<p>Hey, I'm going to be a rising senior, and I'm just starting to think about application essays. I've realized a lot of them ask generally the same things revolving around your passion or some obstacle you've had or some inspiring story in your life.
However, I don't know about any of these things in my life. I mean, how do I write about family drama I've been through which is terrible enough....family illnesses that I've had to go deal with. Are these even topic ideas I could possibly write about?
I love to help out others and I do plenty of service-learning activities, but honestly, I don't know of any essay worthy experience. I'm so confused trying to figure out what to write in an essay, and I really don't want to exaggerate anything or even make anything up; i want it to be true and natural, but I can't think of anything :/
I like to do a lot of activities, like sports and music, etc, but I have no idea what I could say about my hobbies that would lead to a great essay topic, either...
Any advice would be great =)</p>
<p>For college essays, and all writing for that matter, it’s not about the topic, but really about how you express that topic. I’d suggest you get a book with college essays and read that. It will inspire some possible topics for you and it will also show you the kind of writing colleges are looking for. Goodluck with your applications this fall.</p>
<p>We can’t answer that for you, you have to answer that for yourself.</p>
<p>Like futurestudent said, it isn’t about the experience, but how you convey it. I know one kid who wrote about traveling and all of the things he saw, but it was a kind of bland essay and he didn’t get into the top schools he wanted. Alternatively, another kid described playing chamber music and how it was amazing to see people from different backgrounds playing different parts all meld together (this kid is now at Harvard).</p>
<p>I wouldn’t suggest writing about family drama if it portrays anyone in a bad light, because adcom might not be too happy about that. If you’ve done community service working with someone in particular, like an elderly/disabled person, and underprivileged kid, you could write about the impact that person made on your life. For sports, you could write about practicing for it and what values you gained from it - perseverance, perhaps? For music, same thing - maybe something about self-expression?</p>
<p>Just some thoughts. If you don’t think it means anything to you, don’t write about it. But if you look at any of the things you’ve done and something sticks, then write about it. Your passion will come through in your writing.</p>