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

Summary

The speaker recounts their childhood immigration to Canada, facing racism, and their struggle to fit in. They criticize the pressure on high school students to write trauma-centered essays for college applications, arguing that this practice is harmful and perpetuates inequalities. The speaker calls for universities to be more transparent and supportive, suggesting a shift in essay prompts and better training for admissions counselors. Ultimately, they advocate for applicants to share their stories authentically and on their own terms, without feeling compelled to exploit their traumas for acceptance.

Takeaways

• 🧳 The speaker moved to Canada at a young age and faced racism and isolation in school due to her immigrant background.
• 📚 She was teased for her language skills, appearance, and cultural differences, which made her feel like an outsider.
• 🌟 Through perseverance and involvement in extracurricular activities, she overcame her struggles and became a strong and employable individual.
• 📝 The speaker has shared her story in various settings, including academic essays and job interviews, but has come to resent it.
• 🔄 The story has become a cliché among immigrants applying to universities, often used to gain sympathy and acceptance.
• 🏛 The pressure on high school students to write about their deepest traumas in college applications is highlighted as a societal issue.
• 🤔 The speaker questions the ethics of using personal trauma as a metric for evaluating applicants and its potential harm to the storyteller.
• 💬 Admissions counselors and university blogs often encourage applicants to write personal and emotional essays, which may amplify this pressure.
• 🔍 The speaker discusses the disparity in the types of essays submitted by different racial groups, pointing out systemic biases.
• 😔 Writing about trauma for a college application can be emotionally taxing and may not be therapeutic or helpful for processing the experience.
• 📉 The 'trauma essay' may oversimplify complex experiences and force applicants to sanitize their pain to fit a marketable narrative.
• 🏫 Universities may inadvertently encourage the trauma essay by not clearly discouraging it and by perpetuating the myth that such essays are beneficial.
• 🛑 The speaker suggests that universities should be more transparent about their admissions criteria and restructure prompts to focus on future goals rather than past hardships.
• 🌈 The essay concludes with a call for applicants to recognize their worth beyond their traumas and for universities to create an environment where diverse stories can be told authentically.

Q & A

What was the speaker's experience when they moved to Canada at the age of 10?

The speaker was the only Asian kid in their grade and faced teasing for their broken English, Asian features, and ethnic lunches. They experienced significant racism.

How did the speaker describe their transformation after facing challenges in school?

Through extracurricular activities and perseverance, the speaker became a new person who was healthy, healed, and extremely employable.

Why does the speaker hate the story they have told multiple times about their immigrant experience?

The speaker hates the story because it is overused and exploited by immigrant kids to gain admission to prestigious universities, often at the cost of their emotional well-being.

What is the moral of the stories told by immigrant kids to universities?

The moral is that a bad thing happened to them, but it made them a good person, emphasizing resilience and personal growth.

What pressure is being put on high school students in their college applications?

High school students are pressured to write about their deepest traumas in their college applications to appear resilient and interesting.

How do admissions counselors influence what applicants decide to write about in their essays?

Admissions counselors often amplify the pressure by suggesting that personal and emotional stories, including painful memories, make a stronger impression.

What is the issue with using a college application essay to discuss one's trauma?

Discussing trauma in an application essay doesn't help with processing the trauma and can be emotionally taxing, especially for young applicants.

Why is the assumption that trauma always leads to learning and growth problematic?

This assumption ignores the reality that sometimes trauma is just a painful experience without clear learning outcomes, and it can lead to a toxic positivity narrative.

What is the fundamental contradiction in the trauma essay according to the speaker?

The trauma essay appears to allow for vulnerability but actually restricts it, requiring the writer to sanitize their pain to fit a marketable and strategic narrative.

What are some ways universities can address the issue of trauma essays in admissions?

Universities can be more transparent about their admissions guidelines, restructure their prompts to focus on future goals and academic interests, and train admissions counselors to be trauma-informed.

What advice does the speaker give to students applying to postsecondary institutions?

The speaker advises students to remember that they are more than the bad things that happened to them and to find their voice to tell their story on their own terms.