8 Questions to Ask Yourself as You Decide on a Topic for Your College Application Essay

The first step to writing a masterpiece of a college application essay is coming up with a topic. What do you write about though if you haven’t starred in the Olympics or built a school in India or found a cure to Ebola? How can you stand out from the thousands of other qualified high school students with interesting stories to tell? Ask yourself these questions and you should be on the right path to making a college application essay that puts you above the rest.

1. What would I add to a college community?

College admissions officers aren’t just looking at your grades and SAT scores. Okay, that’s a lot of what they’re looking at, but they also want a more rounded view on who you are and what role you would fill at their college. Are you the loud and outgoing type who is going to make friends all over campus and organize events? Are you the hardworking athlete who is going to represent your school in sporting events? Are you the perceptive history student who is going to ask tough questions and spearhead class discussions? Or the quiet science student who is going to collaborate with professors and peers on studies in the laboratory. If you need inspiration, go to the websites of schools you’re interested in and look at their mission statements; where do you fit in?

2. What is the rest of my application going to look like?

You want your college essay to do one of two things: either add a different side of your personality that won’t be otherwise revealed in your transcript and letters of recommendation, or to reinforce the image that your dean and/or teachers are presenting of you as a student.

3. Should my essay be shooting for the stars or playing it safe?

Another consideration should be what kind of college you are applying to. If the school feels like a reach and you don’t think you have much to lose, try an unconventional essay that will grab the reader’s attention. Talk about something whimsical and seemingly random and hope it endears you to the reader. If your transcript is strong and makes you feel confident about your chances at a school, then you may not want to burden yourself with the pressure of reinventing the wheel and go for a more standard application essay.

4. What’s weird about my life?

The best way to write a quirky and unique essay is to think about what parts of your life are quirky and unique. Look for a part of your upbringing that makes you one in a million, whether it’s your family, your hometown, your interests, or just an isolated story. Just be careful not to see yourself as too exceptional, since these essays can often become self-indulgent if you don’t keep in mind the goal of making yourself someone who fits in well to your prospective college’s community.

5. What places do I go to often and why are they meaningful?

This isn’t a time to brag about all the time you spend every year at the Four Seasons in Maui sipping on smoothies; instead, think more about the ordinary and banal destinations right around you. A girl made headlines about an essay she wrote about going to Costco last year. You don’t need to follow this same format exactly, but see if you can find the significance in something unglamorous and routine, you’ll come across as relatable, clever, and original to whoever is reading your application.

6. What activities do I spend a lot of time doing and what have they taught me?

You can use this as an opportunity to talk about your sports team or stage acting or extracurriculars as a fairly standard way of packaging yourself to colleges. Or you can look at more common activities — think of any parts of your daily routine that might have a deeper meaning about what kind of person you want to be and what your values are.

7. What pivotal moments in my life have had the greatest effect on who I am today?

Whether it’s something that a lot of people can relate to like finding out that Santa (spoiler alert!) isn’t real, or something remarkable and rare that happened to you, see if there is any vital moment in your life that remains essential to who you’ve become. Be wary of telling a story that is too dark and intense to let your personality shine through, since you want to be able to remain positive and amicable even if you have a serious or tragic story to share.

8. What relationships in my life have been the most meaningful?

This is where you can show your ability to be a good friend, family member, or supportive mentor to others. Make sure that if you make your essay about someone whose life has been important to you, you characterize them deeply enough to make it clear that you understand them and to make them a more endearing character in your story.

Thanks for reading!! If you have any questions about your college essay ideas or have any other tips to share, I encourage you to start a thread in the comments below.