Too personal - autobiography

[greco13]

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in the middle of writing an autobiographical essay. I had a rough upbringing that eventually led to child protective services and my being adopted at 13. I think this speaks a lot to who I am and where I've come from and I want to include it in my essay but I am afraid it'll be too personal / heavy and readers will be turned off. Any opinions?

 

[rlt]

I think if you feel it has contributed to the person you are today you should definitely talk about it. I think schools like to see you be transparent. Just remember to not focus on the negative, but rather emphasize what you gained as result of the situation.
Good Luck!

 

[jblil]

I am sure you saw a previous thread where another would-be applicant wanted to highlight his past involvement with "drugs and gangsters"... I hope we talked him out of it.

Sometimes the implied is more suggestive than the explicit. But I think you could have a great story to tell. Just spin it carefully.

 

[angl88]

in the middle of writing an autobiographical essay. I had a rough upbringing that eventually led to child protective services and my being adopted at 13. I think this speaks a lot to who I am and where I've come from and I want to include it in my essay but I am afraid it'll be too personal / heavy and readers will be turned off. Any opinions?[/QUOTE


If you discuss it in terms of your strengths and how you have dealt with things out of your control it can demonstrate your resiliency and determination. if it is something that has held you back or you are struggling with I would rethink including it
Hope this helps and good luck

 

[Azimuthal]

If it is tied in with a motivating factor and characteristic of why you have chosen PT as a career, as asked by the essay question.

 

[greco13]

If it is tied in with a motivating factor and characteristic of why you have chosen PT as a career, as asked by the essay question.

not the PTCAS essay. but ya, good feedback from everyone. need to present the info in the right manner.

 

[okramango]

I had a rough upbringing that eventually led to child protective services and my being adopted at 13.

The way you explain it in your original post might be enough. This one sentence speaks volumes about what you went through in a very powerful way, without unnecessarily dwelling in the details. You might simply state this and then go on to describe how you overcame your challenges and how it has shaped you in a positive way that will contribute to your success as a PT.