The pre-pith

 It’s fifth hour and we’re watching Jay Heinrichs’ ‘The Ideal College Essay.’ He talks about his son’s chronic headaches and I can’t help but wonder: what if I don’t want to talk about my headache story? I don’t mean I don’t want to write. Although the college essay is a daunting task, I’ve tried to remain persistent in my search for the best topic and therefore craft the best essay. 

Instead, I mean this: why can college application essays feel like nothing short of trauma exploitation? Learning this week about essays and getting to talk to classmates in small groups has really enlightened me on how many people believe they have to talk about a terrible moment in life and conclude the story with an encouraging message of overcoming adversity. At the risk of sounding too negative, I want to say sometimes bad things just happen- without a lesson or a sweet, concise epilogue. 

My first attempt at the common application this past summer went unsuccessfully as I tried to piece together moments in life where I felt most vulnerable into a story of success and breakthroughs. At 16 years old, I felt so much pressure not only to have the best college essay but also to have a conclusion to my “up-til-now” life story. 

I listened to webinars and talked to friends who were about to leave for college. They offered advice on the writing process and showed me their own essays. What shocked me was how lighthearted and truly passionate most of them were.

My pith: And that’s when I realized I didn’t need to exploit traumatic experiences to share my authentic voice, perspective and showcase my personal growth.

I’ve been exploring different essay topics lately. The one I’m writing now allows me to reflect on the more mundane pieces of life and how much significance they really hold in my life. 

Also: two works on trauma exploitation of POC that I found interesting 1 2