Choosing an "emotionally bad" essay prompt for the Ivies?

College Essays
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<p>Hi everyone!
I am apply to several colleges in the US, some of them being fairly competitive and some of them are parts of the Ivy League.
I am an international student and I have hundreds of ECs and Volunteering work, good letters of Recs etc. but my GPA is only 3.9 and I really want to make up for it by writing a great essay. </p>

<p>I am honestly annoyed by the essays that talk about how someone loves helping kids in need, or how they have achieved this and that at school, etc. so I wanted to write for something more personal... The problem is, I was wondering if that was TOO personal...</p>

<p>I want to choose the prompt that goes like "Describe an obstacle in your life and how you overcame it", or something like that. And I want to write about my sister who used to do drugs and after going through the adequate medical and psychological help, followed the correct path and now lives a healthy life.. It really means a lot to me and I know that I can write good about it.</p>

<p>HOWEVER, my MAIN concern is: Do you think the schools will think that this story might have left psychological scars in my mind, or that I have come from a troubled family, or dumb crap like that? Because it's really untrue, however I just DO NOT want to burn my chances... Do you think that this would be something good to write about, when applying at the Ivies?</p>

<p>Also, do you think that such essays are good for the Ivy Leagues only? I mean, do you write this kind of personal stuff when applying to top schools only, and write about academic achievements when applying to lower-ranked schools, or will both schools appreciate this style of writing??</p>

<p>I know this is a broad question, but I really, really need help as I've got no idea about this! I'd appreciate any reply about this, and, if you have any personal experience, it'd be even more helpful!</p>

<p>Thank you very much!</p>

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<p>“I am honestly annoyed by the essays that talk about how someone loves helping kids in need, or how they have achieved this and that at school, etc. so I wanted to write for something more personal.”</p>

<p>if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.</p>

<p>“Describe an obstacle IN YOUR LIFE and how you overcame it”…WRITE ABOUT my SISTER "
You would already fail the prompt because you are talking about your sister’s life instead of your own & yes there is a thing as too much information.</p>

<p>Remember, in the end, a personal statement is part of an application. It needs to strength you. This isn’t a chapter from your autobiography.</p>

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<p>Well, it actually IS something that I did fix… That’s why I thought it was a different case. I won’t write about how she got into it or what happened, I’m planning to just write about the specific moment of how I overcame it and helped her… </p>

<p>I just asked because I know someone who got into MIT and in his essay he wrote about his dad having an affair with a prostitute.
Thanks anyways.</p>

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<p>Bumping this.</p>

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<p>I think it is okay to write about it as this is a thing that would naturally affect you a great deal. If as you hint, there is a personal aspect for you, this would be key rather than just telling a story about your sister and you being an unhappy observer. There must be some insights you convey.</p>

<p>But if you are talking about the common application, there isn’t a prompt like you describe. There is one about failure, and that is really a different thing.</p>

<p>But really, you like to put down other people’s essays until you find one you want to copy?</p>

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<p>

Yeah, it’s exactly like that…</p>

<p>

Yeah, you’re right… There was a specific uni that had this prompt, I just don’t remember which…</p>

<p>But really, you like to put down other people’s essays

[/quote]

Huh?? No, I didn’t mean this at all… I just have heard people suggest to do those kind of topics to other people, it might work for them, but I just cant find inspiration and write about those kind of prompts… Sorry if I missworded it.</p>

<p>

Wait, when did i say that?</p>

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