<p>I have run out of essay ideas
I have led a simple life and it seems to me that I have nth dramatic to write abt...not especially talented in anything too..am I hopeless?
well, I've thought of writing wt I've learnt from playing the piano, like creativity, ready to take challenges etc but would that be too much of a cliche?</p>
<p>btw I'm from Hong Kong, if that helps</p>
<p>its cliche to write about playing teh piano but what you have to do is delve further into this topic. Don't worry, I'm in the same situation (and apps are due in a few days).</p>
<p>u mean talk abt how it affects my life/views?
sigh..app essays are nightmares to me</p>
<p>Write what you intuitively think. I wouldn't worry about choosing a "cliche" topic because IMO if you worry too much about that it will affect your writing.</p>
<p>I think it almost doesn't matter WHAT you write about. the adcoms want to see how thoughtful and insghtful you are. ....how you can generalize from the specific to the general and back to the specific again...how you can decsribe WHO you are from your experience and WHY you want to attend their college...what you can bring to the table. Robert Petrosky has written books about pencils and paperclips ...but they are really about problem solving, creativity, innovation and elegance. the adcoms want to read a story about you. Captivate them.</p>
<p>ok oops i hit post too quickly...about the piano ...i think you could write a great essay using the metaphore of: lets see....your first recital, or a big practicing breakthrough, or when you finally meshed your right hand and your left hand (that's a HUGE accomplishment) .... when you first got beyond the written notes to the real MUSIC and what that meant to you, ...be really concrete about your experience but tie it to a message you want to convey...not just "boy learning to play piano is tough but i did it"...that would be a cliche. a friend who was a refugee once told me a story about how when he came to this county he didn't speak a word of English. he sat in his elementary school class week after week and didn't say anything. one day his teacher looked in his direction and asked a question. My friend said he just started crying and couldn't answer......because it was the first time he understood the teacher's question. He said that was the moment he first felt like he was going to be ok..and when he first felt like he could be an american. I think the best essays use an intense image or snapshot of someones life to tell a story. If youre really stuck start your essay as if you are writing a letter to someone telling them the story. then in a couple of drafts mold it into an essay with the message you want to convey to the college.</p>
<p>hey thanks spiker, u've been a great help!</p>