12 hours of writing-still no topic. HELP!

College Essays
1

<p>I just wrote 2 essays with open prompts and I talked about: </p>

<li>how my parents never came to any of my school/ec events as a kid and how that made me more independent</li>
<li>how i became a better leader through my environmental club.</li>
</ol>

<p>The first is well written, but covers too common of a topic, and the second is too boring
After much outside critiquing, i realized that neither of these are strong enough for the schools I’m applying to (Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc.) </p>

<p>(please pick the 2 you think would be most interesting, memorable, and significant/encompassing many aspects of my character)</p>

<p>Possible topics:</p>

<p>significant person-through my holocaust art competition, i met the woman who I used as a starting point for my painting-i was surprised that she was at the ceremony, and she made me not only want to go to an east coast school, but also taught me forgiveness, courage, etc.</p>

<p>leadership-how i convinced people that digging through trash cans for water bottles is worthwhile</p>

<p>random-how i’ve had a digital watch forever and how i’ve learned to not let time control me</p>

<p>or </p>

<p>-my inability to read road maps because i lack spatial skills (this is for real. i get lost all the time) and how it has affected my definition of intelligence + my inability to do logic puzzles though i have straight As, helping me see the different qualities in my classmates/my capacity for growth?</p>

<p>family-how my father’s work in China has made me realize the way my own work was isolating myself from family/friends</p>

2

<p>DEF sig person IMO.</p>

<p>Then I really, really like the leadership thing if it is written well.</p>

<p>NOT the family one for various reasons and it is too late to type that much (unless you want the reasons of course)</p>

<p>The road maps one COULD be negative… but very, very interesting.
The digital watch one could turn cliche. It needs to be written well and have a ‘selling point’. So I guess my second choice would be one of the random ones.</p>

3

<p>Choose the topic that will allow you to write the most personal, detailed, honest and revealing essay.</p>

<p>Total strangers cannot know what will be most revealing of you. </p>

<p>

</p>

<p>It’s not the topic, it’s what you do with the topic. </p>

<p>There are no cliche topics. There are only cliche treatments of topics.</p>

4

<p>Think about which topic would let you lead with an interesting scene or story–show, don’t tell. For example, if you write about the woman you used as the starting point for your painting, you might start by putting yourself at the ceremony.</p>

5

<p>i like the one about the significant person.
i’m no expert on essays, but i think this is the one that’ll really help you come alive and show your character</p>