I’m thinking of writing my common app essay about how I overcame my confidence issues. I’ve always had confidence issues, I once cut off my eyebrows because I thought people didn’t like it. There are other such incidents, though not as severe. Since high school, I took up activities such as being in the student government for 2 years, varsity basketball team, dancing, community service clubs (Interact club) and have greatly improved my confidence issues. Is this a good idea to write about? Is it too generic? I asked a friend of mine whether it was a good idea to write about but they said that it was too generic and to think of something else. I just wanted some other opinions because I feel like it’ll be a strong essay as it links up who I am, who I wanna be, my flaws and how I took action to overcome said flaws.
There is a volunteer essay reader service here on CC so be sure to use that if needed.
I do think this is a topic that is often written about. Mentioning cutting off your eyebrows is probably not a good idea.
If this topic is important to you, give it a try, because topics’ effectiveness depends on how well it is written. It could be seen as “generic” but if you can make it interesting, it might work.
Thank you for your response! Could you tell me why the eyebrows thing might not be a good idea? To clarify, I didn’t take all of it off. It was just a part of it, I’d say about half.
Don’t mention the eyebrows because cutting them them off because of lack of self-confidence sounds almost scary. Maybe it shouldn’t since it’s not actually harming yourself…but it’s unusual enough that it could raise some concerns about mental health.
I think it’s definitely possible to write a good essay about your personal growth and how you’ve gained self confidence. It’s all about how you frame it. Good luck.