337
There were no obvious contributing factors such as a lack of internet. I live in the suburbs of a highly developed state and about an hour away of a major city, so no real way for me to be starved of info. I will, however, think a bit more and see if there were more subtle factors that are not obvious to me right now.
@SouthernHope
Thank you for your willingness to read the essay. I will send it to you over the summer hopefully!
Yes. My kids only see the pop culture mags in our house so I guess I should be thankful that they don’t want to be a kardashians.
@educateddarcy
Hahaha, your kids are better than most people about that at least.
@educateddarcy
Oh also, what were you saying yes to in your previous comment?
I was saying yes to full story. Meant to say one of the kardashians
I like your story. I definitely like the story of how you acquired the magazines. Good luck.