PSA: Don't write your essay about building huts in Africa!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you see the misunderstanding most posters are having regarding college app essay topics ?

If you do, then you know how ridiculous the PSA thread title is and how ridiculous the private school counselor's advice was regarding college application essay topics.

I wrote the above and I am trying to help.

Every single college application essay has the same topic. If you understand this, then you will understand how much misinformation is spread about college app essays even by private high school college counselors.

Perhaps folks are confusing the common personal statement (OP is this what you are talking about?) vs. supplemental essays. Supplementals usually ask a relatively specific question while the Common App personal statement can answer one of the 6 or 7 questions...or you can write about anything at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, our private school college counselor told us decades ago in the nineties that we were not allowed to write "When I stepped off the plane in Third World Country X" essays. Or community service essays. There was a third essay on the list we weren't allowed to write either but I can't remember what it was.

One can write an essay about tying a shoelace if it is done well. And a successful college application essay can be about tying one's shoelace in a third world country or in a closet if it is done well.

Understand that high school college counselors are not the brightest bulbs in the lamp--even with respect to their own profession. Your college counselor offered "backyard fence" type gossip parading as experienced, knowledgeable insight.

Yup!

My kid wrote about their community service in various supplementals. But it was genuine, meaningful community service. Two years of being a camp counselor at camp for disabled kids for week. It genuinely did change my kid's perspective on life---they loved it. Continued to do it summers during college and is disappointed that once out of college didn't have enough vacation days to continue being a counselor. It was hard rewarding work. But really challenging for a kid who had never babysat or changed a diaper on a baby/toddler ever. Then in first 1 hour at camp were changing blowout diapers on a 10 year old and learning to laugh with the camper about it. My kid was a magnet for some of the most "difficult " behavior wise campers and had one who always wanted them and often peed on my kid multiple times per day. My kid had many stories about their growth and perspective on life from these weeks and it made for great essays.
Couple that with their sport of karate black belt and it's genuine strengths.

these are normal things for any carer of people with extreme disabilities - its not medal worthy or rare

[Anonymous]

I wrote a very out of the box essay about my sport, and I got into everywhere I applied including HYPS. Granted, this was many moons ago, but I always question the conventional wisdom to do x or y, or don't do x or y in order to get into college.

Follow your passions. Be yourself, and be authentic. I think that's what matters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On the flip side, my kid wrote a sports essay (not about performance but what leadership on a team looks like) and was accepted early to his two top choices (one top 20 and 1 highly sought after OOS flagship).

I only say this bc I think some topics are not as taboo as they are said to be.

I also would probably not write about a pay to play service trip though.

It's all in how you write the essay. And yes, anything that is obviously "pay to play" should not be part of an essay---AO can see thru that and the privilege

I write for a living and I feel like there would be a pretty interesting essay in someone recognizing their own privilege while on a pay to play trip, or having some unexpected experience, or something. Travel is supposed to broaden our perspectives on the world and also give us insight into our own lives - did it do that for this kid? Actually, saying that, what angle did your nephew take, OP? What did they say about building huts?

I can't speak to the vicissitudes of college admissions - but just from a writing perspective, it matters that you seem/are self-aware and authentic, more than anything else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wrote a very out of the box essay about my sport, and I got into everywhere I applied including HYPS. Granted, this was many moons ago, but I always question the conventional wisdom to do x or y, or don't do x or y in order to get into college.

Follow your passions. Be yourself, and be authentic. I think that's what matters.

I think you appreciate that you have to write a "very out of the box" essay about the sport...you are kind of agreeing with what other people are saying.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Reading this thread I still feel like I have no idea what they are supposed o write about or not write about. My kid spends a lot of time on a sport they are not very good at —- it was a lifeline during the covid shutdown and so they became very invested in that community. But I guess that’s terrible to write about? She does have interesting thoughts but like most teenagers, they are on pretty circumscribed topics — eg why Snapchat is bad, how HS should be different than what it is, political viewpoints, etc.

Writing about continuing to commit to a sport despite not being that good would be a far more interesting essay than winning (or losing) as team captain.

Agreed! Think "the unexpected athlete" or some exploration of the mind-body connection, for example.

[Anonymous]

My kid wrote about fencing. He got in everywhere with tons of merit money. We actually don’t have much money ironically.

[Anonymous]

My kid wrote about challenging a rule they considered unjust. They were a youth sport volunteer coach. It was not a huge event, but the thick of the essay was about having the guts to stand up for their players. It included their love for the sport, and their community service, but the essay wasn’t really about that in the end.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you see the misunderstanding most posters are having regarding college app essay topics ?

If you do, then you know how ridiculous the PSA thread title is and how ridiculous the private school counselor's advice was regarding college application essay topics.

I wrote the above and I am trying to help.

Every single college application essay has the same topic. If you understand this, then you will understand how much misinformation is spread about college app essays even by private high school college counselors.

Maybe I'm dense, but I still don't get it. What is that "same topic" that every college essay is about?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

"how my sport changed my life."

My high stats (3.98 GPA/4.53 wGPA/35 ACT, full IB) class of 22 wrote an essay like this (and his sport really did change his life), which I thought was pretty good, and he did not get into most of the selective schools he applied to (Yale, Harvard, Williams (legacy, but didn't apply ED), Amherst, Duke, UVa, MIT). Obviously not getting in to any of those could just be luck of the draw, but I wonder if his essay ended up hurting him.

Ugh, that's depressing. My child's sport changed her life, too, and I think it's unfair to say this is not a good topic. I'm sure your son would have been a great addition to any of these schools ... they're just so tough. Is he happy where he ended up?

He ended up at Northeastern. He is very happy there and with how things have worked out, as we are. He has been able to continue with his sport on a club level, which has worked out really well for him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wrote a very out of the box essay about my sport, and I got into everywhere I applied including HYPS. Granted, this was many moons ago, but I always question the conventional wisdom to do x or y, or don't do x or y in order to get into college.

Follow your passions. Be yourself, and be authentic. I think that's what matters.

Not as easy as it sounds.. Most schools, for example, expect a "service" type activity so a kid is forced to do one or at least make up one and write about it. What if the kid is struggling with mental health issues and is unable to focus on/care about work? I've been told on this forum, repeatedly, that's a no-no and not to write about it. They need to be authentic provided the 'authenticity' is in tandem with the college cartel overlords' expectations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:On the flip side, my kid wrote a sports essay (not about performance but what leadership on a team looks like) and was accepted early to his two top choices (one top 20 and 1 highly sought after OOS flagship).

I only say this bc I think some topics are not as taboo as they are said to be.

I also would probably not write about a pay to play service trip though.

It's all in how you write the essay. And yes, anything that is obviously "pay to play" should not be part of an essay---AO can see thru that and the privilege

I write for a living and I feel like there would be a pretty interesting essay in someone recognizing their own privilege while on a pay to play trip, or having some unexpected experience, or something. Travel is supposed to broaden our perspectives on the world and also give us insight into our own lives - did it do that for this kid? Actually, saying that, what angle did your nephew take, OP? What did they say about building huts?

I can't speak to the vicissitudes of college admissions - but just from a writing perspective, it matters that you seem/are self-aware and authentic, more than anything else.

co-signed

[Anonymous]

I find the sports essays typically weak because they’re usually inherently provincial. Though not always. How does your sports essay show commitment and exposure beyond your own community? How does it show the impact you’ll make on the greater world?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I find the sports essays typically weak because they’re usually inherently provincial. Though not always. How does your sports essay show commitment and exposure beyond your own community? How does it show the impact you’ll make on the greater world?

Especially when the sports essay is about some student-athlete coming back from behind to win the title.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I find the sports essays typically weak because they’re usually inherently provincial. Though not always. How does your sports essay show commitment and exposure beyond your own community? How does it show the impact you’ll make on the greater world?

Isn’t the point of the essay to be “why I’m going to be a good college student”? So I feel like a sports essay is fine — it could showcase dedication or time management skills or learning to get on with people you’re otherwise different than through shared interest or frankly travel for a kid who doesn’t have other opportunities to travel.