Many students struggle with identifying a good topic for their essay. Conventional wisdom says to start by brainstorming a list of potential topics, and chances are, you have already started a mental list of ideas. You might think you only have a few choices for topics, based on your activities or experiences, or you might have started writing a rough draft or two. We advise, however, that you put down your list of topics and back away from it. Forget that exists for a moment. Seriously, thinking about this initial list tethers you to certain ideas that might not actually be your best options.
Now you can begin brainstorming with a clean slate.
Our strategy is this: start with thinking about what you want to show in your entire application, not just one essay. Every single component in your app has one purpose – to tell more about YOU. Filling out the rest of the application by rote and focusing solely on the essay is short-sighted and will leave so much potential untapped in your application.
-
Every single component in your app has one purpose -
to tell more about YOU.
An admissions officer’s goal is to understand you fully, in the context of your background and the rest of the applicant pool. They will begin this with assessing your academic abilities and potential. Then they will evaluate how you will fit into the student body they’re trying to curate. All of this can be somewhat broad and diverse and touch on several institutional goals. But they will dig deep to find out what each applicant is like, what your core values and motivations are, what kind of student you will be, how you will contribute to the vibrant and intellectual campus community they’re building, etc.
Your goal with essay brainstorming is to ascertain how to powerfully tell your story in a manner that will fit these criteria. The entirety of your application (again, not just one essay) aims to showcase your abilities, qualifications, and uncommon attributes as a person in a positive way. Before you begin outlining or writing your application, you must determine what is unique about you that will stand out to an admissions panel. As we addressed in a previous blog post, all students are truly unique. Not one other student has the same combination of life experiences, personality, passions, or goals as you do. Your job in your application is to frame your unique personal attributes in a positive and compelling way. How will you fit on campus? What personal qualities, strengths, core values, talents, or different perspectives do you bring to the table? What deeper motivations/beliefs or formative experiences can you use to illustrate all of this?
It is always helpful to start with some soul-searching or self-examination. You might not immediately know what you want to share about yourself. It’s not a simple task to decide how to summarize your whole life and being in a powerful and eloquent way on your application. Introspection prior to starting your application takes additional time and effort rather than jumping straight into your first draft. But it is also a valuable method to start writing a winning application that stands out from the stack.
It’s often easiest to start thinking in terms of superlatives — what are the most meaningful things about you? Here is a list of questions to help you brainstorm broadly before you narrow down your focus for writing:
- What are your interests?
- What sparks your curiosity?
- What are your favorite books ? What are your favorite movies and why?
- What websites do you visit frequently?
- What are your hobbies?
- With whom do you enjoy spending time? Who has impacted your life the most? What are the most important relationships in your life?
- Reflect upon “superlatives” in your life. What moments were most memorable, formative, enlightening, enjoyable, or valuable? What physical possessions, experiences, dreams, or lessons could make your superlatives list?
- Stop and think about what things, people, or circumstances in your life are really unique, fascinating, or outlandish. Are there any that really have a lot of “cultural flavor” (whatever your culture is)?
- What are your strongest opinions or beliefs, and have any of these changed since you started high school?
- What are your goals for your life in 10 years?
- If you could change any three things in the world, what would they be?
- What are you biggest strengths? What are the biggest challenges you have overcome?
And now the biggest questions: WHY?
- Why do you love the things you love? Why are they important? What led you to your answer?
- Why are you interested in and passionate about them? What compels you toward them?
- What do your answers reveal about your core values?
- Is there a story you could share that would demonstrate or explain why one or more of these is significant to you?
Your why needs to go beyond your desire to get into college, get a good job, or make your family proud. It should be driven from within – from the things that intrigue and excite you and make your life worth living. There is a big difference between applicants who are motivated by boosting their college resume and applicants who are motivated by core values, drive, and passion.
- There is a big difference between applicants who are motivated by boosting their college resume and applicants who are motivated by core values, drive, and passion.
Jot down some notes on the questions listed above. Then go back and revisit your list of possible topics. Which ones can you use as examples of the above? Which ones will a reviewer naturally extrapolate to the next level? Which ones will give you a sounding board or platform for explaining who you really are and what matters most to you?
Note: once you begin writing, remember that you shouldn’t address any of this directly. Be indirect and subtle, and use examples/stories and details to make your main points. Don’t chisel them into stone tablets and bash the reviewer in the face or yell “Look how smart I am!” That also means you shouldn’t say “I’m a great team player and I can’t wait to contribute at X College!” Instead, show an example of a time you worked on a team effectively and let the reviewer form their own conclusions. We will cover this in greater detail in our essay guide, but it’s worth noting here as it’s part of the process of picking a topic.
You cannot gracefully fit all you want to communicate into one essay. Instead make sure your vision is clearly conveyed somewhere in your application. Each component only needs to carry a small part of your message. Your essay is the most dynamic component, but every section is vital to the overall effectiveness of your application. The best way to intentionally weave the key aspects you have identified about yourself into your application is to create an application arc.
The theme or arc is a one-phrase summary of your entire application. It’s not actually written down anywhere in your application, but it’s the overall impression you hope to leave with the person or committee reviewing your application. It could be “brilliant entrepreneur and mathematician who started her own successful tutoring business” or “talented athlete who wants to study economics and finance as they pertain to sports”, or even “avid baker whose hobby sparked an interest in chemistry”. It doesn’t have to be related to your intended major, but your arc will be stronger and clearer if it is. The more components of your application that you can tie to your arc, the better. However, your arc should be multifaceted, not so specific that you appear one-dimensional. The goal of the arc is to highlight both your depth and breadth as a person–both to keep you from pinballing all over your interests in your application, and to also keep you from focusing solely on one aspect of yourself.
Questions about any of this? Let us know in the comments below, and we’ll get back to you!
