I am a good student ranked in the top 1% of my class with good test scores for the colleges I would like to apply to. I have over 750 community service hours with various organizations, but I haven’t really experienced anything “life-changing” or “essay worthy” in my endeavors. I would very much like to go to a top school such as Duke, UNC, or Yale. However, I am a very poor creative/personal writer and I cannot think of a good topic to write about for the Common Application. I am somewhat proficient in research paper/historical analysis type of writing, but I cannot write about myself in a personable for the life of me! I know that the top schools weight essays heavily in the admissions process, but I am worried that my prospects will be ruined by my writing. Does anyone have any advice for an analytical writer that needs to write a personal essay for the admissions process? My main problem is that I do not know how to convey my personality in a charming way all while answering the prompts.
Any help would be greatly appreciated, and I thank you very much for taking the time to read this post (and, hopefully, craft a response 
).
I’d say give yourself a lot of time. First think about what you want to convey about yourself. Then think about an activity, experience, or aspect of your life that illustrates what you want to convey. Try writing a draft; don’t worry about it sounding stupid or boring. Just strive to get the main message of your essay on paper. Revisit the draft and add lots of personal details, descriptions, and dialogue to personalize your essay. Maybe get someone you trust to look over it and confirm that your essay is clear and that they got the message you wanted to convey.
I also suck at creative and personal writing, but ideally, the essay should sound like you. So when admissions officers read it, it’ll be like you’re in an interview with them telling them a story. If talking comes more easily for you than writing, thinking about the essay this way might help.
Common problem, since most hs kids get either the research assignments (with their thesis statements and the structural and proof requirements) or the opposite extreme, the occasional request to write something very personal for a teacher who already knows you. Ya know, that teacher might like your clumsy wit or some weird revelations, but that’s not what colleges need to learn.
The point is to show the attributes those colleges want to see (not just any writing that reveals any old thing about you.) The easiest thing is to look for some challenge you overcame and grew from. It can be a small topic, something minor, as long as you show those attributes- tackling some issue, resilience, good will, growth, etc. It does need to be relevant to a college review for building their class (so, not how you quit chewing on toothpicks or got over stage fright in 2nd grade or overcame a fear of cracks in the sidewalk or trips to the mall.) And the idea is “show, not just tell.”
Think first. Breathe. Think some more.Try to enjoy it. See it as a simple narrative, telling a story.Then you try to write. Good luck.
There’s multiple essay topics on the common app. You could write about a problem you’d like to fix, which would give schools insight into what you value.
To OnMyWay2013, lookingforward, and LaikaDoodles,
Thank you very much for all of your insight; I am very grateful for the time you spent answering my long winded question. Your advice helped me immensely, and I just finished writing my third draft of my essay!