<p>I'm kind of stumped on what kind of idea would be a good topic for a college app. The prompt is: describe something or someone that has shapped your dreams or aspirations. </p>
<p>I was thinking about writing about my mom who raised me,my brother and my sister and hardly knows English, but I think it's kind of dull or expected. Or should I write about a sponsor of a club who devoted his personal time to community activites for over 15 years. I want to write something creative though so I'm unsure.
So any ideas?</p>
<p>It’s not quite who you write about but how. </p>
<p>Personally, I think either of those people would be a fine topic since they both have potential, but do you? If you want to be creative then do it, who can you be more expressive with, who do you have a better idea of, or who do you admire more; the answer to those questions will help you better in the creativity factor since you can freely write. Follow your gut and you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>The key is to “show, don’t tell.” A good technique is to borrow a cinematic approach and start the essay with a paragraph showing one scene in your life that leads to those dreams or aspirations. For example, if your Mom always encouraged you to follow your dreams (or whatever), do not just SAY that, but show it in action.</p>
<p>DO NOT start by saying “The person who most shaped my dreams or aspirations was my mom…” </p>
<p>STOP! The reader is bored already. Instead, SHOW how she helped you:</p>
<p>“The pain of failure was harsh. I couldn’t believe that I had been rejected from the very organization I most wanted to join since I began high school. When my mother smiled at me and told me that strength comes from learning from failures, I was angry with her. Didn’t she know what this meant to me? It was only later that I found out how right she was…”</p>
<p>Choose whichever topic allows you to write the most personal, detailed, and revealing essay. The essay that is so you that only you could write it.</p>
<p>If you think that an essay about your mother will be dull, then your readers might share your feelings. Your mother has done great things. Still, the purpose of the essay is not to reveal who has done the greatest things in your life, it is to reveal you. If the community organizer can provide a way to reveal the most about you, then so be it. Write about that person, and follow digmedia’s advice in the writing!</p>