i’m having a really hard time thinking of what to write for my common app, and i know it’s the end of november 
i come from a pretty privileged and affluent area, and i wanted to talk about an experience that made me realize how much i took for granted. is this as overdone as i think it is? and will it come off as cheesy?
does anyone have advice for how to think of essay topics? i am really stuck
very hard to do that topic well. Have you done anything since your realization that can be the actual point of your essay- tangible changes in your life, for example?
That is THE most overdone topic, so, don’t.
I wouldn’t sweat so much the “overdone” emphasis… most of the topics that we read here are probably overdone.
But my concern is that it sounds like your essay could be written by every single kid in your high school, as well as probably a huge percentage of the kids applying to a lot of top schools. What about it makes the reader want to choose you over any of those other kids?
Here’s the approach that worked well with my son when he was trying to start his essay:
Day 1: Start a Word document with each of the Common App prompts on its own page.Set a timer for 4 minutes per topic.
Then brainstorm any example of what the prompt address. Aim for ones that start with “The time…” Anything goes; nothing is too off the wall to be considered at this stage. So each page is full of “The time the dog ate my homework, The time I got my first flat tire. The time I was forgot to put detergent into the washer…” types of entries
Day 2: Take a look at what you have. For each topic you’re considering, write a sentence or two about how that example address the prompt and shows you in a good light. So, for example, on the flat tire story, maybe “all alone, no spare, remembered to call AAA and even to tip the guy who changed it, learned both preparation and independence” or something along those lines.
Day 3: weed out the ones that obviously won’t work, and start bullet outlines for the others.
Day 4: Choose one or two and start writing. Don’t sweat the intro or the word count, just get something on paper. It’s much easier to edit than to write, so get the basics written.