<p>hello! I was thinking about an essay for this topic (a sort of moral issue; something that may be as serious as, pretend, “I was once homophobic but ____ changed me”), but others have told me my idea will be too controversial and draw attention :(. For “mistakened belief” then, would we have to stay within a carefully neutral boundary (as in something funny or quirky, such as ‘i once thought short people likes meat’), or can I try to tackle something more serious? thanks.</p>
<p>Do whatever is most “you.”</p>
<p>Agreed. The best thing to write about (ie, what will both make you sound the best and what will come most easily) is whatever is important to YOU. The whole idea of a personal essay is that it’s personal. Other than the general prompt itself (and the word count) there’s really no other guidelines. So, in essence, there’s no right or wrong topic to choose as long as you articulate it well.</p>
<p>The only thing I would stay away from would be references to bad behavior (with the implication that you’re proud of said behavior) or explicit or graphic descriptions of something unpleasant. For example, writing about drug use, sex, violence, etc. would make those reading your essay uncomfortable and less likely to admit you. However, don’t shy away from controversial topics or opinions…a strong, opinionated, and well-supported theory or idea that’s important to you is definitely worth writing about. Just don’t go along the lines of “Why smoking pot then beating your girlfriend is the best way to spend a Saturday night.” ;)</p>
<p>I think the homophobia essay would be fine. Of course, you would have to be very careful, but a well-done essay on that topic would show your maturity. I’m not sure if you should write something about how you used to hate gays, but something about how you did not know any gays and thus had incorrect ideas about them would be okay. As long as you’re respectful, you’ll be fine. </p>
<p>Another note: anyone doing an “I used to be ___ but now I’m __” essay needs to be very careful. You don’t want to focus too much on the negative, because that’s what could stick in the admissions officers’ minds.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the advice. I was also told to focus less on the negative aspect.</p>
<p>btw: my essay is NOT about homophobia!! lol. It’s about another current political issue that sparks controversy though it’s lesser known than gay rights or abortion (but I’ve seen it discussed around CC, and the outcome is frequently not pretty as many CC’ers are infected by the same prejudice that I once had and got over a few years ago).</p>
<p>Oops. Should have read your post more carefully. But yeah, if you’re respectful (which I’m sure you will be), there won’t be any problem. Now I’m curious as to what your real topic is (I understand if you don’t want to share it.) The only thing I can think of that would fit is affirmative action, which I’m sure adcoms are sick of hearing about. But I doubt that’s what you’re doing. :)</p>