Challenge Essay - Bullying?

[Boogy'sChick15]

I still have a year till I apply, however seeing all the posts about how to approach the "biggest challenge" question has me wondering about what I could possibly write about when my turn comes around. I have been lucky to have lived a comfortable life, I have never had any financial issues, my parents can afford to pay for my undergraduate education, I have lived in a great area my whole life, and I have never had any illnesses to overcome. Although I have had many family members battle cancer (7 people in the last 3 generations), I do not believe that was my greatest challenge.

I was wondering if it would be a good idea to write about the challenges I went through when I was younger, about how I was bullied throughout middle school and high school, how it caused me to develop a mild case of social anxiety, and how I overcame that. The bullying wasn't extremely severe, many people have had it worse than me, however the bullying I experienced at school (name calling, rumors, blocking me in the hallways to say terrible things to me, the occasional shove or punch to the back, cyber bullying, car getting keyed, things getting stolen, etc.) caused me to develop an anxiety that would result in me visibly trembling when my emotions were heightened (the doc calls it tremors), slight paranoia, I had to quit multiple social EC's like my clubs and the cheer team, and went through those years with only one or two friends since I had to avoid social environments.

Over the years though I have learned to better control my emotions, I no longer hide from social environments (instead I have learned to enjoy them), and I have learned how to handle criticism. Although the experiences I had were rather traumatizing, I have to say that without them, I don't think I would have been able to develop the thick skin that I have now. I also found a passion for art, which I used as a way to escape back in highschool, and I now use as a way to relax after tough days. I have learned many tricks on how to remain calm in tough situations, I have learned how to see the good in a bad situation, I have learned how to stand up for myself, and I have learned how to become more social and enjoy social environments (work in customer service, in multiple clubs, on the eboards for clubs, etc).

Would this be an okay topic to use next year to answer this question? Or would it have a negative affect on my future application? Thanks!

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[WedgeDawg]

Speaking from (n=1) personal experience, I talked about something similar (though I would say less severe) in at least one of my challenge essays and got an II at that school. I don't think it's a taboo topic - you just have to approach it from a mature perspective.

 

[Boogy'sChick15]

Speaking from (n=1) personal experience, I talked about something similar (though I would say less severe) in at least one of my challenge essays and got an II at that school. I don't think it's a taboo topic - you just have to approach it from a mature perspective.

Thanks for the quick response!
If I chose to write about this, how much detail should I include about my experience? A lot of people have said on other threads to keep it short and simple, and focus on writing about what you did to overcome it. Do I need to add enough detail to show the extent of the bullying, or is simply mentioning it enough?

 

[WedgeDawg]

Thanks for the quick response!
If I chose to write about this, how much detail should I include about my experience? A lot of people have said on other threads to keep it short and simple, and focus on writing about what you did to overcome it. Do I need to add enough detail to show the extent of the bullying, or is simply mentioning it enough?

I think that's up to you. I would include details that are relevant to the point you're making. But I haven't written secondaries in two years, so I'm not entirely sure that I'm the best person to answer this question.

 

[DokterMom]

Thanks for the quick response!
If I chose to write about this, how much detail should I include about my experience? A lot of people have said on other threads to keep it short and simple, and focus on writing about what you did to overcome it. Do I need to add enough detail to show the extent of the bullying, or is simply mentioning it enough?

You need to describe enough to make it show that it had a real impact on you but not enough to start a pity party or imply that you are/were a loser. If you know why they chose you to bully, that may also be relevant.

The sensitive but thick-skinned is a good combination to have --

 

[Catalystik]

Would this be an okay topic to use next year to answer this question? Or would it have a negative affect on my future application? Thanks!

I think providing the level of detail that you have here is fine. I'd want to get a feel for why it affected you as it did and the distance you had to travel to overcome it.

 

[Boogy'sChick15]

You need to describe enough to make it show that it had a real impact on you but not enough to start a pity party or imply that you are/were a loser. If you know why they chose you to bully, that may also be relevant.

The sensitive but thick-skinned is a good combination to have --

The pity party is what I wish to avoid. I never pitied myself for my experience and I don't want anyone else to. It made me stronger, and like I mentioned, people have had much worse. And I believe the reason I was bullied by some was simply because I was an easy target, I was small and weak, and was kind of a push over. Half of the bullying came from an ex best friend who retaliated against me because I chose not to be friends with her after she got into drugs and alcohol.

 

[Boogy'sChick15]

I think providing the level of detail that you have here is fine. I'd want to get a feel for why it affected you as it did and the distance you had to travel to overcome it.

When you say you want a feel for "why it affected me as it did", do you mean why it caused the anxiety?

 

[Catalystik]

When you say you want a feel for "why it affected me as it did", do you mean why it caused the anxiety?

I meant that you inspired my empathy by giving detail about the type of bullying, so that I understood why you withdrew socially.