<p>So, My common App essay is about how in third grade my mom accidentally put a beer in my lunchbox. I didn’t do anything wrong but I technically got suspended. I wrote an essay about how it taught me how to look on the bright side of life and how it affected my life for the better. I made sure to stress the innocence of the situation. Does this sound like an essay that would stand out to admissions officers?</p>
<p>What kind of beer was it?</p>
<p>It was a can of Budweiser. Since I had a lunch box it was still cold when I pulled it out lol</p>
<p>Budweiser. Meh. I’d write about something else…</p>
<p>I’ll be the party pooper here as an adult. The essay may be funny, and it was obviously an accident, but giving alcohol to a minor is against the law. As a mom, I could see this happening if she was in a hurry making lunch and accidentally grabbed the beer instead of a can of juice. The fact that you were in 3rd grade assured your innocence, but in this case, your mom would be held responsible. No doubt she was upset about it. </p>
<p>The essay topic of alcohol is possibly controversial. When you write an essay, you have no idea who is reading it. Someone may see humor in it, or it may make them concerned, especially if the college has a strict no alcohol for minors policy. I would not use a topic that could be interpreted in different ways depending on the reader, and I would not want to risk my future on it.</p>
<p>I noticed that you are not from this country. Note that not all countries have the same cultural response to drinking that the US does. Some countries have more lenient drinking laws, and in many countries, wine or beer with meals is treated just like any other drink. Your mother may not have even been aware of the cultural differences when this happened. The essay may be comical to you, but culture differences may result in it not being funny to the reader in the US.</p>
<p>Oh goodness, who would not see some humor in this??? OP, no worries.</p>
<p>I am American by birth, polish by blood. I fully understand the american cultural connotations of alcohol. </p>
<p>The question is “Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken, or ethical dilemma you have faced and its impact on you.”</p>
<p>The Topic isn’t “alcohol.” i focused my essay on the impact this situation had on me. It was about how life isn’t fair but you have to make the best of what life gives you. Staying positive when others might not is a godsend.</p>
<p>Unless this essay is for BYU, I don’t think this should be a problem. No one is going to freak out because they see the word beer in your essay, and throw it out because they don’t understand the innocence. </p>
<p>Your greatest risk is coming off as too lighthearted or lacking in substance, especially since this is a story from third grade. Still, if you link that story with ways its lessons affect your life now, it should be effective.</p>