'Challenging situation' essay topics

Started by alleymcat
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Jesus reading this was like a whirlwind of emotional snapshots. I read the first one and laughed out loud and then I read the second one and was like holy sht.

Honestly, I think both of them can be done very well. My advice would be to write both of them and see which one you (and potentially an objective third party) thinks is better. If you end up doing the second one, make sure you do so tastefully, sensitively, and respectfully.
 
#1 A safe topic that can be used to produce a decent essay
#2 A high risk high reward kind of topic...essay can be unique and attention grabber or disastrous and uncomfortable.
I personally would go with number 2.
 
WedgeDawg said:
Jesus reading this was like a whirlwind of emotional snapshots. I read the first one and laughed out loud and then I read the second one and was like holy sht.

Honestly, I think both of them can be done very well. My advice would be to write both of them and see which one you (and potentially an objective third party) thinks is better. If you end up doing the second one, make sure you do so tastefully, sensitively, and respectfully.
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:claps: I agree with all of the above, but @WedgeDawg said it best. Unless you draft them both, you'll never know if you 'nail' #2 or miss the proper tone, which could be a big problem. Yes, #1 is a lightweight, but if you acknowledge that aspect and balance the humor with practical aspects, it might be a great read.
 
alleymcat said:
Hi all,

I'm trying to write the 'challenging situation' secondary essay. I've looked through some previous threads on this and thought of two different topics I might be able to use. Can you tell me if you think one is better than the other?

1. A college roommate was out of town for a few days and left me to look after his car. On the way to pick him up from the airport, I stopped to get a cup of coffee, parked where I shouldn't have, and got his car towed.

2. I came home one night in college and found another roommate passed out on the ground with cut wrists and an empty bottle of vodka. Had to call an ambulance, limit their exposure to alcohol after that, etc.
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Personally I would have gone with #2, just because #1 doesn't sound like a big "challenge" IMO. However, I would be careful not to sound like your being overly dramatic if you do #2. Explain what happened, but don't get too detailed to the point where it sounds like a screenplay.
 
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