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4 years ago
Admissions Advice
[edited]

How do I avoid sounding like a gloomy person in an essay talking about overcoming adversity?
Answered

I wrote my essay about overcoming adversity. My essay is about half describing what I went through and the other half describing what I learned and how the lessons I learned will be valuable for me in the future. But I still feel like my essay does give of this gloomy vibe like “everything was horrible” kind of tone and I’m wondering how can I avoid that.

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Let’s welcome @Hanan to the community! Remember to be kind, helpful, and supportive in your responses.
@rahmah.elmowafi4 years ago

Try not giving too much attention to what happened and how you felt when the thing happened, but more on how you overcame it and how you are a better person now that you went through that adversity. To do this, you need to pay special attention to the words you use and the division of your essay. Allow one or two paragraphs describing what the adversity was, but the rest of the essay should focus on who you are now because of that situation.

@rahmah.elmowafi4 years ago
@maplecreamcookies
expert
4 years ago

Great answer here! @rahmah, you should add your comments as an answer - I want you to get credit for them!

[🎤 AUTHOR]@Hanan4 years ago

Thank you for your answer Rahmah, I’ll keep what you told me in mind as I edit my essay. I’ll read the articles you added too I’m sure they’ll be useful.

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Accepted Answer
4 years ago

I agree with @rahmah - it's best to focus less on the challenge, and more on the process of overcoming it. We have an article that may help: https://blog.collegevine.com/overcoming-challenges-essay/. You can also give our peer essay review a shot :) It's much easier to give feedback when you have the essay in front of you!

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