Which topic is best for the college essay?

bjkmom
Mon, 07 Sep 2015 10:33:23 +0000

OK, you’re getting closer. At least now you’re considering topics that answer questions.

My next assignment for you:
For each prompt, outline what you would say… bullets would be fine. But tell the story (briefly) and then explain how it answers the question. Each answer should focus primarily on what happened after the story ended. Each should show some of your good qualities-- that you’re a problem solver, that you can think on your feet, that you’ve shown growth, that you have humility.

(let me start by eliminating #6 right off the top. It will be very hard not to come off as angry or as spiteful-- I see no upside to using this particular essay.)

Would you consider using #1 to answer the prompt about the time you became an adult? You were faced with an adult problem. You had to do what was right for a one year old. You WERE the adult-- you couldn’t sit back and rely on the adults to take over for you.

One of the trickiest things about parenting is learning when to trust your instincts, then just DO what has to be done. For example, I once called my pediatrician at 6 pm on Mother’s Day-- he has a family and I’m sure he was busy. I was unsure whether or not to take my daughter to the ER. His response has stuck with me ever since: If anyone ever asks that question, I’m NEVER going to say “no.” It it’s serious enough that you’re considering the ER, then you need to go. He was basically telling me that I needed to trust my parenting instincts and do what needed to be done.

(Totally unrelated, but here’s the back story. My 3 year old daughter had run into a glider-- one of those swings that seat 2 in my mom’s back yard. No big deal-- she cried for a minute then ran around all day. But she started throwing up every half hour or so. A few hours later, I was concerned that it could be a concussion or something, so I called. One CTscan later, and we determined it was a badly timed stomach bug.)

Likewise, one afternoon last fall, the fire alarm went off. It wasn’t a drill – it turns out there WAS a small fire in one of the upstairs rooms. While we were outside, one of the middle school kids passed out. I was the adult closest, so I took charge until one of the teachers who is an EMT found out and came over to help. I’ve had kids have seizures in my cafeteria duty… you get my drift. Being an adult means taking charge and making the right decisions for those in your care-- exactly what you did when you were locked out.