<p>one of the questions in my application says:</p>
<p>Tell us about an external influence (a person, an event, etc.) that affected you and how it caused you to change direction. </p>
<p>Would this be a good essay to talk about my sisters and how they have helped me through some tough times and how they set me in the right direction, and how I want to make them proud? or is that a common thing that people right about? any input is appreciated. Thank you!</p>
<p>or should I talk about just one of my sisters? or does talking about both sound good? thanks for the input.</p>
<p>anyone?....</p>
<p>Whatever topic allows you to be personal, detailed, honest and revealing in your writing can be a good topic for you.</p>
<p>If your writing is so personal that, ideally, only you could have written the essay; if the essay grows out of your unique personality and experience, then it won't matter how many other people may have written on your topic.</p>
<p>good point, thanks. but is that a common topic? I want to talk about something unique.</p>
<p>It's not the topic, it's what you do with the topic.</p>
<p>The best college essay I ever read, and I've read hundreds of them, was on a common topic.</p>
<p>What is unique and valuable about a good essay is not the topic, it is the personality and experience revealed in the essay. Personal, detailed, honest and revealing makes for a good essay, regardless of the commonness or uniqueness of the topic.</p>
<p>The best topic is the one that allows the writer to be the most personal, detailed, honest and revealing. The best topic for someone else may not be, probably is not, the best topic for you. </p>
<p>It is a great mistake imo to hunt "outside" for that supposed Holy Grail, the topic that no one has ever heard of. Rather, one should hunt inside for one's true self, one should reveal (aspects of) that true self by whatever topic allows for that. Since one's self is unique, such self-revelation will yield a unique essay.</p>
<p>A unique essay. That is the true Holy Grail, the prize that can be found by all who search carefully and thoughtfully inside, who write skillfully and imaginatively, who write what they truly live.</p>
<p>wow thats good, thanks for the help</p>