I’ve been brainstorming some topics for my commonapp essay and I am sort of overwhelmed with ideas. I guess I’m quite a unique student, which should be a good thing, but I’m having a hard time deciding what it is that would make me appeal to colleges. I’ve got a whole list going here and I’d love to hear some opinions on which topics are good, which are stupid/generic, and which ones would do more harm than good.
-Being homeschooled is sometimes looked down upon but I’d like to write an essay sort of “dubunking” some stereotypes and stating how it may actually make me a better student than someone who attended traditional high school. (Homeschooled since 10th grade)
-Being an active member of the LGBT community has helped me thrive socially and accomplish many personal goals. I would discuss some of the specific events I’ve been a part of and the amazing people I have met through being part of the community. Almost all the schools I’m applying to have huge LGBT clubs and I’d like to demonstrate a strong interest in participating.
-Growing up was interesting for me because my older brother has autism and it affected a lot of my childhood as well as his because we’re so close in age. My parents have also fostered some children in our household and one of my brothers was adopted from the foster care system. This has a lot to do with my interest in occupational therapy, which is a major that I’m applying for at several different schools (NYU, Ithaca, UNH, and more). However, I’m not sure I remember enough details from my childhood to compile an actual story out of it.
-Earlier this year, I rescued a stray domestic rabbit from outdoors, cleaned him up, and found an amazing new home for him. This story would look good on applications for schools which I’m applying to vet/animal science majors (however, those mostly make up my safety schools, so I don’t think I should put too much thought into those).
I accidentally posted that before I was done, haha. I have one more topic.
-For the past year and a half or so, I have had a job at Mcdonald’s in one of those interstate rest stops. While it’s honestly a terrible job, I have learned so much from it and met so many amazing people. It’s taught me how to indulge myself in my work, how to keep up in a fast-paced environment, how to set and achieve goals, and tons of fantastic social skills. I work with customers from all over the world and have learned to communicate with almost any type of person. I have also learned to tolerate the people I may not get along with initially, aka my coworkers. We’re forced to work as a team and put up with each other while trying to make the best of it. Right now this is my favorite topic because it highlights a lot of my strengths, however I’m scared it might be a bit too generic or “fluffy” and admissions officers might find it boring. What do you think?
“Being homeschooled is sometimes looked down upon but I’d like to write an essay sort of “dubunking” some stereotypes” – you’d be preaching to the choir. Admissions officers aren’t dumb, they know the merits and drawbacks of each type of schooling.
“and the amazing people I have met through being part of the community.” – as long as you don’t make this essay about THEM instead of YOU, this could be a viable option.
“This has a lot to do with my interest in occupational therapy,” – could be interesting. (Also, mad respect for your family.) You don’t need that many details, IMO; just enough to construct a vivid opening scene, and then the rest of the essay should be dedicated to the topic’s effect on YOU.
“however, those mostly make up my safety schools, so I don’t think I should put too much thought into those” – this topic sounds a little boring to me, but besides that, make sure your safeties don’t consider “applicant interest.” If they think you’re not putting enough thought and effort into your app, they could elect not to let you in.
Personally, I would write a draft each of the middle two topics and see, from there, which one you think has more promise.
Your essay is your chance in 650 words for adcom to get a snapshot of who you are and how you communicate.
Pick a prompt, follow directions and tell a story. Make it conversational, interesting and capture there interest with a hook up front. Be grammatically correct and no spelling errors or typos.
I agree with the previous poster. The point here is NOT to educate-- that lets out essay #1. It’s to “give them a reason to say yes.”
The amazing people you’ve met— they’re not applying, you are. The events you’ve been to were organized by someone else. Writing about them tells us nothing about YOU.
I agree-- you’re overthinking this, trying to be extra, ultra special.
Spend those 650 words telling the reader a little about yourself. Not the things you’ve done and the people you’ve met, but YOU. Pick a small story, one that’s not “amazing”, and let it illustrate some of the lessons you’ve learned.
Be very careful of tone. Having to “tolerate” your peers doesn’t paint you in a favorable light, neither does the fact that you had to achieve “tons of fantastic social skills.”
Of the choices you present, I would probably go with some of the lessons you’ve learned about compassion and individual strength from the kids your parents have fostered.
Thanks for the replies. The advice has helped me a lot. I think that I’ll most likely write my essay about growing up with foster siblings and an autistic brother; it seems to have to most potential. Thanks again
