Mention controversial interest in essay - or sanitize it?

gardenstategal
Sat, 26 Jul 2025 16:33:45 +0000

Seconding what everyone here has said. Don’t make it about your research interests - make it about you - your love of the unexpected, your delight in ambiguity, etc.

Btw, upthread you contemplated taking a stab at a different topic. Do it! Maybe even twice. Our school required every student to submit 2 personal essays just to test out ideas and themes. My kid ended up writing a completely different one (a 3rd or 4th), and it was great. But it took a few efforts for it to percolate. You may end up with bits and pieces from the first efforts that will help with supplemental essays, and in the end, you’ll have your arsenal of what you want to say about yourself that may not be in the rest of your application.