We visiting several colleges (top tier) last spring and sat in the information sessions. When it came to essays, multiple admissions officers made it clear ...."we want the student to write about somthing that allows us to see what type of person the student really is....".......in other words, did some event make the student a better person? Did he/she learn something that will make them a better conributor to the college as a whole.......I would really focus on this part...how can the student make a real contribution to the school on an overall basis....

I had a similar dilemma when I was writing my college essays. I ended up writing about being a cheerleader. I'm sure I would cringe reading it now, but hey it got me in to a bunch of ivies.

Don't have them write about the obstacle of an ACL injury prior to a sporting event!

We went to an information session for BU and the recruiter stated this is one of the most common topics for a college essay and has been WAY overdone.

Anonymous wrote:My DD1 wrote about the how the death of her grandmother changed her view on aging and community service.

My DD2 wrote about how she took her education for granted until she started the college process.

Both essays were well received and an interveiwer who read her essay made it a point to discuss it with D2. Simple stuff that they had strong emotions about and could write about pretty easily. We wanted them to choose something personal to them and not something that they thought they could sell.

Agree with the bolded part above.

My DC wrote about a friendship with an individual with a long term, progressive illness and how this relationship affected DC.

Truly an eye opener and gave me a perspective about my DC that I did not have before.

My DD1 wrote about the how the death of her grandmother changed her view on aging and community service.

My DD2 wrote about how she took her education for granted until she started the college process.

Both essays were well received and an interveiwer who read her essay made it a point to discuss it with D2. Simple stuff that they had strong emotions about and could write about pretty easily. We wanted them to choose something personal to them and not something that they thought they could sell.

I hear colleges also roll their eyes at "I care about world poverty so my parents spent $5,000 to send me to Central America." Sorry I can't offer any constructive ideas, as we're in the same boat. I think it's also pretty personal, in that you and your child can dig deep and maybe find a topic that we wouldn't have known to suggest.

Anonymous wrote:I have a similar trajectory OP, but my eldest is younger than yours.

Agree with 12:50 that "overcoming the challenge of my late model Acura running out of gas on River Road" is cringe-worthy. Even if it was at 1 a.m.

My sense is that these Yorktown-Churchill-Whitman-NCS teens should write about where they see themselves going -- not where they've been. Of course this only works if where you're going is inspiring, and not Goldman Sachs.

My DS is doubly doomed! A problem free kid in one of the schools you mention who does actually want to work at Goldman Sachs.

What about writing about their "passion" (they should all have one at this point) and why it's a passion?

Anonymous wrote:If DD had to write hers today, I think her college essay would be "How I Almost Missed The Justin Beiber Concert When My Parents Made Me Go To My Great Uncle's Funeral". Oh, the horror of it all.

If DD had to write hers today, I think her college essay would be "How I Almost Missed The Justin Beiber Concert When My Parents Made Me Go To My Great Uncle's Funeral". Oh, the horror of it all.

I have a similar trajectory OP, but my eldest is younger than yours.

Agree with 12:50 that "overcoming the challenge of my late model Acura running out of gas on River Road" is cringe-worthy. Even if it was at 1 a.m.

My sense is that these Yorktown-Churchill-Whitman-NCS teens should write about where they see themselves going -- not where they've been. Of course this only works if where you're going is inspiring, and not Goldman Sachs.

Anonymous wrote:Even suburban, problem-free children have had to overcome challenges, no matter how trivial they may seem to, say, world hunger. It's not the challenge that matters, I don't think. It's the lessons learned from meeting the challenge.

Another tack is to write about something the child failed at and what lessons were learned from failure. Just sprinkle it with a couple of good quotes about success from failure, etc.

Admittedly, I'm not a college admissions officer, but it would seriously make me roll my eyes to read something like this. Something that's a little less earnest and shows a little more perspective on the kiddo's place in the world would sound a lot better to me.

Even suburban, problem-free children have had to overcome challenges, no matter how trivial they may seem to, say, world hunger. It's not the challenge that matters, I don't think. It's the lessons learned from meeting the challenge.

Another tack is to write about something the child failed at and what lessons were learned from failure. Just sprinkle it with a couple of good quotes about success from failure, etc.

My sister wrote a humorous essay about her experiences working at the local golf/tennis store. Got her into Stanford.

I had been through a lot of tough times growing up. Among other things, it resulted in an introspective and heartfelt college application essay reflecting where I had been, and where I hoped to be going.

It worked, I guess. I got into my first choice college, and have since arrived at where I wanted to be (professionally/personally) oh so long ago. In a word, I'm happy. I've also been able to raise my kids well, meaning that they've been raised in a loving and supportive home, and been afforded many opportunities that I could never imagine when I was their age. They are bright, well adjusted and compassionate kids. Put another way, they are like virtually all of the other kids I know from the neighborhood, school and church.

I know from first hand experience, and believe it to be true of others, that some of the most compelling college application essays are those that discuss a tragedy, or ordeal, or just an especially difficult tough set of circumstances growing up.

So my question is - for those typical suburban, well brought up, problem free college applicants, what can you write about to distinguish yourself?