The Common ApplicationⓇ recently released their essay topics for the 2023-2024 application cycle, and we’re already getting started with our juniors on the writing process. Yes, we know it’s only March, but this is actually a great time of the year for eleventh graders to begin their main essay. After all, writing is a PROCESS (your high school English teachers are right!), and you’ll want to make sure you dedicate enough time to this very important, very personal writing assignment.
Of course the hardest part of any essay assignment is getting started. And for the Common ApplicationⓇ essay, that means choosing your topic and the story you want to tell the admissions committee. So how do you sift through seventeen years of memories and experiences to find the best topic? Keep reading to find out.
What is the best topic?
The Common ApplicationⓇ essay doesn’t come with a big list of rules or restrictions. The prompts are so broad that almost any topic goes–as long as it’s important to you. The best topics are those that are honest- don’t go making up stories or exaggerating to make yourself sound more exciting- and reveal something about you beyond your test scores and grades. Most importantly, the best topics are those that actually have personal meaning. Your essay will be much easier to write and much more compelling to an admissions committee if it has heart. Trust us, we’ve read thousands of essays over the years, and it’s very easy to tell the difference between a student who’s invested in their topic and one who’s just writing what they think others will want to hear.
In addition to being honest, revealing, and meaningful, the best essay topics are also normal. And by normal we mean that you don’t have to have done something extreme or crazy like curing cancer! It’s perfectly okay to write about typical teenage experiences, like getting cut from the soccer team, performing on stage for the first time, or running for class president. In fact, the most successful essays are usually those focused on small, seemingly-insignificant moments. What makes them memorable (and anything but boring) is the way the writer gives meaning to the experience, whether it’s a trip to Costco or a game of Solitaire with grandma. It may sounds hard to believe but sometimes essays about huge accomplishments actually end up to be less successful, because the focus becomes more about what happened and less on the impact and meaning of it.
How to find the best essay topic
Ignore the prompts… FOR NOW
The very first step to uncovering the best topic is to put the Common AppⓇ essay prompts away. Yes, you heard us right! Ignore the prompts. Don’t even look at them right now. We know that sounds counterproductive, but here us out. First of all, the prompts are intentionally broad, so just about any topic you choose will align with one of the options. No worries there! Secondly, if you start fixating on the prompts now, you’re likely to restrict your brainstorming process. You might eliminate ideas before you ever really consider them. So ignore the prompts for now and move on to the next step. You’ll get back to them later!
Take stock of yourself
The Common AppⓇ essay is NOT the kind of assignment you’re probably used to writing in English class. You’re not analyzing symbols in The Great Gatsby or scribbling a timed AP response. You’re writing about you! And let’s face it, you probably haven’t taken much time to actually reflect on yourself- your personal qualities, the experiences that have shaped you, the things that mean the most to you, etc. So it’s time to take stock of yourself. Spend a few days, maybe even weeks, reflecting on your life.
What are some of your most positive qualities and characteristics? For example, are you a really curious or creative person? Are you someone who’s learned to stick with something, even when circumstances are tough? Think about the qualities that your friends or family would immediately list if someone asked them about you. Then consider the events in your life that have helped shape these personal qualities.
If you’re stuck, start small by listing your behaviors and habits. For example, you might think “I always get my work done.” So what does that say about you? That you’re persistent? That you’re committed to your responsibilities?
Interview others
In addition to taking stock of yourself, get others to take stock of you, too. Ask your friends and family, maybe even your teachers, to help you reflect on your qualities and experiences. Here are some questions you can pose to those you think know you best:
How would you describe me to someone?
What makes me different from other people?
What do you think are my strengths? What about my weaknesses?
How do you think I’ve changed since…. (fill in the blank with the appropriate time frame)?
What memories or moments stand out when you think about me?
Assess your application materials
Another great step toward finding the best essay topic is assessing your application materials. Sit down and take a close look at your transcripts, your test scores, your list of activities, etc. What will the admissions committees learn about you from these materials? We’re guessing that they’ll see a clear picture of you as a hard worker. But what won’t be so obvious from these facts and figures? Is there a story lurking beyond your activities and grades?
Avoid judgment
Ask any inventor, business owner, or famous writer, and they’ll tell you that they probably went through hundreds of ideas before finding the right one. Same goes for you! It’s going to take time and a lot of brainstorming to discover a great essay topic. Don’t judge or discard ideas along the way. Even if an idea seems silly at first or you think there’s no way you could write 650 words on that topic, consider it. You never know how one small thought can potentially lead to an amazing essay.
GOOD LUCK!
Whether it’s the Common App Ⓡ Essay or the many, many supplemental essays that students will have to write over the next few months, essay writing can be really, really hard on the parent-student relationship - much more so than picking a school or a major. From arguing about getting started, arguing about the topics, arguing about the wording, arguing about finishing it up - conflict and stress are there at every turn, and emotions are on high because so much is at stake. Life is too short for that! Book a Meet & Greet session to learn how we can step in and restore peace in your home right away :)