<p>I'm pretty confused. Many people say that writing about heavy topics for college essays (death, rape, depression, etc.) is bad because it just seems like you're trying to gain sympathy and not what you gained from it. But then if you write about your accomplishments and academics it comes off as arrogant? Which am I supposed to go with then?</p>
<p>I would hope that there’s more to your life than death/rape/depression and academics/accomplishments. What do you do in your spare time? Do you, for example, draw? Great, what kinds of things? Why do you love it? Can you tell about a specific time?</p>
<p>Last year, I wrote about being a germaphobe and trying to fix a vacuum. I’m sure you can find something. Good luck.</p>
<p>The goal of your essay is to try to show something about your personality beyond the veneer of activities and bad stuff that may have happened in your life. Your goal is to show something unique about yourself that make the admissions committee think you would be a good addition to the campus. Successful essays do not have to be about weighty topics or bragging about accomplishments. They are more about your personality than anything else.</p>
<p>I mean, I love playing music and reading and writing and other activities but for some reason I feel like these dont really make me unique and are bland topics to write about. But I see what you two are saying
thanks for the replies! </p>
<p>Part of your job is to take the ordinary and make it sound interesting. Your intellect and imagination should emerge through the writing itself. That is why, to consider just one example, the University of Chicago is known for its unusual writing prompts, like asking what you could do with a gallon jar of mustard. Mustard is a pretty bland topic. The goal of the essay is to make it seem interesting.</p>