<p>i know that college application essays are about how you can spin it, but let's face it, there are some topics just too cliche and unoriginal to write about. what are some of the most common topics to stay away from when writing your essay?</p>
<p>The "Outward Bound trip/life threatening experience hanging off the edge of a cliff where I realized how important it was to concentrate on school" essay</p>
<p>The "traveling in Europe and how it broadened my horizons" essay.</p>
<p>the cliched memorial to a dead friend/relative.</p>
<p>I think that virtually any topic can be good or not good. It all depends on what the writer does with the topic. A great essay looks all the better for being in a well-plowed field--while a mediocre essay looks all the worse for being on a unique topic.</p>
<p>It's not the topic, it's what you do with the topic. </p>
<p>As to death of a relative: a successful and unsuccessful essay on this topic can be compared at this link from UVa:</p>
<p>And, yeah, it will be bad if all someone can think of to say about Europe is that it "broadened their horizons". But that is because the writer is lacking, not because Europe is a "bad topic". Europe contains scads of great topics; people have been writing fascinating stuff about Europe for centuries.</p>
<p>...nevermind!</p>
<p>Let's consult Michelle Hernandez and Peterson's; "I helped save the world", "I dived, caught the ball, and we won the game", "How I'm going to cure world hunger", "Camp changed my life", "The Little Engine That Could-themed", "Your determination and tenacity", and oh, talking about why your SAT score is not good (in your eyes).</p>
<p>"I helped saved the world" is not a topic, it is a conclusion. It would be a shallow conclusion, but specific, honest, revealing writing on the topic of one's community service is quite possible. </p>
<p>"I dived...we won the game" is not a topic. It is a report on an event. It is uninteresting because it tells nothing personal and revealing about the writer. Nevertheless, a personal, specific, honest, revealing essay on the topic of one's participation in sports is quite possible.</p>
<p>"How I'm going to cure hunger" is not a topic, it is a prediction. It is not going to fly because this prediction is utterly unrealistic. But personal, specific, honest, revealing writing on the topic of one's one's dreams, and what one has done so far in their direction, is quite possible.</p>
<p>"Camp changed my life" is not a topic. It is a vague and superficial conclusion, but personal, specific, honest, revealing writing on the topic of camp is quite possible.</p>
<p>"Your determination and tenacity" is quite possible as a topic. But simply stating that--"I am determined and tenacious"--will not be personal, specific and revealing, nor will it be persuasive. But it is quite possible to write a personal, specific, honest, revealing essay that shows one's determination and tenacity. I've read a number of them.</p>
<p>"Little Engine that Could" is not a topic, it is a story or theme. Many topics could be ruined by forcing this theme on it.</p>
<p>"My SAT score is not good" is a conclusion, not a topic. I admit that the topic of SAT scores may not be promising. But "not promising" is different from "impossible". I'm unwilling to announce that it is impossible. It would be risky to try, but if someone could pull off a personal, specific, honest, and revealing essay about the SAT, it would be a home run.</p>
<p>idk, i just remembered seeing that list in some books that i checked out from the library. you're right though- a good writer could make a more "typical/cliche" story seem fresh again. i think that those just happen to be conclusions that many essays try to convey and often fail at... but for someone to turn around and make a great essay out of one of them is probably even more impressive to admissions officers.</p>
<p>quaere, what is wrong with the traveling to europe essay?</p>
<p>politics, religion, and anything else that could offend your readers</p>
<p>It's probably not advisable to write an essay on the big race or big game day or how you overcame your fears of large crowds when you sang in church. I second the post about not reporting events.</p>