Help with college application essay question?

Question

My brother is applying to colleges and has to answer that essay about one hardship you've overcome. The problem is, our parents are insanely protective, so we've never had any hardships. No illness, no deaths, and no bad situations. I wrote my essay on training for my dance graduation, but he never had anything like that.

Any advice?

Answer 1

No matter how "protected" a person is, he or she will at some point feel resistance from something. A person doesn't have to suffer a terrible and dramatic illness or death or divorce in the family to overcome a hardship.

Tell him to write about overcoming his protective parents. That is, in fact, what I did.

Answer 2

Perhaps he should write about overcoming your parent's overprotectiveness.

Absent that, he can tell the truth -- that he has never had to overcome any hardships -- but hopes that college will prepare him for the inevitable. The college may like the honesty of that.

Answer 3

That's really sad if they are so protective he's never done "boy scout" kind of things, learning to build a fire, to make a watertight tent, catch his own fish for dinner, rappelling or rock climbing, learned to taste defeat in sports and come back to a victory.

There has to be something, otherwise he must have just been a spectator all his life. Many hardships lie ahead.

Answer 4

He may want to discuss a tough classroom assignment from high school. He may want to acknowledge that his "hardships" are nothing at all like others; the school will appreciate honesty and the ability to know life has not yet been tough.

Answer 5

I am an independent college counselor and work with students in the Southern California area. I also work with students on their personal statements, and in finding the right topic to write about.
E-mail me at [e-mail]
If you have specific questions.