<p>So, I'm filling out the Common Application, and I'm having trouble choosing a topic that I could really expand on.</p>
<p>I am pretty confident, at least to some extent, in my writing skills. However, my styles vary quite a bit to very long and eloquent to short and abrupt.</p>
<p>Which topic would be best for me to write in terms of having more of an impact on the readers?</p>
<p>I play piano, violin, and cello, but I no longer take lessons.
I'm first generation in my immediate family going to college.
I am Korean who was born in L.A.</p>
<p>I don't know; what other topics could I talk about? Any kind of hints as to what I should even START writing about would be helpful!</p>
<p>No offense, but there are loads of Koreans who play three instruments and probably who are the first in their immediate family to attend college. Is there something else? Something quirky or unique that really helps set you apart from all the others out there?</p>
<p>What we did in class today was very interesting. Maybe you should try it.</p>
<p>First we wrote a list of things to write about. Then you pick ONE off the list. If word or whatever writing program is not opened, open it. Then turn off the computer screen and write about what you picked. Do it for 15 minutes and don’t stop typing. At the end, you may have found what you’re writing about at the end if completely different. Then, you pick a word, phrase, or w/e from the long paragraph you should have wrote in 15 minutes (It will hurt your arms or hands haha)and write about that. Eventually you may even get some new topics you think would be cool to write about. </p>
<p>To be honest, if I was an adcom, I would die reading the essays you are currently planning to write. They don’t sound that interesting.</p>
<p>I’m not sure how common this one is, but maybe, if your writing skills are as good as you say they are, you should try the ‘which literary/historical figure do you relate to’ question. That one usually leads to some more thought and creativity than the standard ‘this is some significant achievement i’ve gone through’ question. The current topics you picked do seem rather general, so i’d try for something else.</p>
<p>Well, I do have a life-changing event, if you could call it one.</p>
<p>On my sweet 16th birthday, one of my good childhood friends had given me a jar full of 100 papercranes. He left to train in the military, though.</p>
<p>He’s a really good friend of mine, and his jar of papercranes mean a lot to me. Do you guys think I could write out a well-written essay of some sort on the meaning behind his birthday gift to me before he went off to train?</p>