Long story short I’m boring and the only thing interesting about me is that I got expelled in 7th grade for having a knife but that doesn’t seem like an appropriate essay topic. I’ve wrestled for 4 years and I’ve become a leader out of it but it’s nothing too significant and no big events have come through it. I’ve been involved with orchestra and I hold a powerlifting state record but those aren’t very dynamic essay topics. One topic I’ve been revolving on is my Pre Calc/ Calc AB teacher that I had sophomore and junior year. He was a complete asshole to me because I was an asshole in class, but he was still a good teacher who actually cared. I was very immature and hated his guts. He recommended me to take Calc AB but I got my schedule changed and took Calc BC. After 1 semester of BC with another teacher I dropped because I was failing and landed back in his AB class. It was embarrassing to say the least, but I started to shut up and learn. After a semester in his class i finally began to appreciate him because he allowed me to mature on my own and I finished with an A and a 5 on the AP Test. I’m not sure if this fits into any of the common app prompts and even if it did it seems kinda lame and exaggerating would be kinda hard.
I would try to focus on the 7th grade expulsion. You could tie in wrestling and the powerlifting record to talk about how you grew as a person, or how the incident motivated you to work harder in school. Maybe link the story to prompt #1? From what I’ve heard, the personal essay doesn’t have to follow the prompts exactly.
And if it makes you feel any better, I’m facing the exact same problem. You seem interesting in comparison to me.
I actually wouldn’t mention the knife incident. But you could talk about how your perseverance in wrestling has helped you to become a more determined student.
I just asked a few people and they said the expulsion isn’t a good idea because it’s too old of a story and colleges see weapons and everything about it very controversially. And I’m sure you could find something to talk about
Yeah, I wouldn’t write about the time you had a knife in class and got expelled.
anyway, there are lots of topics…one of the good essays being talked about last year was the girl who gave a different name every time she ordered at Starbucks. My own kid wrote about adopting a cat at the Humane Society and got into lots of places with that essay (and even received a nice note about it from uChicago when they accepted her!). So think and and think offbeat.
I would not mention weapons and expulsion in a college app. That could be a red flag.
Can you combine learning to read music to learning wrestling techniques? Or maybe you hum orchestra music during your matches? Something like that. Those are 2 unique and different talents, maybe write how they help you in school in different ways and make you one complete student.
As others have said, it’s usually best to avoid mentioning expulsion or having weapons at school.
Don’t feel like you have to write about something amazing or outstanding to write a great essay. As an aside, one of the most famous college app essays of all time is the essay about everything a student hasn’t done (https://www.■■■■■■■■■■■■/the-ivy-coach-blog/tag/famous-nyu-essay/).
You can write about anything – a halloween costume, a tv show, an embarrassing event, etc. can all be turned into great essays.
Do NOT bring up any incidents that suggest you could be a deranged, violent, ticking timebomb waiting to go off and slaughter dozens of people.
Use both the wrestling and the teacher incident. One shows your talents other than academic, and the other shows how u matured and opened your mind to the experience of learning. U can describe how u got off on the wrong foot but ended with a great life changing mentor.