One of the topics for common app essay is write about your failures. So, I was going to write about how I got 3 D’s junior year of high school and circumstances surrounding it. The D’s were in Calc 1, intro to engineering, and Chem Lab. I was going to say that I got these 3 D’s because I was afraid of looking stupid for asking for help since I’m asian and should be super smart at math and science; I now don’t let other people’s opinions or expectation dictate my future is a lesson I learned from this experience. Also, I learned that these classes were required for engineering, a major i had zero passion in, so I learned that I should do what i love/have a passion for. And then third, this mistake showed me the irreversible effect one failures can have on one’s life, so I will make sure not to make the same mistake again. I was told that this would not be a good essay to right about, as it highlights my failures and lowers my academic status; what do you think?
Normally when you use extenuating circumstances to justify a low gpa it’s something serious like having to take care of siblings because no parents are around or recovering from an illness. Using something like “societal pressure made me get bad grades because stereotypes” doesn’t really cut it.
The point behind this essay is to give them a reason to say yes.
Don’t say your Asian and should be good in math and science-- that’s buying into a stereotype.
If you want to talk about all you’ve learned, then I guess you could make a decent essay from it.
But here’s my question: Why do you want to highlight those D’s??? The colleges already have your transcript and know you got them. But is highlighting them the best way to give them a reason to say yes??
I would advise you to take time and find another topic.
This could be a really great essay or a cliche one at the same time, depends how your write it. I want to disagree with @bjkmom, if you use the fact that your Asian to explain the circumstance, it’ll differentiate you from other high achieving Asian applicants. I’m really intrigued by this so I’ll write you a little excerpt.
Everyone knows an A- is basically an Asian F. So when I got my report card and three neat D’s danced before my eyes I was mortified. Yet I couldn’t help but feel exhilarated that for the first time, I was not living a stereotype. A door had been opened, maybe I didn’t have to be a doctor or an engineer…
(MAKE SURE YOU MENTION, WHY YOU GOT THE Ds)
Don’t waste your essay on this topic. Not only does it highlight your poor academic record, but your points may come off the wrong way. Your first point could potentially come off as racially stereotyping, especially if you use the term “Asian F” as @malcolmx09 suggests (some parts of the excerpt also come off as insincere - there’s no way you felt exhilarated after receiving three Ds, and I’m not really sure you’d want to say that aside from that one incident, you essentially lived the Asian stereotype your whole life). Your second point is incongruous with the idea that you should challenge yourself in a wide range of fields (an idea that all colleges support, especially those with a liberal arts education system)). Finally, your third point almost makes you sound afraid of failure. I think it’s more valuable to be able to bounce back from a failure, because you learn a lot from it.
What is your new passion? Consider writing about that instead, although I also like non-academic essays that highlight ECs or even singular things about you or singular experiences. You can consider writing about not being interested in pursuits that are more typical in your family, but I don’t know if this would work or why you would waste word count on this.
Lesson is learned … get help … very few people are so smart they can do it alone.
I assume you are applying to less selective schools. Ds in these classes are low … there is just no getting around that.
@OrchidBloom Whether you agree with me or not. This could be a great essay, if written well.
For starters, let me apologize for this line from my last post: “Don’t say your Asian…” I’m embarrassed that I actually missed that typo.
I think that perpetuating stereotypes is a BAD idea. So the idea that such a thing as an “Asian F” exists is not, in my opinion, a good way to convince an adcom that you’re a good addition to his/her school. (And, as the parent of an Asian child, it’s kind of offensive to me personally-- as though my child’s future is circumscribed by the land of his birth.)
The prompt about learning from failure has to be handled very delicately. The point is NOT to highlight your failures— particularly academic failures. (Remember, the point is to show a college that you’ll be an academic success!!!) Anyone who uses this prompt wants to ensure the reader that he/she has grown from a non-academic failure-- has grown morally or socially or emotionally.
OP, take any advice you choose. But I would suggest that, in taking advice, you read other posts by the same people, and take the advice of people you respect… whether or not I happen to be one of those people.
When my son finished his essay, I asked 3 people here whose opinions I strongly respect to take a look at it. Their advice was spot on, and he was very happy with the finished product.
The internet has a funny way of equalizing vastly unequal opinions. I’m not saying that my advice is right, or that the advice of those who disagree with me is wrong. But the fact that someone has access to a computer does not make his or her opinion an educated opinion, or an opinion likely to get you the results you want.
I think it would be refreshing, Try it. What do you have to lose?
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