We often come across a question - "What makes a good essay topic for common app essays?" The answer is - Even the most mundane and generic topics can make up an interesting composition with the right words. While there is no such thing as a "bad topic," there certainly are topics that you should be careful addressing in your common app essays.
A good essay topic engages the college admissions committees. It gives them an insight into your personality, interests, passions, and hobbies while painting a picture of your personality that goes beyond your test scores and grades.
An appealing essay should ideally answer the following questions about the students:
Who am I?
What makes me unique?
What's important to me?
Why am I here?
A well-crafted essay answers the questions mentioned above for the admissions offices. In addition, the essays form a perfect means to discuss these questions because they are not addressed elsewhere throughout the application.
To ascertain the answers to these questions, the admissions offices do not require you to write only about specific topics, but there are some topics that students should be careful while addressing in their essays.
While you move forward with this list, we want you to keep in mind the wise words of Harry Bauld, Former Admissions Officer at Brown and Columbia University - "There are no bad essay topics. Just simply bad essays."
Resumes in prose
Listing your achievements and activities in the essay is a wasted opportunity. The admissions offices can easily find this information in other application components. Unless you have specific incidents around your extracurriculars that you want to address, you should avoid talking about your achievements.
We've had one of our Headmaster students who got into Brown University, New York University, and The University of California - approach the 1st Prompt through this topic that states - "Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story."
She hinted at the overview of her resume in the essay's introduction; however, she from the second paragraph of the essay, we explained to the admissions officers how her capabilities and experiences reflect beyond her resume and how the limited information in the resume did not define her the best. She described how her father's sudden illness helped her gain perspective on the importance of family and relationships and how that is a true definition of her identity.
The central idea behind approaching this topic is to reflect how you're more than just your resume and achievements.
Immigration story
This topic could be a life-altering experience for you, but the truth is, it is for most. The topic is overly-done, and most students write about their experiences in a new country or school and the troubles they encountered trying to fit in.
However, if you think the essay's central idea should be around your immigration story, make sure you address it tactfully and draw inspiration from your experiences that reflect your character and personality development.
One of our Headmaster students who got into Northeastern University and Babson College wrote about her experience of being born in the United States and moving to India in her junior year of high school. She wrote about her initial struggles of finding her place in a school where most of her classmates were Americans, and she was the only non-native in the United States. However, when her family had to shift back to India, and she felt unsettled because she was so accustomed to the American lifestyle that she struggled to fit back into a peer group that mainly looked like her.
Through her immigration story, she reflected on her identity crisis issues and how she tackled the same. Her essay not only revolved around the immigration story but went beyond it and talked about her struggles and how she overcame them.
Someone you admire
Ideally, this might sound like a good essay topic to write about, but we recommend steering away from it. That is because when you write about someone you admire, the essay focuses more on that other person than yourself. The admissions offices' prime focus is you and your personality. Writing about someone else is a missed opportunity to inform admissions officers about yourself.
However, if you choose to address this topic, be careful that you do not make someone else's personality the central idea of your essay. Instead, you can talk about their positive impact or influence on you while reflecting more about yourself than them.
One of our students who got into The California Institute of Technology, Georgia Institute of Technology, and University of California, San Diego talked about this topic through the following Prompt - "Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others."
The student was highly passionate about music and talked about how his guru's absence on a big event day at his school impacted him. He went into the details of how he admired his guru for numerous reasons. Still, he ensured that the essay revolved around his love for music and how he grew into a better person being accompanied by his guru. This way, the essay not only reflected on an important teacher figure in his life but also the takeaways from his guru that contributed to his personality development.
Complaints
You do not want to appear whiny and complaining in front of the admissions offices. Refrain from complaining about things and people in your essays because this could leave a bad impression on the officers.
The best way to approach a problem is to offer a solution. Therefore, if you address this topic, make the essay about plausible solutions instead of complaints. Then, you can analyze the problem and devise logical solutions and options to combat the same.
One of our Headmaster students, who got into the John Hopkins University, addressed a complaint about an incident he witnessed around Indian cremation rituals. He talked about the loss of a family's sole earner and the shift of financial responsibilities on the ones who were left behind. Despite the financial burden, the tradition required them to feed families for 12 days following the death of an individual. He talks about the pain one goes through when losing someone in life and added financial burden of still having to live up to the traditions.
Having grown up in a household where his father was the temple priest in the same village, the incident made him question his own beliefs and find a way around them.
Travelogue
Travel experiences usually make up decent essay topics. However, when you address this topic, make sure you're not only talking about the places you visit but about your journey. The essay shouldn't revolve around travel but around you. Try not to make generic observations about places' scenic beauty, cultures, and people. Instead, attempt to talk about self-discovery or realizations.
One of our Headmaster students who got into Babson College and Indiana University addressed this topic by talking about her trip to one of her uncle's apparel factories in New York and how that stirred up her entrepreneurial talent and skills and inspired her to pursue them.
The essay did not revolve around the scenic beauties of New York; instead, it focused on how the trip made her more aware of her own entrepreneurial skills and her inspirations.
Hot-Button Issues
Writing about controversial topics like politics, religion, or other hotly debated topics is not ideal for your college essay. You do not know the reader's stand on these topics, and you certainly don't want to push the wrong buttons and offend the reader.
If you find hot-button issues that you want to write about in the essays, ensure you do not sound too opinionated in your essays. Refrain from voicing a harsh opinion that could hurt the reader's sentiments.
One of our Headmaster students who got into Georgia Institute of Technology addressed Greta Thunberg's famous "Fridays for Future" campaign and how he would bunk classes to support the protest for the cause. This was a controversial topic at the time as people were questioning bunking school for any reason being a valid point. The central idea of his essay was the support of a cause he felt connected to while not belittling others' opinions about it.
Love Encounters
Known as the 'too much information' essays, the admissions offices do not wish to read about your love life or sexual experiences. You should abstain from writing about your love encounters in your college essays. If these topics are central to revealing who you are as a person, make sure you handle the topic very tactfully and do not mention the casual use of drugs or alcohol.
One of our students handled this topic by reflecting on the 4th Prompt, which states - "Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?"
The student reflected on one of his personal experiences wherein his grandfather was battling for his life and how he found solace and comfort in the company of a classmate. He addressed the struggles of the thought of losing a loved one while also finding companionship with another person.
Later on, he discovered the girl herself had been through a similar situation in life when she lost her father to cancer. Further, he described how her presence helped him cope with the situation and how grateful he was for their companionship turning into something dearer to him.
Over-the-top Humor
It is excellent to include a well-placed joke or two in your essay if you're a naturally humorous person. But do not make your entire essay a satirical piece of writing. Do not try to force humor since it does not come across well in writing.
If you address a humorous topic in your essay, ensure it has a takeaway that you can benefit from. On the other hand, you do not want your entire essay to be a humorous piece that does no good to the reader or you as a person.
Illicit behavior
The fastest way to land in the 'rejected' pile of applications is to talk about illegal activities in your essay. You do not want to discuss recreational drugs, alcohol, or other illicit substances.
Before settling on a topic for your essays, determine whether the incident or information you're sharing reflects your personality or not. You want to showcase yourself in front of the admissions offices through this essay. Therefore, it is vital to maintain a professional tone throughout the essay; avoid writing about topics that can prove detrimental to your application.
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