Know those ppl who always say “Nothing looks good on me”?
Why not introduce them to your exclusive line of makeup.

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Why This Post Matters For Fast Gamsat Prep Not everyone has the life experiences to reflect on all essay topics, or have these experiences readily to brainstorm about. This applies especially to negative or contentious topics. The site FML helps with that: Being a platform where random people come to post about their personal stuff-ups, awkward situations, poor relationships, and general misfortune, the GAMSAT-taker can enjoy short, engaging stories, while remembering their own similar experiences, or learning things that will empower them to think up effective examples.

Who This Advice Best Serves People who led more conservative lives, had sheltered upbringings, or just made better life decisions People who struggle to tap into their feelings and experiences Useful For These Topics Tragedy Embarrassment Social conventions Etiquette Dating and relationship

Didn’t Lead A Les Miserables Lifestyle? No Worries

(⌐O_O)
Um.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
What, Gamster?

(⌐O_O)
This essay task is about betrayal, and I can’t think of anything.

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That’s too bad – since you’re in the middle of essay-writing practice, you’ll have to suck it up, and write about what you manage to come up with.

Approach practice essay sessions like you would with Section 2 for the actual GAMSAT.

(⌐O_O)
Yeah I get that.

After the essay session. I’ll add the topic “betrayal” for my pre-brainstorming list, so I can accumulate ideas and examples before I need it for essay-writing next time.

However, I don’t think I actually have any relevant background for my subconscious to comb through.

(^ΦдΦ^)
You mean comb over.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
(Don’t be mean, Snarksy.)

So like, you haven’t had your heart broken?

(⌐O_O)
No – I’ve never dated before.

(^ΦдΦ^)
Your best friend never hooked up with your crush?

(⌐O_O)
No, my crush isn’t anywhere near my social circle.

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You’ve never tried to bring down a corrupt corporation from the inside because their business methods led to the death of your loved one, only to have your supposed ally snitch you out, because he or she was after your position in the company, and also he or she secretly works for a rival company, and threw you under the bus to build trust in this corporation?

(⌐O_O)
No – my longest work experience was an internship that lasted a few months… that was quite a specific scenario.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
(Hand-waves) I can’t talk about it, they made me sign a NDA for an undisclosed sum of money.

Ok so basically, you don’t have the life experience to draw on for brainstorming.

And that’s fine – not everyone is gonna have the same types of experience. And anyway, you can get the next best thing… by reading about them.

FML: Their Written Misery For Your Reading Pleasure

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You know those memories you don’t remember because they’re actually trauma and you suppressed them into the safe-space sewage system that is your subconscious?

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(Concerned) I do?

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(Nods) You do.

So usually, you’d have trouble recalling them.

Luckily for you, FML, which stands for Fuck My Life, is a place where ppl go and post unfortunate events that happen to them.

(⌐O_O)
That’s horrible – and why is that lucky for me?

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Because it’s funny as hell – if you’ve heard of the term schadenfreude (joy at the misery of others), you know that the recipient of misfortune has a non-insignificant impact on your enjoyment of the story.

Woah woah woah, you can’t just suddenly go there.

Look, life can suck. And GAMSAT prep can suck at times as well – but when you read FML, you can feel better about your life that you’re not accidentally a sex offender, or that you didn’t leave the oven on with the baby inside, or other untoward stuff like that, and you can get back to GAMSAT prep with renewed spirits.

(^ΦдΦ^)
(What if it’s no accident?)

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
(Then… I guess agency in life is nice?)

(Disclaimer: Don’t be a sex offender, ppl.)

Negative Anecdotes: Actually Useful For Brainstorming

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That has nothing to do with GAMSAT brainstorming though.

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Oh yeah that – when you read about these stories, they may trigger you to remember your traumas, which you can then flesh out to use as examples.

Hopefully it’s not that extreme for you Gamsters – but if it is, seek help.

In all seriousness though, FML stories are short and punchy and easy to read, and are probably as personal as you can get in terms of personal anecdotes, so they make for great springboards into reflective essay brainstorming.

Point: Technology takes a lot of the emotions out of social interactions, making certain behaviours easier and likelier
Shown by: When technology “breaks down”, and a digital rejection becomes face-to-face
Topics: Technology, emotions, social interactions, awkwardness, dating & relationships
Alternative Examples: Breaking up over text, cyber-bullying, dick pics

What’s even better is that our society has a tendency to magnify the good, and sweep the bad and the ugly under the rug – just look at the self-curated #SoBlessed 😇 humbragging-much nature of social media.

FML is your view under the rug – and by embracing these other, equally valid sides of life, your essays will have more balance, more depth, and more engagement.

Alternatively, funny photoshops can help too.

(^ΦдΦ^)
(Not social media engagement though, unfortunately.)

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
(You could always chuck your practice essays on Instagram though.)

(^ΦдΦ^)
(You’d probably want to hire someone on Fiverr or something to rewrite your essay in caligraphy though….)

When the result is pretty, you can get away with a lot.

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In short, if you can’t think of (or don’t have) a lot of negative life experiences…

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Like shitty relationships, poor decisions, being in the wrong place at the wrong time (and dying), having everything go wrong, etc….

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…Then FML can make it easy to remember these experiences for brainstorming’s sake, or to think up more accurate hypothetical scenarios.

Pro-Tip: Read The Comments

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The comments section of places are usually filled with spam and ppl being stupid and stuff.

(^ΦдΦ^)
(Speak for yourself.)

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(Ha! Jokes on you – FastGAMSAT doesn’t have any comments!)

But for FML, reading the comments is actually useful, since if you’re not sure why the story is awkward or funny or notable or whatnot, the comments will expand on topics from the story, or have ppl give their similar examples, and you can work out the punchline from there.

Examples

(⌐O_O)
Can you show me how you could brainstorm from a post?

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Sure, pick an example.

(⌐O_O)
How about this one?

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That’s a good example.

(^ΦдΦ^)
Oh boy, oooooh boy, this one really triggers Will.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ) ♪
Oh it so does. Fear:

FML: Brother Bail Socialising Value-giving Inviting ppl to cool stuff Doing favours Being “attractive” Being funny/interesting/insightful in ways ppl appreciate Actually being physically attractive Having good style/grooming/body language Being social and confident Letting ppl talk about what they enjoy Themselves Their passions Their ambitions Their hobbies Their kids Introducing them to ppl they want to meet Single girls/guys that are their type Ppl in industries they want to break into Ppl that can solve their pressing issues Being reliable Being on time Keeping your promise Paying ppl back quickly, without them asking Replying quickly Clearly and quickly RSVP-ing (whether attending or not) Value-taking Being unreliable Being really late Flaking (cancelling last minute) on RSVPed events without extenuating reasons Not paying ppl back, esp for high-priced things, and when the payer didn’t make clear that it’s their shout Making ppl feel cheap Asking “who’s coming” when invited to stuff Shows The host that their presence isn’t enough You’re a social climber (and a bad one) You’ll flake if certain ppl can’t make it Showing signs of disengagement when talking to ppl Looking around Shows you’re looking for Your friends, or More interesting ppl Hotter ppl Looking at your watch Not looking at the person Tapping your feet Facing your body away from the person Making ppl feel uncomfortable Not correcting your resting bitch face Shutting conversations down Giving few-word answers Asking boring questions Maintaining boring topics Not actively contributing to the convo Not asking questions Not pointing out stuff Not filling prolonged silences Increasing ppl’s workload Asking favours out of proportion to the relationship Asking on first meeting Asking without having given anything in return Giving with the intention of asking a return favour Shoving ppl with boring ppl or value-takers Asking “stupid” questions Answers can be found In the included info (including links), or with simple google Vague questions which puts burden on explainer to give answers according to all the ways the question can be interpreted What ppl value Commonality with wealthy and/or powerful ppl Time is most valued Abundance of value (money and/or power) Almost anything can be gained directly or indirectly via money or power Only exception is time Lesson When dealing with high-status ppl, be extra-careful not to waste their time This applies until you become good friends, when you gain leeway from giving value and building goodwill Life lesson Give more value than you take Give value before you need to take value Dig well before you’re thirsty Giving value just to get value feels forced and transactional, and doesn’t lead to genuine and long-term connections Identify types of value most natural to you, and maximise the value you can give Organised and logical Organise events Social and extroverted Connect cool and attractive ppl Shy and introverted, or nothing of note Ask open-ending questions, and be a great listener Be socially reliable Work to increase your attractiveness Family Blood is thicker than water We give our family much more leeway than we probably should Differences between collectivistic and individualistic cultures Saying yes to favours Getting jobs for family Backing your family even when they’re wrong Paying board living at home Being spontaneous Positives Sense of freedom Sense of autonomy (control over one’s life) Find joy and meaning whenever and wherever Make new social connections easily Negatives Not achieving significant goals Disappointing ppl No one smart will rely on you You’re discounted for: High-stakes opportunities Jobs with responsibilities (i.e. anything that isn’t entry-level) Business partnerships Long-term relationships/marriage Social circle tends to be superficial and transient Lack of boundaries and discipline Likely to fall into bad habits E.g. Unhealthy foods Lack of exercise Drugs Illegal ways of getting money Lack of ambition and/or dedication Quote “Hard choices, easy life. Easy choices, hard life.” ― Jerzy Gregorek

(^ΦдΦ^)
I thought you were going to post the above as a mindmap

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I did too, but it didn’t fit.

Relating Things To An Example

(⌐O_O)
You know what Will, I feel there’s trauma behind this.

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(Sniffles) You know there is: So like in my spare time, I organise movie or food events, and I invite my friends along.

(⌐O_O)
Just usual friends?

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Both old and new friends. I meet new friends quite regularly, and I like to mix up my friends in social situations, and see who fight, who makes out, who become besties, and so on.

(⌐O_O)
Will, did you used to keep bugs as a kid?

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Only praying mantises. Haven’t seen many these days – I wonder where they’ve gone….

But yeah, I had this female friend (let’s call her Es) who was kind of interesting – she likes admiring cute girls-

(^ΦдΦ^)
Did she date them too?

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
-Not that I know of. So I would have fun introducing my other female friends to her.

However, she’s become more and more of a borderline friend recently, as she’d reply slowly to stuff, RSVP slowly to invites, show up late to events, or not show up at all…

…this is turning into a therapy session, isn’t it?

(^ΦдΦ^)
It couldn’t be helped. Go on though.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
So the other day, when I was organising a gnocchi event-

(⌐O_O)
Gnocchi?

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
(Nods) Snot pasta. The event had $35 servings of 1kg gnocchi. 1kg apparently serves 4 to 6 ppl.

(^ΦдΦ^)
Geez, that’s alright.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
(I could’ve eaten a whole serve actually – probably more. This is an insight after the event of course.)

So I was thinking whether or not to invite Es, and decided yes, so I linked her the event – and well, her reply really set me off. I actually wrote about this – have a read.

(⌐O_O)
Is this a document or something?

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It’s a Google Keep entry.

(⌐O_O)
What’s the “Insp:”?

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It’s the inspiration for the entry. It’s makes entries more interesting to read, when you also have the context.

On Social Value Insp: Es is a borderline friend right now – it’s amusing to explore what she thinks about other girls, but she is extremely flaky to the point where it impedes my desire to invite her to stuff, or even remain friends with her. When I’m putting together a social event to go have $35 1kg gnocchis, she asked me the vaguest question that simultaneously asked: – What is this about? – What is the nature of the event? – What is the purpose of the event? – Why would I be interested in the event? – Why should I attend the event? – What are the details of the event? So it’s a crazy-effective value-taking question, that bit the hand that just fed it social value. I got massively peeved, and typed a rant that serves as rules going forward in our friendship, or as a lesson if this breaks our relationship (I’m fine with either – I’m not strapped for friends, and I doubt I want the friendship to continue if she continues being this much of a pain). Me: so like I’m putting a team together – you down? (link to Facebook event) Es: What is this Me: ok your question kinda peeved me off, so I’m going to go on a rant with your relationships (friends, romantic, professional, etc.), you always want to give more value than you take giving value is like inviting ppl to cool stuff, being funny/interesting/insightful in ways they appreciate, letting ppl talk about what they enjoy (usually themselves, or their hobbies), introducing them to ppl they want to meet (single girls/guys that are their type, ppl in industries they want to break into, ppl that can solve their pressing issues), etc. taking value is like not keeping one’s word, being very late, flaking on confirmed events, asking stupid questions (e.g. stuff you can easily find the answer to by clicking a link or googling), talking about boring stuff, sticking ppl with boring ppl or value-takers, asking for favours, etc. for our example, I provided value to you (I assume) by inviting you to something social, and there might be ppl you like the company of there too. Instead of giving value back to me with a clear RSVP (a clear answer is an example of giving value), you asked what I consider is a stupid question that shows that rather than click on the link or even just reading the linked event details, you asked me a generic question to expect me to explain the purpose and nature of the invite – even though you already know what my events are about (explaining redundant information sucks, and counts as taking value) I know that this feedback is unsolicited and confronting, but this is a valuable glimpse into the way the world works: If you want to be a good sponsorship officer, you need to know how value works; and since you lean towards being shy and passive, you already don’t actively expand your social circle, or invite ppl to stuff. That means that if you continue unknowingly alienating social ppl who do make the effort to invite you to stuff and expand your circle, you won’t make progress socially going into the future. I might invite you to stuff in the future – and it’ll depend if you’ve taken stuff I’ve ranted about on board. I’m sure this all sounds massively bitchy to you, but that’s the thing about me half-joking about being the Queen Bee: I might not be conniving enough to play the politics, but I meet new friends anywhere and anytime, and I’m active in consolidating relationships I feel are worthy. This means I don’t have to put up with toxic ppl, boring ppl, and other value-drains. I wish that our friendship can continue on – but just remember that any relationship is a two-way street: You can’t just take and never give back.

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Now, the above is are fully fleshed-out opinions – and an example – that you could apply to topics like the value of relationships, social etiquette, social value, taking offence, mindsets (e.g. if I had a scarcity mindset, that I couldn’t get new friends easily, I would probably put up with more bullshit from existing friends, even if I don’t want to), the value of time, etc.

(⌐O_O)
Wow, that’s a lot. What ended up happening?

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
She didn’t read or RSVP to that, so she missed that event. I did invite her to the second Mean Girls dinner though-

(⌐O_O)
(You run Mean Girl dinners?)

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
(On Wednesdays every two weeks.)

(⌐O_O)
(What’s the theme?)

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
(We wear pink and act bitchy.)

Anyway, Es did reply to that invite with a clear RSVP, so I’ll probably continue inviting her to stuff.

(⌐O_O)
Do you ever worry about being too bitchy?

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
(Shrugs) If I wanted to be a real bitch, I could just unfriend her for not being worth the effort, and she’s continue through life making the same mistakes and getting the same results.

Instead I threw the social playbook at her – these are the unwritten rules that most ppl never learn about unless they really commit to build a social life that’s perfect for them.

I think of it as tough love – if she takes the advice on board, she’ll go places – whether or not she continues being a friend.

(⌐O_O)
It sounds like you don’t treat your friends that well.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
I’d say that I do – I organise events for my friends regularly, and I introduce friends to each other all the time, and since I hang out with smart and friendly ppl, I feel that my new and old friends enjoy meeting one another – even if they don’t meet many new ppl usually.

That said, I also curate my social circle quite actively: If I feel someone is a time-waster or value-taker according to the above factors, I cut them out of my life. Life is too short to spend with bad or mediocre company.

(^ΦдΦ^)
Will regularly has less than 200 friends on Facebook.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
That’s true, although the minimum is likely to slowly increase, as I find worthwhile connections.

But yeah, relating things back to the FML example: Note that the story about the family member who is a value-taker for wasting the poster’s time, reminded me of my views about social value, and about a related example of a friend with value-taking tendencies.

The beauty with FML, is that the stories make us readers intuitively laugh, or cringe, or fume, or eye-roll, or face-palm… because the stories are personal, and endlessly relatable. Use them as waypoints leading to your own insights and experiences.

Too nerdy? Yeah I didn’t think so.

Look, No Hands

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By the way, I want to point out that, for the above brainstorming, I pretty much did no research (other than the quotes for attribution accuracy). The reason I’m able to do this, is because social value is a Superweapon Topic for me personally.

(⌐O_O)
That sounds awesome – what are Superweapon Topics?

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They’re topics that you already have expertise and insight into – and with the appropriate development, can not only make your essay brainstorming insanely easy, but also fill your essays with incredible insights that make your Section 2 examiner want to reread your essay like rewatching their favourite Youtube video.

(⌐O_O)
That. I. Um. Where do I learn more about Superweapon Topics?

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
I’m writing a new ebook focused on Superweapon Topics – it’ll be available on the site soon.

Meanwhile, subscribe to FastGAMSAT’s mailing list to be the first to know when it comes out!

Summary

GAMSAT essay topics reflects all aspects of life – the good, the bad, and the ugly. If you have trouble with the bad and ugly topics, FML can be a bite-sized, easy-to-read resource for these examples, to help remind you of personal examples, or to brainstorm hypothetical scenarios.

Cover all essay topics, and start writing strong essays, in just 2 or 3 days. LEARN HOW

P.S.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Hey by the way, did you actually finish your essay?

(⌐O_O)
Oh, no I didn’t.

(^ΦдΦ^)
Betrayal is a Task B topic, so at least you would’ve finished the Task A essay.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
You did finish the Task A essay, right?

(⌐O_O)
Actually, I was in the brainstorming phase at the start of this post.

( ﾟ∀ﾟ)
Oh.

(^ΦдΦ^)
Awkward.

P.P.S.

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Have any FML-worthy stories? Share them in the Comments below!