@bdavic: On the subject of effective college essays, I just came across this: https://www.yahoo.com/gma/girl-gets-yale-penning-essay-papa-johns-pizza-153305869–abc-news-topstories.html?cid=social_twitter_abcn&soc_src=mail&soc_trk=ma.
The applicant (who also had a “hook” as a first-generation college student) stated that "it was kind of taking a risk, I guess.” She lucked out on this risk; sometimes it comes down to who your readers are. There are also kids who have been rejected from colleges because of “risky” essays. You can draw your own conclusions from all this.