<p>how do you make an essay that may be deemed a “pity essay” (i.e. overcoming hardship) not be viewed as such. basically, how can you put a positive spin on it? can someone provide examples. thanks.</p>
<p>here is an example
i am a junior but i know that my college essay(s) will deal with the fact that i am deaf. we had to write a practice college essay in the begging of the school year in english, and my teacher said mine was really good because i explained how i am at a disadvantage, yet i made it clear that it wasnt a “feeling sorry for myself” essay… like i talked about some of the cool things about being deaf (i.e. lipreading, so u can spy on people across a room lol)</p>
<p>i hope that helps… my message is to not make everything in the essay depressing. add optimism, and if it doesnt seem to out of place, make a joke (i mean, dont make a joke in the sentence right after you wrote that your mother died or something…)</p>
<p>*beginning
lol… begging? i need help</p>
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<p>show you got something out of it, but yea a joke wouldn’t be good…</p>
<p>Never wallow in self-pity. Not even in essays. It gets you nowhere.
If you are not david letterman, don’t crack jokes either.
A cynically analytic introspection would be the best. Try to divide up your psyche and analyze it. You may find pity etc etc but you will find much more. Read some of Kenneth Clark’s books. he is The Master of introspection. He will teach you how to look into yourself. Self-analysis requires some practice.</p>
<p>One very memorable essay I read was in a book called “Essays that Worked.” It was a girl suddenly realizing that that day was the anniversary of her father’s death, and how she and her family marked the day together, remembering the dad. It was absolutely a beautiful essay; while melancholy, it showed an incredible survivor’s spirit and told a great deal about the sort of person she was and the sort of values she’d been raised with.</p>
<p>I think jokes are not necessarily an automatic no.</p>
<p>It just depends on whether or not the joke is appropriate and if it goes along with the overall feeling/direction of the essay. ilovemath314159 is definitely right- the context determines the way it is taken.</p>
<p>I don’t think people should be afraid of light humor or enjoying themselves during college interviews either, I think college reps want to see someone who is genuinely happy and confident, not someone totally stressed out. But at the same time, they don’t want to see someone who’s not taking it seriously, so don’t be overly happy. 
Anyway, I digress…</p>
<p>Then again, that’s all just my opinion… :D</p>
<p>PS- I love math too <3</p>
<p>Recently I read an entire senior class’s (60 students) college essays (I was evaluating them as part of a sub job). Two of the essays were by students with hearing impairments and they were almost identical. (In fact, I initially thought they had mutually plagiarized.) The language of struggle-to-overcome-hardship seems to be standardized. (“I know I am a survivor and being deaf has taught me that I can do anything I want.”) </p>
<p>I don’t want to make light of such hardships, because for the people involved, they are hardships, but as a society the stories have become cliches. (For example, anyone with cancer is referred to as “a survivor” right up until the day they’re not one any more.)</p>
<p>I would suggest that instead such an essay refer to hardships in passing and talk instead about something else about the person. (“I had trouble hearing the announcer at the Robotics Competition, and I was too far away to lip read, but when my best friend pushed me out there, I knew our team had won the award for best web site. I’d spent four days… and nights… polishing the web site…”)</p>