<li><p>Does the essay have to be the most important thing that happened to you? For me, the most important thing that happened is kind of cliched and kinda hard to truly express. Could the essay be about something that wasn’t as significant but equally interesting?</p></li>
<li><p>Could I use this year’s UVA essay topic as a “topic of your choice” for freshman application to college for next year? Would admissions officers recognize the topic and assume that I was just skirting having to write one of the suggested topics?</p></li>
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<li><p>Your essay just has to reveal the real you. It doesn't need to be about the most important thing that's ever happened to you or your greatest accomplishments (although you certainly can write about said topics). I did just fine, and my essays covered the range from a moment in English class to my struggles to learn English to the huge lawn chair on Parrish Beach at Swarthmore.</p></li>
<li><p>One of the CommonApp essay choices has always been a choose your own topics. I've heard that unless you have a really good essay for the other choices, doing your own topic would allow you to be unique and stand out more?</p></li>
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<p>but would using last year's uva essay be a problem?</p>
<p>My essay was a weird piece about how I talk a lot but it ended up expressing my interest in literature and theatre and my intellectual curiosity. It wasn't the best essay ever, and it certainly wasn't about saving the world, but it got across who I was rather well, I thought.</p>
<p>Like I said, I don't see why it would. UVA isn't the only place who has a "topic of your own choice" prompt.</p>