<p>I want to base my essay on either childhood and how i find the minds of children the purest of all [i babysit a lot], or
old age and death, how humans who once had the liberty to do anything when in the end, be prisoner of an aging body [i visit homes on a weekly basis and my grand parents lived with me for all my life, and 2years ago my grand father died and it left me in raptures…] combined with the principles of life of Socrates and Buddhism philosophy. On the absurdity of life.
and mostly philosophical questions and topics.
My question is, do you personally think that this is a good idea? Or should i mainly focus on an aspect which directly influences my life? I am not saying that these philosophy of life do not influence me, but i came across a couple of essays and they all mention past experiences of travel, friend, disease, sadness etc.
I intent to study psychology and philosophy so should my essay be based on what i want to study and why, or what?
I come from a country where students do not even consider studying in America [roughly less than 200] so i don’t really have the guidelines to the proper application processes and essays 
Help me please!</p>
<p>I have another one too!
Being born and growing up in a very culturally-diverse country, i am considering writing on the various aspects of my country’s culture.
My country has been colonized by Dutch, British and French. Every educated person in the island is at least tri-lingual, knowing English, French and Kreole, our native language. During slavery, many Africans were brought to the island, and served the British/French colonizers [whites] and after the abolition of slavery, many Chinese and Indians migrants came. Chinese, Africans and White are mostly Catholics now and there are many muslims too. So i wanted to write about this multi-cultural background and how it enabled the sharing of culture, inter-mingling and mutual-cohabitation.</p>
<p>Which do you think would make a better essay?</p>
<p>I would suggest that you pick up a copy of Harry Bauld’s ON WRITING THE COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAY.</p>
<p>I like both of your ideas, but idk how an adcom would see them. Many times, we are told that we need to put ourselves into an adcom’s shoes, but I personally think that this is useless advice! We can’t escape our own mental biases lol (unless we consult an actual adcom or former adcom member).</p>
<p>Anyway, the book is a really useful guide for essay topic selection because he clearly outlines some cliched “catagories” that many people fall into. Good luck!</p>
<p>Oh, the dreaded college essay process. </p>
<p>Your ideas are all good themes that pop up a lot in literature. But that’s sort of the problem…I can easily think of books for each of those ideas. </p>
<p>Innocence of children: Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird
Old Age/Death: Death of Ivan Illych, Hamlet, The Stranger</p>
<p>So, on one hand you obviously have some timeless questions and ideas. But those are the questions and beliefs that run throughout human history and literature; they’re the “big ideas” of mankind. Handling them in an essay can either turn out beautifully or end up sounding like you’re parroting themes that you’ve met in books you’ve read (great books, of course…but the college is looking for <em>your</em> ideas.)</p>
<p>The college admission people are trying to get an understanding of who you are as a person and how you will add to their student body. You obviously have a zeal for philosophy (as a future English teacher, I have to share your passion!) and an essay about your philosophical ideas could be a great way to show them your thinking skills and passion.</p>
<p>However, you also have to keep in mind the admission officers read thousands of essays. They get boring after awhile, so it’s also important to grab their attention. Now, I like an essay by William James or C.S. Lewis as much as the next person, but those essays are about exploring ideas assuming you already want to learn more about the topic. They aren’t designed to catch the reader’s attention. That’s exactly what you have to do with your essay, however—catch the reader’s attention.</p>
<p>Think of it like writing a story. You want to start out with some kind of hook and then recount a story that shows who you are. You want to show, not tell. Writing a philosophical essay would be telling them, “Look at me, I’m smart. I like philosophy! Ideas intrigue me” Writing them a story, on the other hand would show them those qualities AND keep them entertained.</p>
<p>My suggestion would be to recount a personal experience. Maybe a discussion you had with someone? Talk about how all those ideas made you feel, how you loved talking with the other person, hearing their ideas and replying with your own questions. How you ran home to learn more about it, etc. etc. Or talk about walking into a bookstore and strolling down the Philosophy sections. Talk about the scent of the books and the temptation to buy ever single tome off the shelves. </p>
<p>If you still want to write about kids or dying, you’re going to need some sort of twist to avoid sounding cliche. Maybe write about a couple of kids you babysat that were anything BUT precious…and then end with some kind of musing about how you still think they are innocent/precious.</p>
<p>Or write about an elderly person you know who is still filled with energy and vigor. Talk about why you think they’re so filled with life, when old age is normally a slow trickle into death. Talk about what you think their secret is and why you think you shouldn’t just go sit in the corner and cry because you’re going to die one day.</p>
<p>You’re obviously a smart, thoughtful student. Sometimes, especially in this case, you’re better off staying simple and talking about yourself. In fact, I think an honest examination of who you are as a person might be more difficult to write, and therefore more useful for college admissions, than a treatise on philosophy.</p>
<p>Remember that the main topic for a college admissions essay is you. It’s not a magazine article nor a themed paper for a class. The topic is you and the purpose of the essay is so that the reader can discover something about you that will make them want you as a student. Many students think that if they submit a brilliant piece of writing on a unique topic, the college will recognize their brilliance and admit them. But, that is not the purpose of this essay.</p>
<p>You do need a backdrop for the essay about yourself, and that can be anything, including the topics you raised above. But remember, that’s only the fabric in which you will weave the story of yourself.</p>
<p>Here is an example from my book, about the death of a grandfather. But notice how that death is but the backdrop for the REAL STORY of the author and HER values:
</p>
<p>Can you see what I’m talking about here?</p>