<p>Is it generally a bad idea to choose “topic of your choice” for your personal statement on the Common App?</p>
<p>I don’t think so; not if you have a really good topic. I’m doing that.
:)</p>
<p>Really? I heard it might be. Anyone else have any opinion?</p>
<p>Write an essay that showcases you as a person as well as you as a writer. The topic really doesn’t matter if you do those two well.</p>
<p>Frankly, I doubt the admissions officers even look at the topic you chose before reading the essay. I agree with teenage-cliche. For the common ap essay they aren’t looking to see how well you answered the specific question, but to read something that makes you come alive, where your personality and interests shine through. </p>
<p>Before going to the common ap, the Brown essay was called a “personal statement” and students were asked to write whatever they wanted that told the admissions committee a little more about them. That’s probably what they are still looking for.</p>
<p>Okay, thanks! That helps a lot. :)</p>
<p>Also, I’ve heard that Ivy League colleges prefer anecdotal stories about seemingly-mundane moments in people’s lives more than essays about who the person really is and what their goals/beliefs are. How true would you say that is?</p>
<p>There are dozens of admissions officers at the Ivies, and each one probably has a preference for the type of essay they like to read. I’ve never heard of all Ivy League colleges agreeing that one type of essay is preferable over another – because every student is a unique individual. Write an essay that reflects who you are. Who are you hearing these rumors from? Fellow high school students? Consider the source.</p>
<p>Actually I read it on this site (College Confidential). :P</p>
<p>As I said, consider the source.</p>
<p>Well, it’s one of the official “advice” things on this website, so I don’t know…</p>
<p>[The</a> Art of Writing Ivy League Admission Essays](<a href=“http://www.collegeconfidential.com/college_admissions/ivy_applications_4.htm]The”>http://www.collegeconfidential.com/college_admissions/ivy_applications_4.htm)</p>
<p>I am not going to read that whole website, but I think the point is that many students feel they need to write an essay about the amazing trip they took to India, their volunteer work on an Indian reservation, the piano piece they played at Carnegie Hall or the life they saved as a paramedic. It’s not that the admissions people prefer reading about mundane moments – it’s that you can take a mundane moment and turn it into a good essay, one that reveals a lot about you. </p>
<p>They don’t want to read an academic paper or a treatise on why you believe in libertarianism – they want to learn about you. Don’t be pretentious, don’t use too many six-syllable words, don’t sound like a philosophy grad student. Write about what you know – which for most students, will be about an aspect of their life. The value of the anecdote is that it highlights your descriptive powers and gives the admissions office a taste of your life in a small, delicious bite. So it’s OK to describe your groundskeeping job at a golf course, explain why you enjoy doing the crossword puzzle every Sunday, describe why tutoring that fifth grader is so challenging or ruminate on how important your collection of sea glass is. </p>
<p>Hope that helps. </p>
<p>(That sea glass essay, btw, was one of the best I ever read.)</p>
<p>That’s what I was thinking too. However, I’m also considering using an essay about how my TV show I created and have been writing for the past 6 years has influenced my life and given me purpose…I don’t know. I have plenty of mundane moments I could write about too, since I’m actually one of those people who truly appreciates simple, everyday moments a whole lot. Maybe I’ll write both and get some people’s feedback. :)</p>
<p>You can write about the TV show. But you can start it with an anecdote, or focus on a small detail – a so-called “mundane moment.” You use the detail to illustrate the larger picture. Don’t write about buying milk if you have something else to write about.</p>
<p>Good advice! I’ll definitely do that. Thanks! :D</p>