Are you getting ready to write that important essay for your college application? If you are, then you most likely are in the beginning stages of considering a variety topics you want to write about. Of course, you probably already know that this will be a critical component to you being accepted (or rejected) to the schools you are applying to. You will also probably already know that you should pick a topic which interests you and is of importance to you. It goes without saying that your goal here will be writing a brilliant essay that will not only hold the interest of your reader and impress the admission office; it will also be the determining factor that sets you apart from the rest of multitude of other applicants who are also applying to the same school. But did you know that there are certain topics you should avoid when writing your college application essay? And if you do avoid them, it can better your chances!
Prior to choosing your topic for this ‘all important' you will need to consider the topics to avoid which have been recommended by others who have gone before you. These ‘other students' have either learned the hard way about what not to write about or were fortunate to have the guidance prior to writing theirs.
While it is true the aim of your essay should be to write about your interests and what is important to you, too much information can be detrimental in achieving your goal of convincing the admission committee you are the ‘perfect fit' for their school. Writing about yourself can be a good thing but no one wants to hear about personal experiences you have had with drug use, trouble with the law, or your sex life - (yes, students have actually written about their sex life!) You also might want to steer away from writing about political and religious topics as well. Controversial topics that pertain to social issues like abortion, gun control, gay and lesbian rights can sometimes offend your reader because when writing about these topics your views tend to be one-sided and can be construed to the reader as lecturing. Best advice... always try to stick to neutral topics. Some other topics to stay clear of are trips or vacations you have taken, sports you have participated in, personal tragedies, while it's true the admissions committee wants to learn more about you, these are not the kinds of topics they are looking for.
The best thing to keep in mind no matter what topic you may chose, is to make it unique. The admission committee members look at thousands upon thousands of these essays each year. What they are looking for is a well written essay that communicates to them who you are, how you look at the world in which you live, why you are different and why you want to become a part of their college community.
