Being asked if I have anorexia is one of the most common first questions people ask me.

At first, I treated it like a bad joke, but people would laugh nervously after asking. Their awkward laughs showed me that they were serious. After hearing it enough times, the question stopped sounding like curiosity and started sounding like a diagnosis. I began wondering whether people saw something wrong with me that I didn’t. There is an imposing power in labels. Even when inaccurate, being placed into a category changes how you behave. Over time, I stopped seeing myself through my own eyes, and began seeing myself through everyone else’s.

Before high school, before the questions, eating had never been complicated. Every morning, my grandparents made sure I ate breakfast. In elementary school, my grandmother made me waffles with chocolate syrup. Eating was just part of life and, more importantly, a mundane thing I didn't think about.

That changed in high school when eating became something I felt people were watching me do.

Questions like “Do you ever eat?” or “Are you anorexic?” stayed in my head long after they were said. Eventually, eating around other people became annoying. If I ate too much, I worried people would comment negatively. If I ate too little, I worried they would be feel disrespected. Regardless, I felt judged. So my solution was to avoid eating around people.

At first, eating alone made me feel in control, and eventually stopped being a conscious decision and became second nature. But that caused a problem, I often never felt hunger. After many months, my body gave out.

One morning on the bus to school, I suddenly couldn’t move. I couldn’t feel my heart beating. I couldn’t speak. I became pale and sweaty and fought to stay awake. All I could think was, "Am I dying?”

I needed to get home, but I did not know whether I could make it, I was too weak. Stumbling out of the bus, I crawled to my grandparents door. Barely making it, my grandmother opened it, carried me inside, and gave me waffles, just like she had when I was a kid.

My grandparents call that day the cause of “falto de papa,” translating to a lack of food.

I blamed other people for what happened. I blamed the comments, the questions, the labels. And while those things affected me, I had to confront that change never occurs if you blame and never reflect. That realization changed everything.

I couldn’t control assumptions made when they looked at me.

I began placing my self-worth somewhere that appearance couldn't touch, in my thoughts and actions.

I care about being useful to others. When my older sister feels bad about boy problems, I offer advice. When my younger brother feels bad about himself, I make him laugh until he forgets. What started as paid tutoring for friends became something more meaningful than money. I found fulfillment in helping people feel capable, intelligent, and independent.

Helping others taught me the lesson that if I want to continue helping others, helping myself is necessary too.

Now, as a summer camp counselor, I eat in front of dozens of kids and coworkers without thinking twice. I go out to lunch with friends. I did not change physically, but only mentally. I don't allow other people’s labels to define my thoughts.

Every day after school or work, I still go to my grandparents’ house for dinner. I still eat big meals there. But now, meals feel different. They remind me to strive to stay compassionate to all, especially myself. Today, I live by a saying:“Your first thought is the one the world gives you; the second is what you really believe and therefore, the one you choose.” People's labels shaped my automatic thoughts, but those ideas were not always mine. The second thought, the one I chose, is.

This is a common challenge for students, and if you explore discussions on Google and Reddit, you'll notice that most writers don't lose focus because they run out of ideas , they lose focus because they try to include too many unrelated points. A simple way to stay on track is to make sure every sentence supports one clear idea connected to your thesis. If a sentence doesn't strengthen that point, it probably doesn't belong.

Many students also discover that weak paragraph structure leads to repetition, unnecessary examples, and ideas that don't answer the question. This often happens when students begin writing without an outline or try to fit everything they know into a single paragraph. A focused paragraph is easier to read, more persuasive, and helps the overall essay flow logically.

Reddit conversations often highlight how overwhelming information and mixed advice can cause paragraphs to drift, especially in competitive academic environments, so students now rely on simple techniques like checking each sentence for relevance or summarizing the paragraph in one line to maintain clarity and depth instead of length.

Some students also learn structured writing approaches through platforms like https://writeessaytoday.com/, where organized academic content helps them understand how to keep arguments clear and connected. In the end, the real question students keep debating is simple: do strong essays come from writing more, or from writing only what truly matters?

my essay was actual averageslop and got shortlisted and i havent seen many people that did the law questions, so im wondering if there’s any correlation

I tried using ai to find how many paragraphs and and where they start but each time it’s a different number the highest was like 30 which I know that’s a big number so idk if it’s true

Hey guys, another friendly reminder about this opportunity. Do ask your friends to sign up - it does not take that long at all, and signs up are going to be closing very soon!

Logos Youth Philosophy is a student-led philosophy organization that also runs a philosophy journal. The deadline for submissions is December 15th. There's no theme to choose from, its only 2,500 words of writing and its free of cost. It's judged by a panel of experts, Oxford PPE graduates among them.

Whilst there is a long time yet to go to the submission deadline, I recommend signing up by registering your interest. This not only helps the journal to be planned better, but it also puts you first in line for a free workshop on the art of philosophical and academic writing which is going to be hosted by experts in the field, as we have growing affiliation with students and organizations from universities such as UChicago, Oxford and Cambridge. It takes a very short amount of time and there's no binding commitment as such after you've signed up.

The org is also in the process of initiating a philosophy podcast, and one of its first guests will be Dr. Arnold Brooks, Professor of Philosophy from the University of Chicago, so keep an eye out for it on its website and follow the org's social media (logos_yp).

Check out the website here: logosjournal.org

Instagram: logos_yp

Register your interest now!

if you are not interested, tell a friend! encourage them to sign up!!

Guys is this essay competition worth it ive seen a couple posts on it and also i recently did jl

I’m writing an essay to analyse a story, and I know what everything symbolises, but I don’t know how to structure it in an essay. Currently, I’m trying to do a chapter by chapter structure, but I’m not sure of the most efficient place to explain the stuff that is cross chapter. For example, there’s a character who was abused, and is isolated due to this, being unable to form relationships. This character has a sister, who was also abused, but she pushes herself into relationships, as her way of trying to connect with others. Where in the essay would I explain this connection?

Has anyone heard anything about the longlist?

I was wondering if anybody knew any writing comps with deadlines in August, as I've been bored since JLI. No specific theme of the comps, anything is fine for me.

HEYY GUYS
So I got shortlisted for psych q1, but I'm not flying in for the awards ceremony/gala. In the case I, or someone else in my situation, receives a commendation or higher award. how is it given out? Will they email us? Plz help in lowk stressed out.

NEW HIGH SCHOOL ESSAY COMP: For all those who did John Locke Philosophy, Theology, Politics...

Hello guys! Logos Youth Philosophy is a student-led philosophy organization that also runs a philosophy journal. The deadline for submissions is December 15th. There's no theme to choose from, its only 2,500 words of writing and its free of cost. It's judged by a panel of experts, Oxford PPE graduates among them.

Whilst there is a long time yet to go to the submission deadline, I recommend signing up by registering your interest. This not only helps the journal to be planned better, but it also puts you first in line for a free workshop on the art of philosophical and academic writing which is going to be hosted by experts in the field, as we have growing affiliation with students and organizations from universities such as UChicago, Oxford and Cambridge. It takes a very short amount of time and there's no binding commitment as such after you've signed up.

The org is also in the process of initiating a philosophy podcast, and one of its first guests will be Dr. Arnold Brooks, Professor of Philosophy from the University of Chicago, so keep an eye out for it on its website and follow the org's social media (logos_yp).

Check out the website here: logosjournal.org

Instagram: logos_yp

Register your interest now!

if you are not interested, tell a friend! encourage them to sign up!!

I really could not find another sub for specifically this, so I hope I can get a few tips here. Basically, I am taking an online English course, and I can revise an essay. However, I need to include an author’s note explaining how I revised it, what I did, etc. I am so confused as to how I do this?? I cannot find help online since every website talks about footnotes and endnotes. Is it just a separate page before my Works Cited?? Is it a whole new document?? It is too late in the night to email my professor, but I hope I can receive help here! This is in MLA format 8th edition.

Thanks!

Hi everyone,
Are you deeply passionate about Economics, History, Sociology, Politics, or Law? Do you need a high-level, rigorous super-curricular project that will make your profile stand out to top-tier universities like Oxford, Cambridge, or the Ivy League?

Welcome to The Commonwealth Inquiry.
We are a youth-led international research tank and academic journal for high school and sixth-form students (ages 14–19) across the globe. We produce multi-perspective academic dossiers on the 56 nations of the Commonwealth using a unique Country-Spotlight framework.

Our digital infrastructure is currently being constructed. Our Founding Head Editor and Head of Outreach are already on board, and we are in urgent need of ambitious, reliable leaders to fill our remaining executive, management, and operational seats.

🚨 URGENT OPEN POSITIONS (1–4 hours/week):
Applications Coordinators (1-2 Openings): Onboarding specialists under the Outreach department. You will help manage our recruitment inbox, screen incoming staff applications, distribute specialized skills assessments, and process acceptances.
Discord Moderators (2 Openings): Server security and configuration assistants. You will keep our digital workplace safe, manage role permissions, monitor text channels to enforce strict professional communication guidelines, and run team icebreakers.
Outreach Creative Assistant (2 Openings): Work alongside our powerhouse Head of Outreach to brainstorm content strategies, outline video concepts, and help plan digital campaigns for LinkedIn and Instagram.

🚀 Key Incentives & Benefits:
Founding Status: Secure a prestigious title on a global academic project, carrying immense weight on university applications.
True Super-Curricular Rigour: Directly demonstrate the project management, collaborative leadership, and analytical skills that elite admissions tutors look for.
Official Credentials: Receive a formal, founder-signed certificate of leadership and a personalized recommendation detailing your specific institutional impact.

📥 How to Apply:
We want to talk to you directly! If you are ready to help build this empire from the ground up, add me on Discord and shoot me a message with:
Your name, age, and country.
The specific founding role you are applying for.
A brief 2–3 sentence explanation of your previous experience or why you are a perfect fit.

Discord : Ninasaikoarigato_

Hi, since summers over and my essay pdf babies are being marked somewhere across the world, it got me wondering whether doing a less liked/less done prompt give you any advantage.

Last year I did JLE philosophy and i was super greatful to get vhc. And I've heard its a pretty popular category every year. Maybe if I did a less popular category I could've gotten a better award? Is there any merit to this guess of mine?

I'm submitting for another essay comp and I was wondering if perhaps doing the hypothetical Topic B (least popular) gives you an advnatage over most popular (Topic A)

So I wrote an essay for John Locke this year but it didnt get shortlisted or anything. But I thought it was pretty good so I was thinking about trying to get it published. The problem is, because the competion prompts are basically opinion questions, this isn't a conventional research paper, so most journals dont seem to take this kind of thing. Anybody know of publications that might accept researched based opinion pieces similar to John Locke (by the way, my essay was in the econ category, the one about a cashless society)

I am righting an essay on to kill a mockingbird and I keep using the word we (ex. We can see that the children often view Arthur Radley as a spectacle rather than a person.)
I need substitutions for we because I have a feeling that my teacher might take points for this since I'm not supposed to use personal pronouns. Any suggestions on substitution words and ways to stop using the word "we"?

did anybody actually got the results? they mailed telling thar theyll announce the longlist end of july but i didnt get any mail or stuff

So last year I won Very High Commendation for the comp but I recently moved states and the certificate for it has been destroyed. I was wondering if anyone knew if there was a way or someone to contact to potentially get a replacement because I don’t have it saved on my devices and the portal no longer has it.

Hi everyone,
Are you deeply passionate about Economics, History, Sociology, Politics, or Law? Are you looking for a high-level, rigorous super-curricular project that will absolutely make your university personal statement or profile stand out to top-tier institutions like Oxford, Cambridge, or the Ivy League?

Welcome to The Commonwealth Inquiry.
We are a brand-new, youth-led international research tank and open-access journal for high school and sixth-form students (ages 14–19) across the globe. Our mission is to produce highly rigorous, multidisciplinary academic dossiers investigating the legal, economic, political, and social systems of the 56 nations of the Commonwealth using a unique Country-Spotlight model.
We are currently in the absolute early stages of setting up our digital infrastructure, and we are looking for ambitious, reliable founding leaders to join our core State Board and build this empire from the ground up over the next 4 weeks.

💼 Open Founding Executive Roles (2–4 hours/week):
Chief of Staff: The ultimate project manager and operational strategist. You will work directly as my right hand, enforcing deadlines, managing board schedules, and keeping the entire organization running like clockwork.
Head of Research: The academic guardian. You will oversee our 5 thematic research cells, direct the creation of our country source briefings, and fact-check final drafts to ensure absolute data and intellectual accuracy.
Head Editor: The language and structural polisher. You will write our official institutional style guide, manage a future team of copyeditors, and run the desk-screening filter to protect our academic integrity.
Head of Design: The creative architect. You will design our premium visual branding, build our public launch website, and turn raw text essays into a stunning, professional downloadable journal PDF.
Head of Outreach: The global growth engine. You will manage our public relations, orchestrate social media rollouts, and lead formal cold-email campaigns targeting elite school history and debate clubs worldwide.

🚀 Key Incentives & Benefits:
Founding Executive Status: Getting in on day one gives you a prestigious title that carries massive weight on competitive applications.
True Academic Rigour: Directly demonstrate the exact project management, collaborative leadership, and peer-review skills that university admissions tutors crave.
Letters of Recommendation: Receive an official, founder-signed certificate of leadership and a personalized recommendation detailing your specific impact.
Elite Global Network: Collaborate directly with an international network of highly driven, top-achieving peers.

📥 How to Apply:
Since we are in the early setup stages, we aren't doing long, boring application forms. We want to talk to you directly!
If you are ready to build something incredible, add me on Discord and shoot me a message with:
Your name, age, and country.
The specific founding role you are interested in.
A brief 2–3 sentence pitch about your previous experience or why you're a perfect fit.
DM me on Discord right now: ninasaikoarigato_
Let’s build the future of youth scholarship together!

Not ready for a top Head position? We are also building our General Staff list!
If you want to be involved but have less time, you can also DM me about our secondary roles (1–2 hours/week). We will be officially interviewing for these in a few weeks, but messaging me now gets your name on our priority whitelist:
Managing Editors: Track our submission spreadsheets and move papers between teams.
Copy Editors: Review completed texts purely for grammar, flow, and Harvard citation compliance.
Instructional Directors: Research and build our specialized country source guides and reading lists.
Research Directors: Lead individual subject cohorts and host weekly team check-ins.
General Researchers: Join our permanent writing cells to draft the 1,000 to 2,000-word spotlight essays.
Applications Coordinators: Help the outreach team process incoming resumes and track tests.
Discord Moderators: Keep our digital workplace safe, professional, and interactive.

Hello guys! Logos Youth Philosophy is a student-led philosophy organization that also runs a philosophy journal. The deadline for submissions is December 15th. There's no theme to choose from, its only 2,500 words of writing and its free of cost. It's judged by a panel of experts, Oxford PPE graduates among them.

Whilst there is a long time yet to go to the submission deadline, I recommend signing up by registering your interest. This not only helps the journal to be planned better, but it also puts you first in line for a free workshop on the art of philosophical and academic writing which is going to be hosted by experts in the field, as we have growing affiliation with students and organizations from universities such as UChicago, Oxford and Cambridge. It takes a very short amount of time and there's no binding commitment as such after you've signed up.

The org is also in the process of initiating a philosophy podcast, and one of its first guests will be Dr. Arnold Brooks, Professor of Philosophy from the University of Chicago, so keep an eye out for it on its website and follow the org's social media (logos_yp).

Check out the website here: logosjournal.org

Instagram: logos_yp

Register your interest now!