Is this essay topic about volunteering cliche?

I’m not the most exciting person, but I have a great passion for volunteering at my local library because it was literally my go-to during my younger years. In the essay, I described what led me to volunteer there and the experiences gained that helped me to overcome anxiety talking to strangers & gaining confidence by taking the initiative, whether it be introducing myself or starting classroom discussions, etc. My first paragraph that described my early experiences there before I became a volunteer was suspenseful & engaging, but everything that followed was more of a reflection from a distance and not as “fun” as the first paragraph. Is that ok? Should I try to find a new topic to write about?

The essay is a chance to share something important about yourself with college admissions officers. If this is it, then write about it. Maybe see if you can add some more interest or fun along the way.

I actually like it as a topic, but maybe you need to brainstorm more about specific situations or examples from the experience to talk about.

@intparent Can you elaborate? I don’t think there was a specific situation that suddenly helped me become more extroverted. Rather, it was just repeatedly having to talk to patrons that made the change.

Colleges like to see kids who put themselves out there, take a risk, push their boundaries…sounds like your volunteering at the library did exactly that for you. To make sure it’s not boring, "Show, don’t tell.’ It’s the most basic advice all new writers get. Find an example that illustrates the point - a situation where you had to push yourself to do the job and why you did it and what happened. Helping a little kid find books that you loved as a kid? Helping someone for whom English isn’t their main language access the tools they need? Discovering all the people for whom the library is a safe haven from chaotic personal lives? What insights have you gleaned over the years by working in this place? This is a topic that is full of potential. Give yourself permission to be creative and see where it takes you.

It is the “show, don’t tell” portion of essay writing. A general description of what you learned isn’t as compelling as a short story or incident description. Okay to have brief summaries of what you learned/realized from it, but the examples hopefully bring it to life.