After reading lots of essays I noticed something

College Essays
1

After reading countless essays online, I’ve realized that there’s usually two types of formats to common app essays:

  1. essays that talk about one event/activity, then reflect on what was learned from it
  2. essays that start off with an interesting anecdote/event, then transition into a second topic where they apply knowledge from the first. I’ve seen a lot of essays that relate a love for art/music to STEM that follows this format. Or there was a Johns Hopkins essay that started off talking about how he’s ambidextrous and then transitioned into different aspects of his life where he’s had to take on different roles. Usually these essays use some kind of symbol to connect all the events together.

which is more effective? I usually like essays that just stick to one idea better, but I can understand how talking about multiple things can give a better idea of who you are as a person.

2

Just write the best essay you can. Let it rest and then look at it again with the eye of an editor. Run it past your teachers and friends.

The most important thing is good writing on the topic that you choose. That can take many forms.

best of luck to you.