<p>I've started my personal statement process since this July, but as of now, September 21, I still have NO ESSAY.
I've written essays on around seven or eight completely different topics, and at the moment, I still don't know which topic to choose.
I've realized that my problem is, of course, indecision, but I'm wondering - how did all of you choose your essay topics? How was your process?
I've read several How-to-Write-Amazing-College-Essays books, and all of them simply say, come up with ideas and write. Well, yes, I have come up with ideas -- too many ideas! -- and I have written. Quite a lot. But how to choose?
I look to all of you for guidance and insight.</p>
<p>bumpity bump :D</p>
<p>you could write the opening statements for each essay and have us pick which one draws us in</p>
<p>Haha, another thing is that I just come up w/ opening lines, but I can't really go off and add lots of substance. I was just wondering if anyone else had the same problem of indecision. All those college essay books makes it seem so easy. Like, oh ok, I'll go freewrite in my room for 30 min and hey! I've chosen my essay topic, out of 50 of them! haha</p>
<p>another bump?</p>
<p>um, you could send me all of them and I'll pick which one I like lol</p>
<p>ugh I'm having the exact same problem Dx
I'll come back to you when I find a solution :P</p>
<p>What do you find to be wrong with the essays that you've already written?</p>
<p>same problem w/ me! i'm going insane..nothing seems good or fresh enough.</p>
<p>Have you had a college counselor read any of them? He/she can probably give you a pretty good idea of which essay is best / most appropriate, both in general and given which schools you're applying to.</p>
<p>Beyond that, list out the topics for us? If we assume they're all of about equal quality, we can at least give you an idea of which topic is most "original" or eye-catching.</p>
<p>Grab a pen and paper.
Go out into the world.
What intrigues you?
What do you feel passionate about?</p>
<p>Ask yourselves those questions.</p>
<p>I came up with alot of essay prompts. My problem was that I kept coming up with better prompts than the ones before.</p>
<p>Some of my topics were
-Hurricane Ike
-visiting a nursing home
-my camera
-my daily bike rides</p>
<p>Sorry for dying on all of you. But thanks :)</p>
<p>talk to someone who knows you well
and above all write about something you care about</p>
<p>so i got some really really good advice from an admissions officer about essays....the question youu need to be able to answer is: what does this essay tell about me?
sure it might say that you ran that last mile with more fervor and tenacity than you ever believed possible....but what does that say about u....not really all that much...cool you have perserveered that one time...im not poo pooing that accomplishment because by allll means it was amazing. but it is hard for the admissions to get a feel for who you are or youur personal thoughts when you write like that.
so instead try and come up with a topic that shows your own personalities quirks that you dont think are strange but would seem really weird to someone who hasn't done that one thing all their lives.</p>
<p>i was told to think about something that has been influential in who I am as a person and how i have become who i am.
Is there a specific event thaat shows who you are as a person...and what valuable unique thing you would bring to the "artificial community" created by colleges. you dont have to be super unique about what happened to you or what you are trying to convey in your essay. you simply have to be yourself. if you use big fancy words all the time....by all means go for it and use them...if not...then dont</p>
<p>soo....what i am trying to say here is:</p>
<p>Be yourself
ask yourself what does this essay SAY about me? (more than just the story...about who i am and my beliefs)
could someone who knows me well tell i wrote this essay</p>
<p>Well, I had come up with some pretty sweet ideas while I was just driving in my car. I had trouble creating a full essay out of them, just like you, though.</p>
<p>So, on the day the app's due, I'm sitting on my bed, getting ready for dance class. I'm taping my two smallest toes together because I broke one while running into a wall. I think, "Dang, I really wish I wasn't so clumsy". </p>
<p>And then I know exactly what to do. I write all about how clumsy I am and all the stupid things I do, and it turns out well.</p>
<p>...but I'm not sure if that helps you at all. Maybe, when you're ready, the essay will come.</p>
<p>I've had the same problem as you...I've probably run through about 6 different topics and destroyed them all in editing or disgust of what I've written. </p>
<p>My solution?</p>
<p>I finally went to my mom yesterday and asked her what made me, well, me. And guess what? She told me a whole story about my childhood that I never really realized was such a big factor in who I am today. My advice would be to go to someone who knows you really well -- whether it's your relatives, parents, etc. and ask them to tell you a story they remember about you. More likely than not, it is somethiing that has been important to you one day or another.</p>
<p>"I know you better than you know yourself." - Mom. And, sadly, I have to admit that is true.</p>
<p>I agree with zfox and crystalprophecy. definitely make sure that one of your close friends will be able to tell that it's your writing. And going to someone that knows you well isnt a bad idea too. </p>
<p>For like a week straight, I carried a small notebook to school. in classes that i got super bored in and what not, i just wrote about what i was thinking. I got some song lyrics, I got some ideas, and more ideas. These ideas you would write down would be you. Maybe youd wanna try it. </p>
<p>and also dont not write something cause it seems trivial. people write about their toenails and end up getting into some of the best schools. If you think it\s important, it is.</p>
<p>What I did, at least for the common app, is brainstorm 2-3 possible ideas for each of the 6 prompts, then narrowed it down to the best idea for each prompt and then just imagined what I could reveal about myself to the admissions officers from each idea. The choice was clear to me after that.</p>
<p>I just suggest brainstorming possible ideas and then think about which one you feel the most passionately about and which one reveals the most about yourself. Then just take it and go, and don't look back.</p>
<p>I had a similar problem, and then I wrote about the city lights of Los Angeles.</p>
<p>Write about something extremely minuscule and relate it to you as a person. Or you could just ask someone who knows you best (as the previous posters have recommended).</p>
<p>Write about a passion, a quirk, something that makes you unique. For my personal statement I pretty much f'ed up, so don't go that route. :)</p>
<p>Sometimes trying too hard doesn't work. Rather, don't even think about college essays, don't even think about college applications. Take a break of at least three days from everything that has to do with college and it'll come to you. Trust me. Just let it flow through your veins like the blood that naturally circulates throughout your body. When it comes to you, don't force it out. Don't try to be too funny, too smart, too anything. Just be completely and utterly you. Really. It seems difficult, but it's not. It's only difficult because your making it difficult. </p>
<p>After writing it, leave it. Leave it for a week. Then read it again. Read it out loud. Feel it. Is it you? Could someone else have written it? If not, give it to a friend to read. Give to the person who knows you best. Because he or she will be honest with you. :)</p>
<p>And if you're wondering, I really love writing. hahaha</p>
<p>Keep in mind that you'll go nuts (if you aren't already!) trying to come up with a topic that showcases "all" of you. Instead, imagine that you are picking out one "snapshot" rather than entire photo album to present to colleges. But, even if your essay hones in on one very specific topic, if it's well written, admission officials will get a lot more of you out of it than just the subject matter. That is, they'll be able to learn something (though not EVERYTHING) about your values, your humor, your background ...</p>
<p>A great example of an essay that does this well is "Whole Sole," which you can find in a handy book called *On Writing THE College Application Essay*by Harry Bauld. (See College</a> Admissions Book - Essay Writing)</p>
<p>Some of the best essays I've ever read (and I've read a gazillion!) were on what some of you might dub "non-topics:" a laundry mishap at a prep school, picking potatoes in Idaho, a daily elevator ride in New York, "Why I shop at Wal-Mart." </p>
<p>Certainly these essays didn't tell us everything about the students who wrote them. But if you aim for one clear snapshot, where less can be more, you'll probably write a better essay than if you try to cover too much ground.</p>