Common App Essay Ideas?

<p>I am having trouble thinking of a good topic to write my essay on. what do you think of some of these ideas?</p>

<ol>
<li><p>How Holden Caulfield influenced my writing style and the way I see the world</p></li>
<li><p>something to do with my love of reading and how reading effects me</p></li>
<li><p>How I have always been really independent and I can handle the real world alone</p></li>
<li><p>I'm like a bank in that I always save my money and my parents/sister come to me when in need of funds</p></li>
<li><p>My typical day last school year, waking up at 5 to go to marching band, not eating breakfast, going through the whole school day and going to work directly afterschool. Getting off at 1030 PM and rushing to finish my hw, then wake up and do it over again about two-three weekdays each week.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Do any of those sound good?</p>

<p>Honestly, I don’t really think the people on this forum know what exactly the essay-readers are looking for… with that said, go whichever you feel will best show who you are</p>

<p>I think you should write all of them, or at least two-three. Then compare them, and revise the one that you think has the most potential. Get input from someone else, too, like one of your parents or an English teacher.</p>

<p>I really like the first one. You’re clearly literary minded, like I consider myself to be, and I feel like you could really go places with that idea.
It exemplifies your comprehension/love of reading, so it ties in the second idea as well.
It’s very original, I believe.</p>

<p>Honestly, 2-5 are not really unique. Plenty of teens have an intense love of reading, are independent, are frugal and have had less than easy and manageable school years. We’ve all been through it. Your best bet is choice #1. I loved Catcher in the Rye as well.</p>

<p>I agree with a.woah in that 2-5 are common experiences which can be shared by thousands of other students. While these maybe “safe” essays, their potential to become a game-changing essay is limited.</p>

<p>I would also suggest #1 since it is about your experiences with a well-known character, from a well-known book. However, be careful because it is somewhat of a unique essay. It has the potential to be really bad, but also extremely good. </p>

<p>Best of luck!</p>

<p>I think you can do a mix of all by introducing important points in separate paragraphs. But a clear theme should be there…
Good luck!=)</p>

<p>Seems like the first one is a good idea. Or since the first two are similar you could combine them with Holden as your main point. But definitely write a couple first and see which is the best.</p>

<p>I like the ideas, but from what i read in this really good book (Winning the Heart of the College Admissions Dean) Catcher in the rye is the most written about book, followed by Great Gatsby. So maybe consider different ones. Again, I’m only conveying what I read. Also your topics seem a little dry, if you can expand on your topics and show through those topics why you would be a good match for the college go for it, otherwise you might need new topics. Good Luck. I’m in the same position, I’m having a hard time figuring out what to talk about.</p>

<p>Looking back, I can see saroth’s point. However, I think writing about a character from a relatively unknown book could cause some confusion, especially if the admission officer is skimming through your essay.</p>

<p>In my opinion, I think that if you were to include Catcher in your essay, make sure it leans toward a personal experience rather than a general experience. The more unique and personal the better!</p>

<p>Best of luck in your essay~</p>