After high school, because my grades were not so hot, I decided to take a gap year and do a yearlong service term rebuilding houses in New Orleans with AmeriCorps. It has been a really fulfilling time for me so far and I’d like to talk about some of my experiences during my service term and how they have shaped me in my Common App essay, as well as how the passion for service aspect can be tied into my motivation to work in the health field. Do you think this would be a good topic to choose for my Common App essay?
That can work.
By itself, that is a great topic. However, the mission trip/service term is quite common in common app essays, and from what I’ve read and watched about college admissions, most people advise to steer clear of those kind of topics. If you have anything else to talk about that you’re passionate about I would go for that instead. However, if this is the only thing you want to write an essay about then I would just go for it.