Tips for Selecting a College Essay Topic

 Tips for Selecting a College Essay Topic

When you sit down first to write the an essay, you can choose to set yourself apart from the mediocre, so-so, and mostly bad situation, essays that end up in the rejection pile.
A Well-Chosen Topic is half the work done
In some instances a college will also assign a topic for your essay. Otherwise that choice is up to you mostly.  A more effective question is, what interests you most?
What hobbies or extracurricular activities have benefited you most, and why?
What has happened in your life that relates to your intended field of study?
Did you have feel troubles with certain things growing up now?

Have you ever experienced any life changing events that make you look at the world through a different from this lense?
Has there been a singular good experience or set of experiences that have had significance in your life?
Jot words, ideas, events, experiences on paper. This is where fear of the blank page can really be an obstacle. Remember, this initial brainstorming is doodle paper. Feel free.
What you allow yourself to explore and ponder might surprise you.
Maybe you were more moved by your Grandfather’s life than you had realized.
Perhaps a volunteer group you work with has inspired you toward a particular career;
Did a teacher stands out as having been a critical component in your drive to achieve;
Maybe you have been influenced by the struggles of a close friend or family member with drugs or depression and as a result you are interested in studying psychology or social work.
Write about it. The sky’s the limit.
Most importantly, make the essay personal, a few paragraphs that really mean something to you and help define your application.
Most people fail because they blend in, not because they stuck out.
When Topics Are Assigned
Occasionally a college will assign an essay topic. This will likely be a very general or broad topic, such as, “Why education is important.” If you go with these general topics and just write “Education is important because it helps people learn…..” you are heading in the wrong direction.
Explore the guts of knowledge the assigned statement, break it down, make it real and personal. Once again, jot onto paper the first words or experiences the statement brings to mind. Find a personal experience in your education that has stood out and perhaps symbolizes why higher education is still important to your life. Write about that one thing.