I really want to answer this essay, but I have no idea what to write. Any ideas/examples?
Bump. Anybody?
buuuuuummmmmp
If you really can’t think of a response, then perhaps consider another question?
Here are some cliche essay topics to avoid: http://www.fastweb.com/college-search/articles/college-admissions-essay-topics-to-avoid
Think of your essays as the chance to set yourself apart from the other applicants, many of whom will have the same grades, test scores, xc activities, and good teacher letters that you do. Don’t try to imagine what the admissions rep wants to read, because they are all individuals with their own preferences. You want your essay to be memorable (in a good way), and the best way to do that is give some thought to what makes you unique. It doesn’t have to be deeply profound or serious, but it should be sincere. And also keep in mind that the reader does not have more than a few minutes to devote to your essay, which means that s/he should be able to skim rather than reading every single word and still get the essence of it.
My problem is that you have to pick 2 of 4 essays to write, and this is one of the easiest.
The options are:
Home is where your story begins. Tell us about your home and how it has influenced your story.
Think about when you first meet people. What is a common first impression they might have of you? Is it a perception you want to change or what else do you want them to know about you?
The late Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., Notre Dame’s president from 1953 to 1987, served as a trusted adviser to U.S. presidents and popes. A champion for human rights, Fr. Hesburgh was one of the architects of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Reflect on the current state of civil rights, the progress that has been made, or the problems still being faced today.
This is your chance to take a risk.
I have serious writer’s block on all of them
These are your essays. They are intended as a way for your to tell something about yourself that is nowehre else on the application. Take advantage of the opportunity.
Picking the “easiest” isn’t necessarily the best choice.
Seriously, if you aren’t already a bit risk-familiar, you’re out of your element.
@intparent i don’t exactly have a month to write a perfect essay. I have other work and essays to write
Well… my kid mulled the topics for the schools with the most complex essays for a while. For example, she thought about the UChicago essays for a couple of weeks before deciding what to write on. So she obviously didn’t write for a full month, but the elapsed time from start to polished essay was about that long. She got in, too. Rush and take the easy route of you want, but plenty of other applicants won’t approach it that way.
My son thought a lot about the essay topics … from the moment they came out this summer. I don’t think I can / should give you ideas out of respect for my son’s efforts. However, I will say, write something authentic about you. There is no right answer.
You don’t have to think of the essay every minute, but if you are working on it, you mull over what you’ve done, and sleep on it, and new things occur to you. Taking time to complete means spending some time every day on it, not that it is the only thing you are doing. You certainly need a few weeks for this.
Since you are having some trouble coming up with ideas, start several of the topics, and see if anything develops. Think about what appeals to you about Notre Dame, and turn that around and use that to illustrate that quality in yourself in one of the essays. Read some history of Notre Dame for ideas. Read about Theodore Hesburgh for ideas. Something there will connect to your own experience. No one should give you an idea itself, because then you might miss a gem of your own experience or thinking that you should be using instead. These essays are about YOU.
One of the things young writers often do is underrate their regular life experiences as not interesting. There is definitely something that has impacted you that is interesting for you to draw on. Sometimes small moments in our lives are what really change us.
The readers are trying to understand how you think, so give them a window.
As basically mentioned before, the essay is your opportunity to show why the school is a good fit for you AND why you are a good fit for the school. Maybe the most important part of an essay for ND is what you will bring/add to the school and why it will be a good fit for you–beyond “it’s really good and will help me achieve dream x,y or z” which they get a lot of. Everyone applying who is competitive will have the grades/scores/xtracurriculars–what about you makes you different. I think the essay made all the difference for my Fr D. She was able to weave in her faith and her service and why ND would be a welcome environment for both (and we are NOT Catholic), my guess it spoke to someone who read it. I thought it was the most sincere and effective essay she wrote, as opposed to others which, to me, read much more like what one would think an admissions officer would want to read.
take the time and make the topic your own, use it to show why a school is right for you and you are right for the school. anyway good luck.
" i don’t exactly have a month to write a perfect essay. I have other work and essays to write"
AS – just dig deep, be authentic, and let your unique voice speak about your true passions. Good grief!!!
Back in the Mesozoic period, luckily colleges did not ask me (as a 17 year old male) to engage in the exercise of coming up with 3-5 unique, witty and introspective essays per school. Back then, I’m not sure I could have dug deep and identified my true innermost thoughts. Any true “passions” that I could identify at that point in my life, quite honestly, would have been highly inappropriate for an essay topic.
But today, selective colleges unfortunately have an inexplicable passion/fetish for essays. So you just have to suck it up and do the best you can. Rightly or wrongly, they do use the essays to select between large numbers of applicants with highly similar credentials.
Unfortunately, unique/authentic/clever/well-written takes a huge amount of time. Just coming up with a good idea can take weeks.
Maybe you could write an essay about how lame the college essay writing process is? That would be risky!
Good luck.
northwesty, I actually love that idea! I won’t exactly copy it, but it’s definitely a great starter. Thanks.
@as1799 I definitely don’t want this to sound mean but I feel I need to be very direct. You have a limited amount of time to apply to the schools that interest you and it’s important that you use your time wisely. Based upon the stats that you have posted on other threads, you have zero chance of getting into Notre Dame unless you are an athlete being offered a scholarship to play football etc.
Please, please spend your time focusing on schools that you have a chance at getting into.
@GraceDad thank you for the input but those stats are old. I have a new and improved ACT score coming that I took last week. No matter how slim the chance, I am still applying because I love the school, and if I don’t at least apply, then I’ll always wonder what if? I also have a large list of other schools that I am applying to. Some are reaches (ND, UMich, UVA) and some are matches
Hmm. Maybe that’s your risk and a chance to sell yourself (wisely, cautiously) at the same time. I don’t usually give out ideas, but you said it.
Think about your interests and hobbies. What about you would stand out? I had a hard time picking out a topic, becaus I also didn’t want to do something too personal, yanno? I ended up just choosing one of my passions and writing about it. I think it turned into a great essay, and it was easy to write about something I loved dearly. I would shy away from the “common” topics, but it’s all about how you spin it. If you can spin it in a way that makes it unique and interesting to you, then go for it! So my advice to you is, if you’re struggling with a topic, choose something you love, and write about it. Just remember to make your unique voice heard! Good luck in your college application process! 
Wake Forest had an essay topic for a few years that said “List your Top 10”. You could do an essay discussing your Top 10 whatever. Have fun with it. My daughter did top 10 places she had visited. Someone else did top 10 favorite moves in sailing. Others did top 10 sports teams.