the prompt is “what ticks you off” and I’m writing about how people tend to treat their friends like complete trash by insulting them and cutting them down as a mean of affection. one of my main points is how detrimental this is for someone with low self-esteem and depression or anxiety. the sentence is “Yet, for someone with a mental disorder such as depression or anxiety, living with this constant form of mental abuse is equivalent to hell on earth.” I want to emphasize how hard this is for someone with a mental disorder, but i don’t know if saying hell on earth is pushing it. I’ve already used “a living nightmare” so thats out of the picture. Also, I’m applying to the university of mississippi (ole miss) if that helps
TL;DR: i wanna emphasize how hard having friends who use verbal abuse as a means of affection for someone with a mental illness by comparing it to hell on earth
^ I agree. I don’t think the phrase “hell on earth” is problematic but I would be concerned that your essay makes it sound like you are someone who suffers from a mental disorder. Schools may choose to steer clear of an applicant who could be mentally unstable.
in the next paragraph i plan to speak from personal experience as someone with depression and anxiety who also has had personal experience with friends who think cutting me down is a proper means of affection. I only have anxiety depression and OCD so ill be sure to state that
You will need to be very careful to emphasize your ability to function at a high academic level in the face of those problems. It could be a very compelling essay, but I think the responses you’ve gotten here reflect a concern with giving a school any reason to question whether to admit you. Is the risk worth the value? You’ll have to answer that question for yourself. Best, ATS
You have to ask yourself if this commentary is what will show the college the attributes they want. It sounds like this is all about you and your feelings. You run the risk they’ll see this as a complaint. (And wonder why you continued to hang with these kids, why you see this Hell as “affection.”)
I do see a college that has this prompt and that, “Your essay will be evaluated on a combination of style, grammar, imagination, and substance.” So, my reaction is like others’ but I’d put it this way: they don’t want to know what you suffered, that “friends” made life Hell. And not that you “only have anxiety depression and OCD.”
Agree that your whole topic is off base. You will not make yourself more attractive to colleges with this topic. Pick something else to write about. You are trying to make them want you on campus.