What are three recommendations provided when trying to choose a topic for your college essay?

Revised on July 3, 2023. A strong essay topic sets you up to write a unique, memorable college application essay. Your topic should be personal, original, and specific. Take time to brainstorm the right topic for you.

How do you choose a good topic for a college essay?

Pick a topic that will reveal a truth about you.

Tell a story, but make sure the story illustrates how you developed a passion, changed your mind about something, re-evaluated a relationship, or grew in some other way.

How do you decide what to write about in a college essay?

Whatever subject you choose, make sure it's something that's genuinely important to you and not a subject you've chosen just to impress. You can write about a specific experience, hobby, or personality quirk that illustrates your strengths, but also feel free to write about your weaknesses.

How do you think of ideas for a college essay?

What is a college essay supposed to be about?

Good topics when writing college essays include personal achievements, meaningful lessons, life-changing challenges, and situations that fostered personal growth. It's best to avoid anything too intimate or controversial.

The Worst Kinds of College Essays

What is most important in a college essay?

Be honest and genuine, and your unique qualities will shine through. Admissions officers have to read an unbelievable number of college essays, most of which are forgettable. Many students try to sound smart rather than sounding like themselves.

What does a good college essay look like?

What is an effective way to think of ideas for an essay?

Answer the question you want answered. The best way to come up with an idea for an essay is to consider what the question is that you would like to see answered.

How do you brainstorm a good college essay topic?

How do you start a topic sentence in a college essay?

How many paragraphs is 500 words?

Since most paragraphs contain around 75-200 words, a 500-word essay will have approximately 4-6 paragraphs. 🗑 Should a 500 word essay have paragraphs? Yes. A 500-word essay will likely include around 4-6 paragraphs.

How many paragraphs is 650 words?

How Many Paragraphs Is 650 Words? 650 words is about 3.25-6.5 paragraphs for essays or 6-13 for easier reading (to allow skimming). A paragraph length typically has 100-200 words and 5-6 sentences.

How long do common app essays have to be?

You can find the Common App essay prompts and instructions by navigating to the "Common App" tab on your Common App account and clicking on "Writing." You'll get to choose one of seven prompts to respond to, and your essay must be between 250 and 650 words long.

How should you choose a topic?

What is a good way to select a topic?

Do you get to choose your college essay topic?

Usually an application will offer a very broad topic with which you can do almost anything, or they will allow you to write about whatever topic you would like. In this case, choosing your topic plays a pivotal part in the success of your essay.

What is brainstorm for topic ideas?

How do I choose a topic for the Common App essay?

When writing your Common App essay, choose a prompt that sparks your interest and that you can connect to a unique personal story. No matter which prompt you choose, admissions officers are more interested in your ability to demonstrate personal development, insight, or motivation for a certain area of study.

What are the best college essays about?

What is brainstorming in a paragraph?

Brainstorming is when you deliberately try to think up new ideas or solutions to problems. In writing—whether creative, academic, or business—it's a beneficial preliminary stage that helps writers know precisely what's going into their projects.

What are the 3 most important things to keep in mind when writing an essay?

An essay has three basic components - introduction, body and conclusion.

What are the 5 effective ways to begin an essay?

Do colleges care about the essay?

A large part of the applicant review process is envisioning how the student might fit into the campus community. Because written communication is present in college coursework, it makes sense that the admissions essay is considered an important admissions factor to pay attention to.

Is a 450 word college essay good?

For the Common App, try to stay within 550-650 words, even though the given range is 250-650. Any submission shorter than 500 words will make it look as though you simply didn't care enough to give your best effort. An essay shorter than 500 words won't be long enough to truly share who you are and what matters to you.

Should you say I in a college essay?

Not only is it fine to make “I” statements in your application essays, but colleges expect your essays to sound like you, too! Always be yourself in your application, not the candidate you think admissions committees want to see.