<p>What are some cliche essay topics that one should probably avoid . . I know i know, write from your heart, but still . . just out of curiosity.</p>
<p>every topic is good.. as long as you make it originally</p>
<p>There's really nothing new under the sun (I'm sure the seasoned adcoms have seen most everything), but deliberately trying to make something original without having it come from the heart might backfire. It might come off as fake and shallow. That's worse than contrite, in my opinion.</p>
<p>Get "On Writing the College Application Essay" by Henry Bauld. Most of the people on CC, along with myself, can vouch on how good the book is. It really helps.</p>
<p>it doesn't have to be anecdotal.</p>
<p>all those college application essay books make it seem like your essay must be anecdotal. it really messed me over in my early app. i was deferred and then rejected.</p>
<p>i sent a different essay to all my other colleges and had much better luck. it was stream-of-consciousness, freely structured and didn't give a lot of background info but it was much more personal and much more "me" than the other crap essay i wrote.</p>
<p>IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE ANECDOTAL!</p>
<p>Please, not another "A student at my school committed suicide/died and it really made me reflect on the value of life in a new way."</p>
<p>I hate to say it, because I know the death of a young person is a profound tragedy and it can certainly be difficult, moving, and life-changing for his or her peers. In many ways, it's a great subject to write about. </p>
<p>But when I was an admissions counselor I started to get tired of the topic. If the person was close to you and it really did change your life, then by all means write about it. But if not, don't reach to extend your ties to a death just because you think it will be an emotional grabber.</p>
<p>immigration success stories</p>
<p>I sat on the bench for four years, but staggered up to the plate Curt Gibson style and hit a playoff winning home run.</p>
<p>Dead grandparents
Foreign travel has made me realize that we are all the same
How I won the Big Game</p>
<p>I have that book by Harry Bauld, after it was recommended so many times on CC :)</p>
<p>Hmm . . . UCs give extra "points" for death of a family member and how it impacts the student</p>
<p>Get the Bauld book.</p>
<p>I wrote one of my best essays in around thirty minutes; I find that over-analysis can kill even an essay with a tremendously original topic.</p>
<p>Thanks, I'll take that into consideration, although I'm gonna try not to rush about it; I'm reading the Bauld book as a 1st step now.</p>
<p>what about sketchy topics, like if you wrote about being abused? or if you were pressured into taking drugs and learned from your errors, decided to make a drug free campaign? or you were found pregnant and had to make a decision about what to do with the kid, how to piece your life back together . . or if you were a cutter to relieve the stress, and realized your mistakes .. or you know, something along those lines? do they label you as a freak and disregard your application?</p>
<p>I wrote mine on my uncle dying in my freshman year and how much of an impact it had on me. I showed it to my English teachers and my GC, who said that it was one of the best essay's she's ever read before. If you can pull it off, nothing is cliche.</p>
<p>Nicely said.</p>
<p>I read a lot of my friends' essays this year, and the WORST essays were BY FAR the ones that condescendingly discussed issues that are clearly beyond the comprehension of the writer. I'm only 17, but I was so grossed out to read all these falsely emotional tales of working with poor kids, making a "selfless" pilgrimage to a country to care for the sick (I live in a big city, and why my classmates felt the need to travel to rural France to help the disadvantaged when there are homeless and needy people 5 minutes from our houses is beyond me), how being friends with someone in a wheelchair has really changed your life...etc, etc, etc. </p>
<p>By all means, DO NOT write about how Darfur, Rwanda, etc, is an important issue in your life unless you are actually DOING something (running a toiletries drive does not count!) to help the situation or come from that region. </p>
<p>Unless someone in your immediate family or a lifelong friend passed away, don't write about death. </p>
<p>Don't even risk writing about drug experimentation, getting pregnant, personal alcohol abuse, or anything related. The essay may be amazing, but why even risk it? Every human being has millions of topics they can write a really great essay about, so don't settle for the obvious. </p>
<p>The best essays are the ones that are honest, genuine, and not snobby. Seemingly silly or mundane topics often make the best essays. Don't try to impress anyone.</p>