<p>Does choosing the "pick your own topic" on the CommonApp hurt your essay? Do people commonly choose the common app topics already given b/c I would imagine there are no negatives to choosing your own topic which I am sure there are. Any insight would be much appreciated!</p>
<p>If anythign I'd think that'd help, because it'd make it more unique; it'd stand out from all the "Write about something that influenced you" essays.</p>
<p>well, if you decided to write about how your dog is totally awesome, than i would conjecture that would hurt you.</p>
<p>Most kids pick their own essay. The suggested options are a little trite (person who influenced you, meaningful experience, challenge you overcame, etc)</p>
<p>I see, well just out of curiosity, wouldn't it help if you chose one of their essay topics and killed it rather than choose your own? The only reason I ask is that it doesn't really make any sense that they would give a really specific list of topics and then be like..."uh actually you can just pick your own". I would think college readers could appreciate that your are versitale to arguing for a topic other than yours.</p>
<p>And again is it pretty common that people choose their own topic, I just don't see the creativity or versatility in that? Someone please clarify :)</p>
<p>Write about what you want to write about. If your essay really is good, then they wont say "Oh, he choose the 'pick your own topic' i think we'll admit the other kid instead"</p>
<p>This was a great article that ADad recommended to someone else. <a href="http://www.virginia.edu/undergradadm...gtheessay.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.virginia.edu/undergradadm...gtheessay.html</a></p>
<p>Clicked on link and doesn't work. Can you repost or give a full URL? Thanks!</p>
<p>Also I am sorry but I still can't get over this. Why would they give such specific topics for no reason? Is there absolutely no reason for this? or am I just overthinking this?</p>
<p>you're totally overthinking it. In addition to that article, i'll provide some anecdotal advice. when i first wrote my essay, to put it frankly - it sucked. ses set me on the right path. the essay has to be about you</p>
<p>then i wrote another essay. it wasn't that great again. then i read that article, it really did help a lot. while writing my new essay i kept the following things on the bottom of my word document, bold, and in bigger font. </p>
<p>SHOW DONT TELL
SIGHT, SOUND, TASTE, TOUCH, SMELL</p>
<p>it helped me, maybe it'll help you.</p>
<p>Add in "ission/writin" in between adm and gtheessay and that's the link for you.</p>
<p>I think you're probably just overthinking it a bit, they would not say "choose your own topic" if they hated students choosing their own topic. On that note, if you choose your own topic, make sure it is not an essay like "why superman is my hero" or "grey's anatomy is my favorite tv show." If it has some meaning to you and isn't a complete joke (and reflects upon you accurately), then it doesn't matter if it's the already given topic or your own made-up topic.</p>
<p>Good good, sweet link btw it helped. As for the topic, what do you guys think of gearing it towards something biomed related b/c I am applying to top biomed schools. I can make it good. But I can go another route and write about my Eagle Project. </p>
<p>Is there absolutely NO preference in the college's eyes as to whether I chose the biomed topic (something that would pertain to their university) as opposed to the Eagle Project. Are they only evaluating your writing style and not judging your subject based on subject complexitity (even though it could be as good as the other topic which would receive preference)?</p>
<p>it depends on the topic you choose. If you have a good one that can show a lot about you personality, you aspirations, etc, then go for it. Otherwise, it would be safer to just stick with the other topics.</p>
<p>^</p>
<p>The link gives an insight into what college admissions officers want to see: YOU! They can't go around interviewing thousands of applicants, and essays put a 'face' on the applicant. i'm pretty sure they pick up on things that you wouldn't even notice.</p>
<p>i read a book on writing college essays because i was so abysmal at it, and i read the reviews of a lot of sample essays. the things they learned about you from the most insignificant sentence was really interesting.</p>
<p>of course all of the essays in the book were top notch, so maybe thats why they all got to know the essay writer</p>
<p>Thanks for all the help. I understand, so I guess it doesn't matter whether an essay is intellectual or not even if applying to prestigious colleges? (I'm pretty sure I already know the answer, I just want to confirm it before I seriously begin lol)</p>
<p>And what was the title of the book you read out of curiousity</p>
<p>Don't mean to bump but annecdotes are definately the way to go then right?</p>
<p>"Choosing your own topic" is like a two-edged sword. You can either make it or break it, there's no middle ground. Personally, I would only go for that option if I <em>really</em> do have a topic in mind that not only reflects my charatcer/personality traits/passions/aspirations/intellect...but also the topic itself on the whole is more exciting, original, and challenging than the other topics listed. Otherwise, I don't think it would impress much.</p>
<p>The topic you choose doesn't have to be academically related, and it's probably easier to reveal your personality (and those intangibles that don't already show up on your application elsewhere) by writing about a non-academic subject. However, that doesn't mean that the essay shouldn't be intellectual in the way you write about the subject. Your observations, descriptions, and conclusions will ideally reveal thoughtful insight and intelligence, though not necessarily in a direct manner (remember to show and not tell).</p>
<p>An anecdote or story is always a great choice, but other formats can work too (though granted these are usually harder to pull off).</p>
<p>
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well, if you decided to write about how your dog is totally awesome, than i would conjecture that would hurt you.
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</p>
<p>I disagree. Writing about how your dog could be a great topic, as long as it is substantiated. If you say "my dog is my best friend, it totally understands my feelings and can always put a smile on my face" you will bomb. On the other hand, if you describe the circumstances of first meeting your dog, what it meant to you and why... it could be great, as long as your dog was not a Christmas present that was served to you on a silver platter by Mommy and Daddy. It is all about the context, the passion, and the word YOU.</p>
<p>The topics on the commonapp are very general; if you write your own essay, it would probably not be to difficult to put it into one of those categories if you stretch a little. That said, if you thought of a topic that's REALLY original, that's what the 6th topic is for. If you just can't write an essay about one of those other things because this 6th thing is just BURNING inside of you, dying to get out, then it's not going to hurt you.</p>
<p>What if my topic was just a description of a really unique club that does really unique things. It isn't as complicated as the other common app topics, it is just a description of what we do. The essay will be good, but the topic is quite simple, will that be alright, just describing what we do in this club?</p>
<p>Sounds like that could be a good topic.</p>