Why colleges need to stop rewarding the "trauma essay"

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Tina Yong |

TED-Ed

• October 2025

As if college applications aren't stressful enough, disadvantaged youth are often encouraged to write about their darkest traumas in their admissions essays and create a marketable story of resilience, says politics student Tina Yong. She brings this harrowing norm to light, exploring its harms and offering a more equitable process for colleges everywhere. [Directed by Anton Bogaty, narrated by Tina Yong and Alexandra Panzer, music by Jarrett Farkas].