<p>I have a focus on history, journalism, and foreign languages. </p>
<p>For the short essay about an extracurricular, I could write about several things: The two-way foreign exchange I did, writing for and being editor of the news section of my (1st Class) school newspaper, or being on a history team that has gone to nationals every year for the last 16 years, sometimes top 10. Editor is only this year. So is the team, you can only do it as a senior. </p>
<p>Here’s my more major problem:
For the general essay, I could write about one of these, but I also have had a more difficult family life than most, I could also do that, but I don’t know… I am upper-middle class, but on my mom’s side there’s a lot of mental illness, suicide, drug abuse, etc. on my dad’s, there’s alcoholism. These traits have manifested themselves in my immediate family. My sister has severe anxiety and depression, my other sister is OCD and I suspect borderline personality, my dad is OCD, my mom also has severe anxiety, and I’m the normal one who has to keep it together. My parents have supposed to have been divorcing since I was 11, they have a nonexistent relationship. I’m like the second parent because he’s so absent, I’m the oldest. This might sound whiney, but I don’t think most people are asked by their parents to go check on their younger siblings to check if they’ve committed suicide. </p>
<p>It’s shaped who I am, but at the same time, it might just be less complicated to write about something easier. I would also fear having anyone else read it if I talked more candidly about my life, as I’m supposed to keep it secret. </p>
<p>This is a really big question. I would try this question on the “ask the Dean” forum. While there is lots to work from in your story, it could also be scary of admissions to think that you might be a liability on campus or be so distracted from your studies by family problems that you might not succeed in some way. Most general essay books say not to use the essay as a confessional or write about topics that might make admissions squirm too much. However, if done with just the right touch, it could be very powerful. I would suggest starting with your own reaction, response, growth, etc. angle in your brainstorming. Any essay is supposed to have that turn where you tell the reader why this matters going forward or how this has impacted your outlook on life in a positive way. If your story line doesn’t have a positive turn, and your intent was to use family situation as an explanation of grades, tests by way of difficult circumstances, I would leave it to counselor to add a small note in their report that your work might have been impacted, or that you rose above.</p>
<p>Thanks, I know it’s a lot. My grades have never suffered, so that’s not a problem. I have a 2200 SAT, 32 ACT (35 Reading, 34 English, 33 Math, 27 Science), 4.6 GPA at a competitive high school. Few people are aware outside the family and I go to a huge school, I see my counselor once a year, she has no idea.
I hadn’t thought about it that way, but there hasn’t been a positive resolution and it looks far off. It’s made me stronger as a person, I’ve had to take on a lot of responsibility, but that’s really the only good thing that’s come out of it and I really have no idea how to convey that. I’m not far along in the essay writing thing, I’m a little clueless.</p>