Writing your college essay is a personal and important process; for many, it will inherently involve controversial topics. For some, the most formative and influential events of our lives can have controversial aspects. Since the college essay showcases your life, this can mean that controversial topics make their way into college essays. Finding the right balance when talking about these controversial topics is crucial to striking the right tone and showcasing yourself to the best of your abilities.
What are Controversial Topics in College Essays?
When writing your college essay you’ll choose a topic that has a lot of meaning to you. One that you can write thoroughly and passionately on so you can best showcase your abilities. Inherently, this means you can cover topics that might be considered controversial whether they seem to be controversial to you or not.
Controversial topics for college essays can include:
- Sexuality
- Religion
- Racial intimidation
- Drinking
- Animal rights
- Use of firearms
- Environmental policies
- Crime
- Politics
- Other issues specific to college campuses, regions, or states
General Outline for a College Essay
Because college essays tend to be more personal reflections, they often have a much more informal outline. The most common include vignettes, where the writer weaves together seemingly unrelated stories with a common theme or a single account that demonstrates traits you want to highlight to your audience.
If you select either of these outlines, remember to include opposing viewpoints because this will help maintain balance within your college essay.
General Outlines for an Argumentative Essay
Controversial topics in college essays will sometimes be written in the argumentative style, wherein you argue your point. You can also combine this with the vignette, or single-story outlines common in college essays. These kinds of articles have a very specific structure that allows you to hit all the key points for your argument while keeping it balanced, depending on your opinion.
Classic or Aristotelian Argumentative Essays
These essays are a good match for making a straightforward argument. It follows this framework:
- Introduce the problem.
- Explain your perspective.
- Explain your opponent’s perspective.
- Present your evidence.
- Conclude the argument.
Toulmin
This method was developed to analyze arguments themselves, making it a good choice when presenting complex issues with no clear truths or when your thesis is a rebuttal or counterargument. It follows the framework of:
- Your thesis or argument, clearly stated (Claim)
- Your evidence, including data or generally accepted facts (Reasons)
- The connection between your claim and reasons. State assumptions clearly to avoid confusion (Warrant)
- Additional evidence in support of your claim (Backing)
- The limits to your claim, including concessions (Qualifier)
- Addressing opposing viewpoints and criticisms (Rebuttal)
Rogerian
This is the most middle-ground approach, acknowledging the validity of both your viewpoint and the opposing one. This makes it a good fit for showing both sides of the argument as valid, especially when presenting to an audience with mixed opinions. The structure for this kind of essay is as follows:
- Introduce the problem.
- Explain the opposing perspective first, including validating correct points.
- Explain your perspective.
- Bring both sides together, presenting a middle ground where both viewpoints coexist.
- Conclude your argument in a balanced way.
When writing a college essay, these styles may feel too rigid and structured for your specific topic or desired tone. If that’s the case, you can tweak the structure to include all the same information in a format which makes more sense to you. You can do this in the outline stage of your essay.
Remember Your Parameters
Understanding and defining the ideals you strive to showcase in your college essay will help you strike the right balance and focus. In addition, reading through the desired traits and skills for a college you’re applying to, such as “agents of change,” “capable of analytical skills,” or “demonstrating research aptitude,” can help you ensure that your stance and handling of the controversial topic you’ve chosen for your college essay is compatible with the desires of admissions officers.
How to Keep the Balance When Writing a Controversial College Essay
Don’t Speak in Absolutes
Although while writing your college essay, it’s important to speak truth to power and relate your personal experiences and opinions honestly in a way that captures the uniqueness of your spirit and encourages your college to engage with you, you must remain balanced at the same time. This means maintaining a fluid and flexible disposition.
Inflexible and absolute speaking, such as assertations that you are correct and your opinion is the only reasonable way to look at an issue, can make an audience feel like you’re preaching to them or that you feel superior in some way. This alienation can leave a bad taste in your audience’s mouths, which can muddle your point and make your audience focus on the wrong thing.
Consider All Viewpoints
You might have noticed that it’s important to include a section where the opposing viewpoint is considered in all the formats for an argumentative essay. This is crucial to finding the right balance when writing a controversial college essay. You may not always know your audience’s opinions when writing a college essay, and finding a balanced way to consider all viewpoints will ensure you’re not alienating your audience with comments.
It’s also important to note that admissions officers are looking for proof of analytical and critical thinking skills. One of these skills they are looking for is the ability to consider viewpoints and opinions other than yours with an objective and logical eye. This ability is important, and showing that you can be objective even when discussing a controversial topic will demonstrate your analytical thinking skills and empathy.
Remember to Use Appropriate Language
Any college essay should be written in the appropriate language for the topic and tone, without curse words. Swearing and profanity are highly inadvisable in college essays. The only possible exceptions include dialogue or quotes that are crucial to making your point in your article. Even then, it’s recommended that you find other ways to make your point.
Finding Balance in Controversial College Essays
Although controversial topics can often cause anxiety, finding the right tone and balance in your controversial college essay will allow you to showcase your abilities and history in a meaningful way that will impact colleges.