The Rise of the Trauma Essay in College Applications

[LeafOnTheWind]

Interesting TED talk that showed up in my recommended watch list

The Rise of the "Trauma Essay" in College Applications | Tina Yong | TED

As if college applications aren't stressful enough, disadvantaged youth are often encouraged to write about their darkest traumas in their admissions essays,...

www.youtube.com

I just think the issue is one that has been brewing a long time and goes so much further than college. Just watch any competition reality tv show. Are we training people to become nothing more than a sad story? I would say this is a society problem and not just reality tv and college application level issues. There is so much inherent wrongness to this because you 1) have to have a major trauma before even getting out of high school and 2) have to have processed it and become a strong useful member of society before you even start out your adult life. 3) Why should people have to trauma dump at a specified time instead of their own schedule for coping with it and with whom they choose to talk to?

The comments were actually interesting to read on this one. Many commented that they refused to trauma dump and felt they were not allowed college admission because of it. Is this widening a gap if you won't trauma dump?

 

[Vagabond]

Based on what I know from training that I have received from my undergraduate institution to be an alumni admissions interviewer, I would say that colleges and universities want to know how students deal with challenges and adversity, not whether they have overcome trauma.

The experience she describes of feeling insecure and being the target of teasing is so commonplace that it cannot possibly make an applicant stand out, and even the more specific narrative of being an Asian immigrant and wanting her mother to make her peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches instead of Chinese food is not going to impress the Admissions Office, especially at a place like U.B.C., where about 40% of the student body is of Chinese ancestry.

 

[manhn]

Isn’t this basically every fluff piece before a skater competes? I was just watching Never Have I Ever where I questioned why the lead character didn’t use her own trauma to be admitted to the college of her dreams. If this is such a problem, just base it on grades. I am sure that won’t be a problem.

 

[MacMadame]

When Mini-Mac was filling out college apps, we used a service and they actually recommended that people NOT 'trauma dump.' They said that colleges get a ton of applications that feature the same 3 or 4 topics in their personal essay and it doesn't make you stand out like students seem to think.

I would be interested in seeing some statistics about this and also hearing from people who are in college admissions.

 

[Vagabond]

When Mini-Mac was filling out college apps, we used a service and they actually recommended that people NOT 'trauma dump.' They said that colleges get a ton of applications that feature the same 3 or 4 topics in their personal essay and it doesn't make you stand out like students seem to think.

I would be interested in seeing some statistics about this and also hearing from people who are in college admissions.

I have had applicants volunteer in admissions interviews that they have mental health issues. I do wonder why they do this. It isn't going to help them get in unless they can show that it's given them a sense of purpose, which it hasn't done in the particular instances I have seen.

 

[Prancer]

Based on what I know from training that I have received from my undergraduate institution to be an alumni admissions interviewer, I would say that colleges and universities want to know how students deal with challenges and adversity, not whether they have overcome trauma.

I would agree. It's about overcoming obstacles--which may involve trauma, but may not. Going to college is, for many people, quite hard for a variety of reasons. Colleges want to know that you have the will and the ability to stand up when you face a challenge. In skating terms--can you get up?

They also like passion and curiosity.

The experience she describes of feeling insecure and being the target of teasing is so commonplace that it cannot possibly make an applicant stand out, and even the more specific narrative of being an Asian immigrant and wanting her mother to make her peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches instead of Chinese food is not going to impress the Admissions Office, especially at a place like U.B.C., where about 40% of the student body is of Chinese ancestry.

Again, agree.

That said--many of my students now are rather obsessed with their mental health and I think that a lot of them think about their personal traumas a lot. This isn't new, but it's more common than it used to be. I NEVER have students write personal papers any more because so many of them choose to write about terrible things that have happened to them--and then I have to grade them. What am I supposed to do with a paper about how you found your brother's body after he hanged himself in the garage, written with a ton of organization, clarity, and grammar problems? Thank you, no.

I have had applicants volunteer in admissions interviews that they have mental health issues. I do wonder why they do this.

I think it's just a part of explaining who they are. At least that's the way most students seem to see it. They don't see a stigma, just a matter of fact part of their lives.

 

[Winnipeg]

This is silly IMHO. So easy to cheat and or fabricate. Grades and test scores combined with references.

 

[Prancer]

This is silly IMHO. So easy to cheat and or fabricate.

I would say it isn't easy to cheat or fabricate at all--certainly no easier than it is to cheat on the SAT/ACT exams, which we all know happens occasionally but is very hard to do.

Grades and test scores combined with references.

Those are also in the mix, although test scores are dying out and the latest SC decision will probably kill them off entirely. Highly selective colleges have the problem that all of their applicants have great grades, great test scores, and great references--hence the application essay and the interview.

 

[Japanfan]

They also like passion and curiosity.

Having edited many personal statements, I find passion to be an overused word. I wonder how the admissions people feel about it, given that they read so many of those statements.

 

[Prancer]

Having edited many personal statements, I find passion to be an overused word. I wonder how the admissions people feel about it, given that they read so many of those statements.

I wouldn't advise using the word. Show, don't tell.

 

[kwanfan1818]

"Passionate" seems to be in the first sentence resume or consulting/presenter summary I've seen. Which means I gag a lot.

 

[VGThuy]

Calling yourself “passionate” is like when someone calls themselves “smart” or “funny”. It’s one of those things that is better by showing it rather than just telling people and expecting them to just believe it.

I find that when people are really passionate, one can usually tell without them having to say it. Through that passion, they can explain how they got into what they got into and what motivated them to delve deeper into whatever it is. Then through that, they can show how they can make connections and analyze situations and “data points” they’ve collected within whatever subject they’re writing about.

They can also then show how that specific college would be the best fit for them to follow through on whatever it is they’re going on about, how they will follow through, whether they are able to follow-through (using real world past examples), and what they hope to achieve by that follow-through.

Regarding doing away with this whole application process and just using test scores and grades… grades can be volatile and there is no uniform schooling system and applicants aren’t going to be all taught by the same system and by the same exact teachers. As for test scores, there’s a lot that can be written about whether those are accurate measures and predictors of success. And also, most people applying will have very comparable grades (technically) and test scores (for many people, their scores determine which institutions they should even think about applying to)… way more than what slots are available.

In parts of Asia, where parents and students have really gamed the university entrance testing system, many of those in admissions there complain that every applicant really seems the same… and then that seeps into the lucky ones who get in when they graduate and try to enter the job market where that issue of strict numbers measurement and lack of distinction between job applicants has resulted in a very angry young population who feel that they were lied to. But that’s a much larger topic that will deviate from the subject of this thread too much.

 

[Vagabond]

Having edited many personal statements, I find passion to be an overused word. I wonder how the admissions people feel about it, given that they read so many of those statements.

Dispassionate?

 

[Matryeshka]

To be fair to the students, the prompts used for college essays just begged for a trauma dump answer: "Think of a time when you have overcome obstacles and describe the impact that has had on your life and future plans." I mean, the vast majority of these kids are 17 when writing this--how the hell else are they going to answer besides a trauma dump, or the ultimate cliche, or both? Most do not have the maturity or life experience to answer that in a nuanced way. New English and Theology teachers have an issue with this in trying to ask prompts of high school kids without getting a lot of information they weren't necessarily looking to get. Writing a decent prompt is frankly a skill most colleges do not seem to possess.

 

[Vagabond]

To be fair to the students, the prompts used for college essays just begged for a trauma dump answer: "Think of a time when you have overcome obstacles and describe the impact that has had on your life and future plans." I mean, the vast majority of these kids are 17 when writing this--how the hell else are they going to answer besides a trauma dump, or the ultimate cliche, or both?

By writing about a specific time that they faced in school or an extracurricular activity that presented a challenge to which they responded with ingenuity. That is what the prompt is seeking.

The prompt is not asking for a discussion of when the student felt traumatized. It is asking about when he or she felt a sense of accomplishment.

ETA:

Essays | Penn Admissions

admissions.upenn.edu

The Penn application process includes a personal essay as well as supplemental short answer prompts. We read your words carefully, as they are yet another window into how you think, what you value, and how you see the world. Through your writing, we get a glimpse of what you might bring to our community, including your voice and creativity.

A trauma dump or the ultimate cliche is not going to gain the applicant an offer of admission.

 

[Prancer]

Writing a decent prompt is frankly a skill most colleges do not seem to possess.

I agree that college prompts generally suck; however, as a person who has had to write prompts for writing assessments, they suck for a reason. Every prompt must be something that any person from any culture can answer. It is unbelievably limiting and means that the few topics that can be used must be presented in very broad terms.

The prompt is not asking for a discussion of when the student felt traumatized. It is asking about when he or she felt a sense of accomplishment.

But sometimes the sense of accomplishment comes from surviving trauma. Some examples: a student who has experienced homelessness but still maintained a 4.0 or better; a student who is a refugee and came to the US barely speaking English and having never attended a formal school but graduated at the top of her class; a student who lived in five different foster care homes in high school alone and was still the valedictorian of her class.

Those are all students who wrote about those things and got into top schools. Of course, their focus was on how they never lost focus on academic success, which is where they tend to differentiate themselves from the herd, but still. There is some crossover there and I don't think the line is always clear.

A trauma dump or the ultimate cliche is not going to gain the applicant an offer of admission.

But high school students don't know that. An academic coach can set them straight, but then we are talking about wealthy kids with academic coaches.

 

[Vagabond]

I agree that college prompts generally suck; however, as a person who has had to write prompts for writing assessments, they suck for a reason. Every prompt must be something that any person from any culture can answer. It is unbelievably limiting and means that the few topics that can be used must be presented in very broad terms.

But sometimes the sense of accomplishment comes from surviving trauma. Some examples: a student who has experienced homelessness but still maintained a 4.0 or better; a student who is a refugee and came to the US barely speaking English and having never attended a formal school but graduated at the top of her class; a student who lived in five different foster care homes in high school alone and was still the valedictorian of her class.

Undoubtedly, but I was responding to Matryeshka's statement that "the prompts used for college essays just begged for a trauma dump answer."

Being an immigrant who didn't speak English fluently on arrival and whose mother wouldn't make peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches is not on a par with experiencing homelessness, is it?

Those are all students who wrote about those things and got into top schools. Of course, their focus was on how they never lost focus on academic success, which is where they tend to differentiate themselves from the herd, but still. There is some crossover there and I don't think the line is always clear.

The woman in the video in Post #1 went to the University of British Columbia, which is one of the best universities in Canada but has an acceptance rate of about 50%, with, as I have noted, a large Chinese-Canadian population. I suspect that she got in because she was good enough, notwithstanding her choice to write a trauma essay.

But high school students don't know that. An academic coach can set them straight, but then we are talking about wealthy kids with academic coaches.

A high school student who has a realistic shot at getting into a selective or even highly selective institution can find this advice with an Internet search or two and without a coach.

 

[Prancer]

Being an immigrant who didn't speak English fluently on arrival and whose mother wouldn't make peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches is not on a par with experiencing homelessness, is it?

No, but I wasn't saying that it was, merely that sometimes trauma is part of the story.

A high school student who has a realistic shot at getting into a selective or even highly selective institution can find this advice with an Internet search or two and without a coach.

And a student with an academic coach will not only get that kind of general advice, but will get specific coaching on their specific essay, which is vastly more helpful. Some "coaches" will even write the essays for them.

 

[MacMadame]

Being an immigrant who didn't speak English fluently on arrival and whose mother wouldn't make peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches is not on a par with experiencing homelessness, is it?

But they don't admit students based on who suffered more.

There is a student who got into a hard to get into school by writing about her relationship with her nose. She was Jewish and she made her road to acceptance and even pride in her nose interesting.

 

[Winnipeg]

The whole concept is dumb IMHO

Maybe, if there was an essay requirement with broader options for topics and/or media, For example, a video submission or an essay on the most fantastic thing that happened or the best job you ever had etc etc and why etc

 

[Prancer]

Maybe, if there was an essay requirement with broader options for topics and/or media, For example, a video submission or an essay on the most fantastic thing that happened or the best job you ever had etc etc and why etc.

Because the purpose of the essay is to tell the school something about the student as a student.

I'm glad people think this is all so easy. Just as a very basic example, let's say I have one opening for one student but four applicants.

Student A has straight As and good but not stellar ACT/SAT scores. She established a successful buddy system in her school to provide peer help to struggling students. She participated in a lot of other high school programs and had two part-time jobs for her junior and senior years of high school. She comes from a very poor school district where few students go on to college and would herself be the first in her family to go. English is not her first language.

Student B was a pretty terrible student for most of his school years until his junior year, when he took a biology class that sparked his interest. He became fascinated with blood analysis; this interest led to him working harder in school. In his senior year, he won a prestigious national science award and patented a method for testing blood for a specific disease. His overall grades are not good; he continued to blow off classes he didn't think were useful to him on top of his past record. His ACT/SAT scores were excellent. He did not participate in any school programs. He comes from a middle class family. He worked in his family's business throughout high school.

Student C has excellent grades, very good SAT/ACT scores, participated in multiple school activities and took several mission trips to other countries. He comes from a wealthy family. He worked during the summers of his junior and senior years. He speaks French, plays piano very well, and is a top tennis player in the state.

Student D is, by all accounts, brilliant. He has perfect ACT/SAT scores, but his grades are not quite as good. He published some poetry and three short stories when he was in middle school. He took a year off high school to be unschooled so he could write a book, but that didn't work out. He taught himself to write code and got a job with a tech company when he was a sophomore. He was fired when he was a senior. He designed three apps that sell pretty well. He tested into and enrolled in a graduate school level math class at a local university, but he failed because he missed too many classes. He comes from an upper middle class family.

Which one do you accept as your one student? How do you decide? These are all actual students of mine from the past couple of years, three of whom who were taking college classes for credit while in high school and one who had a different story. I know where all four of them ended up, if anyone is curious.

Now multiply that by thousands and make your decision.

The personal essay may or may not make a difference here. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. But it's one more thing for colleges to look at.

 

[Theatregirl1122]

Undoubtedly, but I was responding to Matryeshka's statement that "the prompts used for college essays just begged for a trauma dump answer."

Right, but teenagers read things differently than adults. As adults, we may see that and think that this is similar to a job interview question where they ask you to discuss how you overcame an obstacle. Most teenagers who see see"obstacle that you have overcome that have affected your life and future plans," will think more of something serious that happened to them that changed them. And often they aren't really good at understanding that the goal of an essay with this question is to talk about how you grew and not just explain whatever challenge happened. I've read a lot of kids' college essays where they focus on the obstacle and just tell a story about something that happened to them and don't really understand that the college is looking for them to focus on the affect it had on them.

By writing about a specific time that they faced in school or an extracurricular activity that presented a challenge to which they responded with ingenuity. That is what the prompt is seeking.

The prompt does specifically say "affected your life and future plans," so it's also not just a time you responded with ingenuity. That section of the question does suggest that they are looking for something that was really significant in your life. So for my students, for example, if they wanted to write about a time they showed ingenuity, they could write about the time that the shooter for our robot wasn't aiming right and they tried a bunch of different solutions until one of them realized that just making the shooter longer on one side would fix the aim. But that doesn't fulfill the requirements of the prompt unless that student realized during that moment that they really want to be an engineer or something like that. Which is part of what would lead students to lean towards something like overcoming actual trauma.

 

[Japanfan]

Which one do you accept as your one student? How do you decide? These are all actual students of mine from the past couple of years, three of whom who were taking college classes for credit while in high school and one who had a different story. I know where all four of them ended up, if anyone is curious.

Without thinking too much, I pick Student A.

Now multiply that by thousands and make your decision.

The personal essay may or may not make a difference here. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. But it's one more thing for colleges to look at.

I think they do make a difference - although as one who has edited so many personal essays, I have to believe that.

I will add that personal essays are my second least favorite thing to edit. Cover letters are the first.

Personal essays take so much time, as per my method. I can easily spend one hour per 200 words, sometimes per 100 words - keeping in mind that these are often poorly door essays written by ESL students (though native speakers can actually been worse sometimes, as they have more vocabulary to mess with).

 

[overedge]

I think part of it also is which program the student is interested in, as well as the college/university they're applying to. A good essay IMHO would link to specific characteristics of a program and show how the student's experience relates to why they want to study that particular subject.

I know that a lot of students change majors or programs fairly early on, once they find out what the program or major is really like. But demonstrating that they've done some research on the institution and its offerings - research beyond "it has a good reputation" - would probably strengthen the application.

 

[mattiecat13]

I know where all four of them ended up, if anyone is curious.

I am!

@Japanfan I chose student A, too.

 

[MacMadame]

Without thinking too much, I pick Student A.

I pick anyone but Student D.

That dude sounds like trouble and like too many Cowboy Coders that I have worked with that may be brilliant but are so much trouble that it's not worth it as other people have to spend time cleaning up their messes and they also can negatively impact morale.

Also, I wonder if people would pick a different student if the stories were presented in a different order.

 

[Theatregirl1122]

I pick anyone but Student D.

That was my exact thought I would probably rank them A, C, B, D.

 

[my little pony]

I rank them A, gap, B, very large gap, C if I must, no to D

 

[Theatregirl1122]

I rank them A, gap, B, very large gap, C if I must, no to D

B has big "fails to graduate because he won't meet the requirements" vibes to me. This is why I ranked him 3rd from a college standpoint.

 

[alexikeguchi]

I did alumni interviews for years, and our area rep ran a mini symposium on the holistic admissions process. Therefore, A seems like a slam dunk to me, then C>>B>>D. Actually, A's is the only application that would even make it past the first round reading, as my undergraduate institution currently accepts ~5% of applicants and wouldn't have the time of day for the others regardless of what they wrote in their essays. If the school is Harvard and C is a legacy, though, he might get in on that basis.