5 College Application Essay Topics That Always Work

5 College Application Essay Topics That Always Work Evidently, there is a fear that students who hire coaches won’t be presenting original work, which would be cheating. When asked to write an essay about something meaningful to them, teens suddenly claim no passion for anything. They have passion, but they need to identify it before they can share their story. Admissions officials have seen plenty of overused topics, such as a venerated parent, a game-winning goal or volunteer work in the soup kitchen. These essays can’t work without a personal connection or engaging observations. The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. Using lofty language and complex sentence structure can make you sound sophisticated, but is that really how you speak? Don’t let your voice get lost in the pursuit to impress readers. For more information on specific application requirements, please consult the website for each institution to which you are applying, as requirements often vary. Since 2016, I have worked as a high school English tutor, theatre educator, and freelance journalist. I graduated summa cum laude from Northwestern University's theatre and creative writing programs. I'm a playwright, editor, and writing teacher with a focus on arts education. Ivy Eyes Editing () is an admissions and writing consultation company based in Los Angeles, and was founded on the principles of client collaboration, authenticity and skill-building. As a testament to the superior quality of their work, they provide each prospective client with a free assessment of their first submission. Students don’t need to stick to the 5-paragraph model that they’ve used so often in school. You can have a good essay that has 2 or 10 paragraphs, or includes a good amount of dialogue. I got my MFA at UT Austin as a Michener Fellow, a program for young writers that accepts less than one percent of applicants. Prompt connects students with a team of professional playwrights, authors, journalists, and educators who are only available through our network. Students applying to highly competitive universities (Ivy and Ivy-equivalent) face tough competition. Compelling essays will help you distinguish yourself. Students sign up with Prompt and start with a strategy session to figure out what they can still do to improve their experiences for their essays. DON’T rehash information that is already in your application. The goal of your essay should not be something like “to show I’m co-captain of the soccer team.” They already know that; you need to tell them something new. This may be your only chance to address an admissions officer directly. They’re going to turn down lots of highly qualified applicants, so your essay could be critical if the choice comes down to you and another, similarly qualified applicant. The essay itself won’t propel an average student into Harvard, but may indeed make a difference. Once you’ve hooked the reader, switch gears a little to set up the essay in a way appropriate for an introduction. It should establish for the reader a sense of expectation for what’s to come without giving it all away. While there is no perfect length for an essay, we recommend that you aim for 500 to 550 words. We asked the admission staff to select some of their favorite essays. We hope they will provide inspiration as you craft your stories. Instead, write like you speak â€" keeping in mind that proper grammar and spelling is still important. Jager-Hyman uses Mad Libs to help students find their own language to express their thoughts. She highlights issues with their work and helps students learn to express themselves in a more engaging and organic manner. She also pushes them to be more intellectually rigorous, when necessary. That said, your essay probably won’t actually hurt you as long as it’s reasonably literate . Although they're phrased differently from college to college, certain essay question types appear routinely. That's easy â€" it's the best way to study for AP classes and AP exams! StudyNotes offers fast, free study tools for AP students. Our AP study guides, practice tests, and notes are the best on the web because they're contributed by students and teachers like yourself. Sign up now and we guarantee you'll finish all of your essays by mid-September so you can focus on academics and activities during senior year. Relate to the reader the full scope of an experience â€" sights, sounds, and maybe even smells. Be careful, however, not to overuse imagery; otherwise the essay may sound forced, unnatural and give the reader the impression you are trying too hard to be creative.