Great College Essay Topics: 5 Hints on How to Choose the Best One

Most colleges require application essays before students can be accepted. Unlike other parts of the application, the student has an immense amount of control over the quality of their essay. They have a chance to reverse years of slacking off in school with one killer paper. To complete the best application, students need to find a topic that will engage the reader.

Get Personal

Students are not robots; the college wants to know who the applicant really is. A collection of classes and extracurricular activities does not fully demonstrate the applicant's abilities and personalities. The best topics will utilize the student's personal experiences. From immigrating to a new country to writing a play, these qualities will make the paper stand out from every other applicant's writing.

Make an Impression

To get accepted into college, the student must leave a lasting impression. Negatives like partying or a juvenile arrest will not make the admissions officer more likely to accept the student. Instead, individuals should find ways to highlight their strengths and abilities.

Diversity

Over the last few years, diversity has become a popular requirement for colleges. They want students that help to make a varied, unique student body. Due to this, students should make sure that they write about the different ways that they are diverse. This could be due to race, a mixed family background, travel experiences or an adoptive family.

Make it Fit

If the student has a perfect SAT score and a 4.0 GPA, they do not need to waste time explaining their academic abilities. The school already knows that the student is intelligent, so they do not need to be told it again. For students with lower SAT scores or failed classes, the essay should cover some of the reasons why the student had problems in school. An admissions officer will understand if the student failed a class after their parent died. The student just has to let the admissions committee know why they were unable to fulfill their true potential in high school.

Be Honest

An admissions committee can easily look up information about the student or call the student's high school. If the student tries to lie in their admissions essay, they will probably be caught. Instead, students should stick to the truth. If the student is not from a diverse background and does not have a hard-luck story, they should not try to invent one. Students are best at writing about actual experiences, so they should stick to honest answers.