Topics for College Essays

Topics for College Essays December 2, 2012 College essays often come down to execution, but there certainly are trite topics to avoid at all cost like writing about trips (photo credit: Scott Dexter from Brooklyn, USA). Theres a blog up on The New York Times' The Choice that details a students struggles with writing her college essays. The student, Sush Krishnamoorthy, couldnt seem to settle on a topic. She received advice to be herself, find her voice, and tell an interesting story. But none of that was really helpful to her. After all, those are kind of duh statements. What are you supposed to write an uninteresting story? Maybe one that doesnt showcase your voice and doesnt demonstrate who you are and what youre all about? Nobody thinks that. Well, maybe some but our readers are smarter than that. Sush ultimately settled on an essay built around the topic of flying by herself as it was an experience that touched her. Is it possible that this is a good topic for a college essay? Absolutely. Some of the best essays as we so often say are about small things. Too often, students write about big things and say nothing when the best writing often comes across when you write about very little (NBCs Seinfeld was about absolutely nothing). Flying alone can make for a good essay topic though it will totally depend on execution. And hopefully Sush didnt write about traveling to an exotic location, where she dined extravagantly and went out dancing all night. Because college admissions counselors wont like that. They dont like it when students come across as privileged. So the take-home message is that its all in the execution. Theres no reason why this plane ride couldnt have been a life altering experience that is interesting to share in ones college essay. But were more curious as to why it was a life altering experience. Why was it so meaningful? Why did it touch her? Hopefully this all came across in the college essay. If it did, it certainly could have been good.