There are a few clichés to avoid in the college essay world. Keep reading to find out what to avoid and what to approach in your college essay writing journey. Worst of the worst The sports game. A great college admission essay makes the reader say something along the lines of, “Wow, I’ve never heard of someone who did/experienced that · “As I work privately with over college admissions applicants per year, the worst one was by a girl who is a triplet. The entire essay was ‘I’m a triplet’ THE VERY WORST COLLEGE APPLICATION ESSAYS GETTING OFF ON THE WRONG FOOT-IT'S HARD TO DO WORSE THAN THESE OPENING SENTENCES 1. Sure, lots of kids like to start fires, but how many of them have a propane torch, gallons of accelerants and a basket of dry rags 2. One score minus three years ago, and nine months, my father and mother
The Four Worst College Application Essay Mistakes
What should you write your college admission essay about? Which topics should you avoid? Check out some of the best and the worst college essay topic ideas! by Phoebe Bain Freelance Writer. The essay is easily one of the most difficult parts of the college application process.
There are a few clichés to avoid in the college essay world. Keep reading to find out what to avoid and what to approach in your college essay writing journey. Worst college application essays or losing, worst college application essays.
More specifically, almost everyone has either won or lost a sports game. Talking about your experience coping with your win or loss will pile you in with every other applicant that the admission officer reads worst college application essays that day, aka worst college application essays exact opposite of what you want to happen to you and your beloved essay.
A lot like dating a bad boy, this essay tempts you. Think about it: talking about your love life seems deep. Maybe a breakup feels like the worst college application essays hardship you have faced thus far, or perhaps you think the way you supported your 10th grade girlfriend during her science competition seems like a great metaphor for how you plan to support your university community. However, worst college application essays, just like with any good piece of writing, you need to know your audience.
And in this case, your audience does not think anything about your high school relationship sounds impressive. College admission officers have not been in high school for a very long time. They might have been through a divorce or had to support their spouse through the death of one of their parents or children. But they have a bit more perspective on relationships than the average high school senior, so they will probably not find the demise of your junior year relationship as poignant as you do.
And while that experience may have really affected your life, it affects the lives of thousands of upper—middle class students around America in the exact same way, and they are all writing the same essay about it as we speak. If your time in Sierra Leone really feels like what you need to tell your dream school about, talk about a specific experience, like a conversation you had with someone who lived there.
The cliché service trip essay often sounds incredibly vague, so if you must write about your experience, make sure you tell a very specific story that brings the reader into a certain moment with you more on that later. I once had a friend show me an essay he wrote in which he had to describe the best day of his life.
Naturally, he wrote about the time he slept until five in the evening, ate some ice cream, then went back to sleep. However, worst college application essays, he was not a lazy kid at all. He was really into piano and lacrosse, but he wanted his essay to sound off the beaten path and unique. So rather than talking about one of his passions, he decided to write about worst college application essays he knew no one else would try…the time he slept all day.
Unfortunately, there is a really good reason no one else wrote that essay. The same goes for trying to be creative and responding with one word, one sentence, or a poem, worst college application essays.
Although those are very different responses from what admission officers reads, this does not mean they are good responses. There are other ways to stand out without compromising your intelligence. Related: Admission Essay Ideas That Just Don't Work. The first time I went to Harvard to hang out with friends, I met a student who was raised by wolves.
Yes, you read that right; she actually grew up in a wolf rehabilitation community. Sure, she was also a model and an Economics major, but the whole raised by wolves thing was definitely more memorable than anything else about her.
If you grew up in a unique way that affects who you are now, it might be worth writing about in a college essay to make your application more memorable. If you decide you have to talk about one of the cliché essay topics mentioned above, a good way to tell a more common story is to focus on one specific moment and build from there, worst college application essays. For instance, if I were only interested in field hockey and felt I absolutely had to write about the sport in my essay, I would not write about some vague game and how good it felt when my team won.
I would write about the sound the ball makes hitting the back of the goal, worst college application essays, how my adrenaline changes in that moment, how all the sounds around me slowly rush into my ears afterwards. Then, most importantly, after describing the moment, I would write about its significance by connecting it to some larger idea or meaning or characteristic about myself.
Focusing on a moment that changed your life—such as the time you broke your back as a kid in a car crash, or the time your dad told you the family was moving to a different country—can also function well in your worst college application essays essay. A good friend of mine in high school had to answer an interesting question for the school where he ended up enrolling. He was a storyteller; he told all of us tales worst college application essays his fly-fishing summer job in the Adirondacks, spun yarns about wolves that spoke to him while he was camping, and talked about his skydiving uncle like he was a superhero in a comic book.
The storyteller anecdote never would have come through in the rest of his Common Application, but it was truly one of his most significant personality traits, worst college application essays. Fortunately, colleges will think the same thing about you if you decide to incorporate your love of literature into your essay.
Maybe you have a book in which you strongly relate to one of the characters. Perhaps a philosophical text really elucidates your current paradigm. Or maybe you strive to write like a certain author one day. Whatever the case, you really cannot go wrong writing about the literature you love, as your passion for it will shine through the pages. Related: Top College Admission Essay Myths Debunked.
We hope these tips help guide your topic selection when it comes time to write your college application essay! Find even more college essay advice in our Application Essay Clinic.
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Last Updated: Mar 27, Originally Posted: Aug 16, The breakup A lot like dating a bad boy, this essay tempts you. Related: Admission Essay Ideas That Just Don't Work Better essay ideas The ridiculous way you grew up and how it affects you now The first time I went to Harvard to hang out with friends, I met a student who was raised by wolves. Focusing on a moment If you decide you have to talk about one of the cliché essay topics mentioned above, a good way to tell a more common story is to focus on one specific moment and build from there.
Personality pic A good worst college application essays of mine in high school had to answer an interesting question for the school where he ended up enrolling. Related: Top College Admission Essay Myths Debunked We hope these tips help guide your topic selection when it comes time to write your college application essay! Join Now. Join our community of over 5 million students!
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If People Were Honest In College Application Essays
, time: 1:34College Admission Essay Topics: Best and Worst | CollegeXpress
There are a few clichés to avoid in the college essay world. Keep reading to find out what to avoid and what to approach in your college essay writing journey. Worst of the worst The sports game. A great college admission essay makes the reader say something along the lines of, “Wow, I’ve never heard of someone who did/experienced that · “As I work privately with over college admissions applicants per year, the worst one was by a girl who is a triplet. The entire essay was ‘I’m a triplet’ · The 7 Worst Types Of College Admission Essays (Slideshow) 11/23/ am ET Updated May 25, College applications are a horrible agony no one should suffer once -- let alone eight to 10 times, as many of today's high school students do. But for every tortured student, there's a tortured admissions professional, sifting through an
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