5 horrible essay topics for your college application
The first milestone in your college application journey has officially arrived. Today the Common Application released their essay prompts. In addition, your options have expanded! Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
The Common Application’s 2017-18 Essay Prompts: What You Need To Know
So you learned the importance of teamwork, even though you lost the big game. That's great. It's just not a great essay topic. Think you have a great, super-unique idea for an essay? You might want to think again. Of the thousands of essays I read when I was an admissions officer at the University of Pennsylvania, very few were particularly distinctive.
Of those, even fewer were distinctive in a positive way. The importance of sportsmanship coupled with the joy of being part of a team. One of the primary goals of the essay is to help your application stand out. Either find a more interesting angle on athletics or find a new topic. Most applications include a place where you will record all of your activities, honors and awards. The essay is not that place. Instead of trying to cover everything you have ever accomplished within the confines of words, pick one important achievement and focus on that.
What sparked your interest in that activity? Why do you do it and what do you enjoy most about it? Does it relate to your future goals and, if so, in what way? Otherwise known as the essay where you tell the admissions people what a great person you are.
You might think that admissions officers want to hear about what a great person you are, but in reality they want to hear about the person you are. Writing about a passion or true interest will always result in a more genuine and impactful essay. This topic probably seems much more unique than the soup kitchen essay. Admissions officers respond to authenticity. You may be under the impression that this topic will show off your intellectually witty side.
Showcase your wit and intellect by writing about an absorbing academic or thought provoking experience. Instead of seeming pretentious, you will come across as an engaged learner who will likely make the most of the college experience. The essay is the primary chance you have in the application process to share something important about yourself.
Make the most of the opportunity by spending as much time thinking about what to write as you do actually writing it. The blog closed in September of The navigation could not be loaded.
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Of course, that makes college essays seem easy. In reality, writing a college application essay is a complex process that every college-hopeful will have to go through. It involves personal reflection, patience, practice, and lots of outside help.
The essay is easily one of the most difficult parts of the college application process.
How do I know these exercises work? Have decent grades and a pretty good but not perfect SAT score.
College Admission Essay Topics: Best and Worst
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College Admissions Essay Topics to Avoid
College application essays are often the most challenging part of the application process. And while they may not be the most important part of your application, they can differentiate you from similarly qualified applicants. To avoid writing your essay on a topic that might earn you a rejection letter, check out the five topics you should never write about in your college essay below. In some cases, it depends how you frame the topic. For instance, if church was a major part of your upbringing and is very meaningful to you, you could mention this aspect of your identity in a college application essay. The college application essay is your chance to help admissions officers get to know you. For this reason, you should avoid topics that put the focus on someone else. If you do write about someone who influenced your life, make sure that you only briefly describe them. Spend most of the essay focusing on yourself and how your personality or choices have been shaped because of this person. Similarly, one topic you should never write about in your college essay is romantic relationships.
College Essays. Just as there are noteworthy examples of excellent college essays that admissions offices like to publish, so are there cringe-worthy examples of terrible college essays that end up being described by anonymous admissions officers on Reddit discussion boards.
So you learned the importance of teamwork, even though you lost the big game. That's great. It's just not a great essay topic. Think you have a great, super-unique idea for an essay?
SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips
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Bad college essay examples
A survey of our students has revealed that one of the most feared and most difficult parts of the college application process is the college admission essay. This is hardly surprising. After all, the college application essay is unlike any other writing assignment that most students have come across. English courses tend to overlook narrative writing, leaving many students confused about how to craft a truly outstanding application essay. Put yourself in the shoes of a college admission officer. Imagine that you spend three months of every year reviewing applications, reading essay after essay after essay. The average admission officer will read thousands of essays each year. After reading several hundred college application essays, you find certain themes that many students seem to rely on. The problem with these essays is twofold. First, the way in which most students approach the big realization is about as subtle as a ton of bricks hitting you in the face.
