What are considered cliche college essays?
When writing a why school essay, it is still important to keep yourself as the central focus. Using specific examples, write about what makes the school a good fit for you. So, don’t just start with the most well-known or popular features of a school. A school may have just built a brand new science building, but it is likely not worth writing about unless you plan to major in a scientific discipline. So, before writing, think about the criteria on your personal college list. Then, identify two or three areas in which the school you’re writing about meets them. Remember that these are often short essays, so don’t try to fit in too many college essay ideas at once.
Essay topics:
There are . When you’re brainstorming ideas for your essay, avoid all of the topics you’ve heard before. If you’ve heard that someone wrote about baseball, their trip to Panama, or their grandfather, steer clear of them. Chances are if you’ve heard of these topics, the admissions committee has too. The point of the college essay is to be original in your topic and execution. While certain topics that are overdone can definitely be approached from new and exciting standpoints, more often than not we find the best topics are specific stories that are unique to the individual.
Next on our list of good college essay topics is the why school essay. Each of these prompts is specific to a particular school. So, a “why Yale essay” will look very different from a “why Duke essay” even though the prompt is structured similarly for both schools.
Cliché college essays typically include topics such as:
Lastly, many applications already have an opportunity for students to share their experience during the pandemic (including the Common Application with a prompt specific to COVID-19, and a few of the University of California Application's personal insight questions).
This doesn’t automatically mean fortunate students can’t mention that they came from that position. However, there needs to be more to the college essay topic than just being appreciative of that kind of upbringing.
They face similar tragedies (someone they love dies, a parent loses a job, they struggle with anxiety or depression). And that’s why they want to start with those experiences when they try to figure out what to write about in their college essays.
If you decide you have to talk about one of the cliché essay topics mentioned above, a good way to tell a more common story is to . For instance, if you feel you absolutely have to write about field hockey in your essay, don't write about some vague game and how good it felt when your team won. Instead, write about the sound the ball makes hitting the back of the goal, how your adrenaline changes, and how all the sounds around slowly rush into your ears afterward. After describing the moment, connect its significance to some larger idea, meaning, or characteristic about yourself. Focusing on a moment that changed your life—such as the time your dad told you the family was moving to a different country—can also function well in your college essay.
Here are the for the second of their college essay topics:
The next step in how to start a college essay about yourself is to select the right prompt. Your prompt should connect to you and your experiences. If you don’t resonate with any of the Common App’s good college essay topics, remember that you can create your own. Just make sure that the topic relates to you personally.
11 Cliché College Essay Topics + How to Fix Them | CollegeVine Blog
Exactly what qualifies as too private can vary. However, topics like bodily functions and sex are usually no-nos. Similarly, graphic descriptions of injuries or illnesses are generally best avoided.
What are the most clichéd college application essay topics? - Reddit
There's a good and a bad to everything—and your college application essay is no different. Don't think of it as any old essay that you can write on any old topic. Make sure you take the time and really find the story and moment that will make you shine to admission committees.
What are cliché college essay topics? - Scribbr
The most important step in how to write better essays is to focus on yourself. At times, it can feel uncomfortable to focus the entire essay on your accomplishments. However, remember that this essay should help your reader get to know you better. So, before you start writing, think about what aspects of your character you want to showcase. In fact, when generating college essay ideas, it can help to write down a short list of qualities that you want to highlight.
What are some examples of cliche college application essays?
We hope these tips help guide your topic selection when it comes time to write your college application essay! Find even more college essay advice in our .
Stray from the cliche – essay topics to avoid
While drug addiction, alcohol use, arrests, jail stints, and similar activities may seem intriguing, they are usually college essay topics to avoid. There is a chance the admissions committee won’t view those actions favorably, regardless of the lessons they learned along the way.