<p>Ill first start by saying that my high school years have been tough. Dont get me wrong, I am exemplary in the classroon (current valedictorian, accomplished athlete, leader), however, my psychological state has been marred. In my freshman year, my mother died of cancer, I was devastated. Throughout the year, preceding her death, my grades were only average (A-'s, not A’s). However, sophomore year and on I haved received nothing but A’s. Would you find it just to explain in my essay the change that my mothers death brought upon, and the wisdom she taught me throughout her battle against cancer.
THANKS!! :)</p>
<p>I’m very sorry for your loss.</p>
<p>Your essay idea sounds promising imo.</p>
<p>I think this sounds like a great essay topic to me, and it doesn’t seem like an excuse. Saying that you tripped down the stairs one morning and your test grades suffered through the rest of your high school years would be an excuse.</p>
<p>I’m sorry for your loss as well. </p>
<p>I think it’s an important topic because it focuses on something significant in your life. Don’t mention how it affected your grades (honestly, an A- average isn’t bad, and it doesn’t require excuses), but you should still use the topic if you feel you can express yourself through it.</p>
<p>I would be more concerned that it’s easy to fall into cliche with a topic like a dying person conveying wisdome to someone who survives them. You don’t really have anything to make excuses about, but even if you did and even if you were making excuses your track record indicates that you wouldn’t be making the same excuses in college.</p>
<p>If you write it well it could be a really great essay. And all topics come with risks, and knowing what they are is half the battle, so I don’t think the risk of cliches is worth deciding against it. I would, however, spend some time really thinking about whether it’s the sort of essay that anyone who had lost a parent could write or whether it’s something that really shows who <em>you</em> are.</p>
<p>And I too am very sorry for your loss.</p>
<p>There is some discussion of writing about death at:</p>
<p>[U.Va</a>. Office of Admission Essays](<a href=“http://www.virginia.edu/undergradadmission/writingtheessay.html]U.Va”>http://www.virginia.edu/undergradadmission/writingtheessay.html)</p>