Secondary challenge essay ideas? Which to choose?

[Hungryogre5520]

Should I write about:

1. My best friend growing up was in a home of constant child abuse, and I always there to support him at school and outside of school. My family and I would house him at our home if he had to escape his home. He eventually was removed from his parents’ custody and was in a foster home for a few years during high school in which he spent nights at my home too. I have good stories to write about this more in depth.


2. I always lacked confidence, especially in basketball during my childhood. I never made the middle or high school basketball team for 5 years. I then gained confidence and captained my intramural team in college for three straight years. I could add in to this obv. Additionally, basketball was one of my most meaningful activities.


Do you think one works better here? Could one maybe work better here and the other work better for a different prompt?


Thanks!

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[Z_C]

I'm certainly not an expert but from a lay perspective, I think the first seems distasteful, I feel like your childhood friend's experience with abuse is not necessarily your story to tell and unless it is written very carefully I think that essay might be uncomfortable to read as a statement of your experiences rather than theirs. Of course it could be written sensitively but I'd personally be wary about it.

 

[Hollow Knight]

I fail to see how option 1 is a challenge you overcame. Am I getting the prompt right?

 

[Mr.Smile12]

What's the prompt?

Write Your Secondary Essays First - SDN

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[Hungryogre5520]

Y

 

[Hungryogre5520]

I fail to see how option 1 is a challenge you overcame. Am I getting the prompt right?

Ya I’ve come to realize that number 1 is not the best. Instead, I’ve thought of a situation like this:

Talking about stage fright and fear of talking to large audiences, I also had that issue growing up. But as I was exposed to more public speaking, I overcame that challenge and became a TA for my anatomy course in which I gave weekly lectures to audiences of 24 students. Do you think that could be a good idea for the challenge essay?

 

[Hungryogre5520]

I'm certainly not an expert but from a lay perspective, I think the first seems distasteful, I feel like your childhood friend's experience with abuse is not necessarily your story to tell and unless it is written very carefully I think that essay might be uncomfortable to read as a statement of your experiences rather than theirs. Of course it could be written sensitively but I'd personally be wary about it.

Ya you’re right, I’m probably not going to use that. Instead what do you think of using this:

Talking about stage fright and fear of talking to large audiences, I also had that issue growing up. But as I was exposed to more public speaking, I overcame that challenge and became a TA for my anatomy course in which I gave weekly lectures to audiences of 24 students. Do you think that could be a good idea for the challenge essay?

Or talking more about how I was bullied during my childhood basketball games and that led to lack of confidence in basketball and what I learned from it and how I grew.

 

[Hungryogre5520]

What's the prompt?

Write Your Secondary Essays First - SDN

The Student Doctor Network provides free tools, resources, and advising services to help students become health professionals.

www.studentdoctor.net

The prompt is just the standard “what’s a challenge you overcame and what did you learn from it”