DC 1 wrote about younger sibling's disability and how it shaped him and made them him compassionate towards others.

DC2 wrote about her hobby which is male dominated and how she overcame stereotypes and discrimination. Accepted EA at a T10 SLAC.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Have to say, in the most well intentioned way, that this is very personal - mine would never share information about their essays. It's a very important component of the application. Others might feel differently ofc.

x10000000

WTH??

I'm not really sure why it's so personal that they wouldn't share basic information about it. It's not a diary and it's going to be read by a dozen complete strangers. And hopefully, SOMEONE (a teacher, a parent, a writing coach) in their life is taking a look at it, if only to catch typos.

Questioning higher-ups about an unjust rule (in her view).

Why she loves the window seat on planes.

Anonymous wrote:video games

I keep asking DS to come up with some positive way to spin his hours & “expertise” in gaming — he replies that there’s really no redeeming value.

Stepping out of an older sibling's shadow.

Both of my kids wrote about a favorite piece of art (I'm using 'art' in a broad sense meaning book/movie/video game/painting/comic/etc) and how it related to their own life and what lessons they had learned from it.
Despite the similar topics, they chose them on their own and each essay was very personal and took an approach that reflected their personality. Both got in everywhere they applied.

An analysis of a Led Zeppelin song. No, I’m not kidding!

Parents divorce and having to move and start at a new high school.

Essay was a huge challenge for my kid, who can be very creative, but looonnnggg. Whittling down an idea to fit was hard.

Ended up sharing a specific story from elementary school for "Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea." Framed it from the point of view of a question from a peer that made DC change their mind about something, which led to something else. Not Earth shattering, but actually pretty entertaining and interesting to read.

I think kids sometimes twist themselves up over trying to craft an over-the-top, most amazing essay from the most unique point of view. Unless you are trying for T10, just go for something well written, unique, and interesting.

video games

Anonymous wrote:Mine wrote about their favorite movie, which sounds trite, but the why it was their favorite movie was poignant, related to their future (even though the movie is a fantasy movie), and humorous. Got in ED, so withdrew other applications

My older child wrote about her favorite movie and why she related to it so much and how it gave her perspective.

My current child wrote about how her first job helped bring her out of her shell.

Anonymous wrote:Checkout Common App and a couple of colleges to see what's been asked before.

www.collegeessayguy.com

www.collgevine.com

Also, try using speech to text and dictate a story as a draft. It makes it easier to write out and have it sound like yourself and not an AI bot.

It doesn't have to be anything intense or dramatic, so long as it shows personality.

my daughter suggested this, instead of having me read it she had me listen to it. It was a great idea! And it helped her fine tune some things.

Checkout Common App and a couple of colleges to see what's been asked before.

www.collegeessayguy.com

www.collgevine.com

Also, try using speech to text and dictate a story as a draft. It makes it easier to write out and have it sound like yourself and not an AI bot.

It doesn't have to be anything intense or dramatic, so long as it shows personality.

Anonymous wrote:Have to say, in the most well intentioned way, that this is very personal - mine would never share information about their essays. It's a very important component of the application. Others might feel differently ofc.

x10000000

WTH??