How to Choose Your College Essay Topic

If you’re a junior in high school, you probably have a lot on your plate right now. You’re trying to get the best grades you can while building your resume and studying for the SAT or ACT… and if you’re like most people, you’re leaving the final part of the college application – the dreaded college essay – to the end.

We believe this is a big mistake. Treating the essay as an afterthought is the most common way students self-sabotage when applying to college.

Of course, we understand why students do this. Getting started on your college essay is hard. It’s one thing to do practice questions for the SAT; it’s quite another to come up with your life story. So if you want to get an early start on your essay, here are our top three tips for what you should do.

Get into the right mindset.

Students fall into all sorts of traps when they start working on their college essays. They start googling for college essay topic ideas; they read sample essays and sample topics “that worked” online; they copy gimmicky strategies that make admissions officers groan; they assume there is one best topic for a college essay; and they start writing before pausing to think All these things get you worked up and anxious, which is the worst thing you can do right now.

Instead, we suggest you ease into the right mindset. Read the Common App essay prompts, take them seriously, and use them as an opportunity to be curious about yourself. Remember: the most important part of any college essay isn’t the writing – it’s the ideas. And coming up with good ideas takes time and patience.

Ask yourself two key questions.

First Question: Have you experienced any unusual setbacks, obstacles, or failures in your life?

We say unusual because admissions officers aren’t interested in stuff that lots of people have experienced. So if you feel that COVID was a setback for you, remember that COVID literally impacted every student in the country.

If you experienced a challenge that was unusual or specific to you, you should definitely consider writing about it in your college essay. But if you didn’t, don’t try to come up with something! Instead, simply move on.

Second Question: If you haven’t experienced any unusual setbacks, what DOES make you unusual and unique?

Start self-reflecting.

You’re probably stumped by that second question, and that’s fine. Now it’s time to get to work – but not the kind of work you’re accustomed to. When it comes to math homework and test prep, you simply need to answer problems. That’s straightforward by comparison. We’re asking you to reflect on your life and to figure out what makes you unique.

How do you do this? There are a whole range of exercises you can try. Some people find brainstorming helpful; others prefer talking to family and friends; still others turn to free-writing or journaling. If you’re having trouble, you may want to schedule a meeting with one of our college essay writing tutors.

The point is, you should discover what works best for you now. If you start exploring when the pressure’s off and there are no deadlines looming, the magic will start to happen when you most need it.