<p>I’m only listing two of my extracurricular activities in my essay, but just wanted to know if even listing just two is suicidal for the top schools. Really, how else am I supposed to describe the influence that my significant person had on me without saying “I want to be a ___ when I grow up because I want to help people like my ___”?</p>
<p>Has anyone ever gotten into a top 15 school with (WITH, not DESPITE OF) an essay that basically said how a person/thing/event influenced you to take up certain activities in HS?</p>
<p>I used an essay talking about how a coach in one of my extracurriculars inspired me. I don’t know if that is the same as someone inspiring you to start an extracurricular to start with. But that essay helped me go to Princeton.</p>
<p>I’m writing an essay with a laundry list of ECs (much more than your two), and I’m applying to top schools, and yes, I’ve read a lot of sample college admissions essays and college admissions books. I think it’s a lot more about HOW you write, not WHAT you write.</p>
<p>My kids wrote on completely off-the-wall subjects—but they were both very authentic, and allowed the reader to see into their minds, and get an idea of the context of their-lives-on-paper in some way or another
I don’t think a laundry list of ecs will do that, just my personal opinion
One of my kids wrote his short essay on a sport he knows very little about but he loves and how he got into it (he’s recruited athlete for different sport) his college counselor and his eng teacher forbid him from writing about athletics generally on main essay because of being recruit</p>