College Admission Essays Should Position Power Over Pain
Too many students are being told to tell pity stories to get into college
As a culture we love the story of the underdog, the bootstrap narrative, the “started from the bottom now we here” stories. After all, it’s in challenging times that we learn what we are made of and just what we are willing to do to succeed. When we don’t succumb to the situation we call these events victories.
In my work, it’s my job to help high school students identify their victories when writing college application essays. As a writing coach, I direct them to moments in their lives where they had to face a challenging or difficult situation and ask them to describe how they overcame it and how it relates to their aspirations for the future. I do this with one caveat — choose a situation that you are proud of sharing, something that you know you have conquered.
It’s not lost on me that many students will instantly equate a “challenging time” to some of their most painful memories. I’ve had students who have written about being impacted by bullying, gun violence, homelessness and a host of other challenges. However, I explain that a challenging or difficult situation does not have to be traumatic.
Taking an advanced class, persisting in a sport, or learning a new skill can be challenges that have…
