Learning Module: How Do I Choose

an Essay Topic?Some colleges, especially the more selective ones, require students to submit essays when applying for admission. The purpose of the college admission essay is to capture your voice and bring you to life to the readers in the admission offices. The essay should show your unique personality and who you are beyond your grades and test scores. It should show how you think or feel, and what your values are rather than stating facts and numbers that are already provided elsewhere in your college application.

Instead of stressing out about the essay, think of it as an opportunity to show the “real” you and give your accomplishments a human element, with the reader learning something new and positive about you. Below are guidelines and tips to get you started on picking a topic, as well as topics to avoid as you start to think about your essay.

Picking a Topic: Do’sExplore a smaller part of a big experience.Why? You can narrow your focus and hone in on what you thinkand feel within a specific moment. For example, instead of recounting the travel details of a vacation, think of a specificpart of your trip that affected you. Then describe that small partwith sensory details—what you saw, heard, smelled, felt, etc.Show, don’t tell.

Choose an everyday experience that is important to you.Why? What you do everyday is unique from what others do andshows your personality. This is what the admission office wantsto learn from your essay. For example, who are you with on yourride home from school everyday and what does that mean toyou? What do you think about every morning when you brushyour teeth? Think about your chores. Which do you like to doand which do you hate, and what does that mean about theperson you are? Do you read the comics in the paper every-day? If so, which is your favorite, why and what does that sayabout you?

Take an activity and describe what it means to you.Why? What you do in your free time reflects who you are. If you sing in the choir, why do you do that versus someother activity? How does it make you feel? If you are an athlete, what motivates you to go to practice everydayand what does that say about you as a person? Do you volunteer anywhere? If so, what drives you to give yourtime in that way and what have you learned about yourself?

Describe an important relationship—human or pet—and what positive impact it has had on you.Why? This is an opportunity to show how another has helped you grow. Make sure the relationship that you writeabout is a positive one and shows who YOU are as a person. The reader should learn something about you in thistype of an essay. Don't focus too much on the person/pet you are writing about.continued

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Learning Module: How Do I Choose

an Essay Topic?

©2009 WiseChoice Brands, LLC

Describe an object that you value.Why? Many people have emotional attachments to things and that can tell someone how you think and what you value. Why is the ring your mom gave you on your 15th birthday important to you and what does it say about you? Or write about that autographed baseball that you got lastsummer. Describe your car (or your family car) and what it means to you.

Write about a time when you thought you knew something, but then changed your mind.Why? This type of topic can show that you are reflective and growing/maturing. Did you feel one way about a subject or class, and now feel differently? Did you once hang out with a certain group, but now you don’t? It’s always okay to show how you are learning as you go and that you don’t have all of life figured out just yet.

Picking a Topic: Don'tsParent/teacher/boyfriend/girlfriend as heroWhy not? Everyone writes about this! You want your reader to remember your essay and that will be toughwhen it reads like every other essay.

Self-discovery types of experiences (outward bound, study abroad trip)Why not? Colleges have read over and over how students have “found themselves” in nature or on a trip to another country. You want to differentiate yourself from the others.

Defining yourself based on a negative experience (attempted suicide, eating disorders, learning differences)Why not? You do not want this essay to become an excuse as to why you have not succeeded. You want thereader to feel good about recommending you for admission and confident that you have the potential to succeed at college.

Political topics Why not? Most students write more about the issue than about themselves. It is very challenging to show yourtrue self when writing about political topics—and colleges want to know about your true self.

Arguing with the question Why not? You are not answering the question and the reader may conclude that you cannot follow directions.For example, if the essay question is “Write about something in your life that you would like to do over,”don'tfocus your essay on the fact that you don't believe in “do-over's.” If the essay topic is not one you believe in,find another topic to write about.

Essays written for a high school English classWhy not? Many students think they can save time and energy by submitting an essay that was written for anEnglish class, but this generally does not work because the essays are about a specific subject area rather thanyou. Also, so much editing goes into this type of essay that you may lose your unique voice. Remember, the college admission essay should be well-written (and proofread to eliminate spelling and grammatical errors), but it still needs to carry your voice and say something meaningful about the person you are.

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