Let’s talk about what not to write about in your college essay!
Those are the five most common traps students fall into when writing their college essays. Before I finish, I want to mention one other trap. I hinted at it above, but I want to state it plainly before I send you on your way. There is no such thing as a "perfect" essay. It doesn't matter how many sample essays or how-to books you've read, you can't write an essay that will make admissions officers swoon if all you're doing is pretending to be the person you think they want at their school. The person they really want you to be in your essay is the person you already are.
So when it's time to write your essay, it seems perfectly reasonable to put your sport front and center. But tread carefully. One of the biggest mistakes athletes make in their college essay is to allow themselves to be overshadowed or defined by the game they love. More importantly, it's very difficult to make any sports-oriented essay seem fresh. Admissions officers have readand will read again this yearstacks of essays about the big game, overcoming an injury, or that tournament-winning shot. So your essay has to be good. Luckily, there are plenty of books out there that will show you how to write a great college essay. There are even examples of "perfect" college essays that got so-and-so accepted to Harvard and Yale. With all these resources available, writing a great college essay should be a snap. So your essay has to be good. Luckily, there are plenty of books out there that will show you how to write a great college essay. There are even examples of "perfect" college essays that got so-and-so accepted to Harvard and Yale. With all these resources available, writing a great college essay should be a snap. Second, as I mentioned earlier, the college essay requires a completely different sort of writing than most high school students are used to. There is a very specific purpose to the college essay, and the audience is highly specialized. Second, as I mentioned earlier, the college essay requires a completely different sort of writing than most high school students are used to. There is a very specific purpose to the college essay, and the audience is highly specialized. Imagine that audience for a moment. Picture yourself as a college admissions officer: reading, day in and day out, thousands of variations on a few different themes. After a few months, it's difficult to maintain focus. After a few years, the essays all start to blend together. And at some point you begin to notice that many of those essays contain the same fatal flaws, year after year. Applicants fall into the same trapsand you're reading what feels like the same essayover and over again.
Heartbreak is a college essay topic to avoid in almost all cases.
Because if you know what those traps are, you can avoid them and—with some creativity and diligence—write an essay that feels compelling and unique to admissions officers. With that in mind, and without further ado, here are the five fatal flaws you should remember as you formulate and write your college application essaythe five traps that you'll need to sidestep if you want your essay to stand out.
College essay topics to avoid include anything illegal or unethical.
Imagine that audience for a moment. Picture yourself as a college admissions officer: reading, day in and day out, thousands of variations on a few different themes. After a few months, it's difficult to maintain focus. After a few years, the essays all start to blend together. And at some point you begin to notice that many of those essays contain the same fatal flaws, year after year. Applicants fall into the same trapsand you're reading what feels like the same essayover and over again.
Here are three topics to avoid when writing college essays:
That doesn't mean you can't use the skills you learned in English class to write this essay; it only means you have to use the right skills. The college essay should be a story, not a dissertation. And that story, at its core, can only be about one thing: you.
College Application Essays: What NOT To Include
That doesn't mean you can't use the skills you learned in English class to write this essay; it only means you have to use the right skills. The college essay should be a story, not a dissertation. And that story, at its core, can only be about one thing: you.
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It's not. Do not, under any circumstances, regurgitate your college résumé in this essay. The essay is about you, sure; but it's not the cover letter for a job application. Your college essay should reveal something about you as a person, rather than just listing the capabilities and accomplishments of a high-achieving student. Those are important too, but all that stuff is obvious from the rest of your application. Writing about it in your essay will be redundant.