Applying for college can be a nerve-wracking and arduous process. One of the most important parts of the process is the application essay. Finding a way to express your individuality and communicate your strengths effectively can be a real challenge, especially if your choice of topic is limited. Luckily, there are ways to handle commonly-assigned essay topics that can get you started on the road to a standout essay and make your application shine.
One common strategy for dealing with the application essay is to discuss a situation or an experience that has been a source of challenge in your life. If you're asked to write about how you handle challenges, choose an example from your past -- a learning disability, a health problem or a difficult family situation -- anything that has required you to overcome hardship and learn from adversity can be the basis of a solid essay. Describing how you’ve handled reverses or how you’ve used them to help you grow and learn, can go a long way toward showing that you’re ready to handle college life.
Another common approach to the application essay is to write about a life experience that played a part in making you who you are. It could be something big, like an overseas trip or a book that changed your worldview. It could be something seemingly small that has a special meaning for you, like a specific conversation with your best friend or a garden you once planted. Whatever it is, it should be a topic that expresses something unique about you or your point of view.
People and Relationships
Important people or relationships are another common topic of college application essays. Sometimes someone close to you, such as a relative or friend, has helped you find your way and taught you about how to live your life or provided an example of how to achieve your dreams. Sometimes someone you’ve never even met -- a sports figure, an inventor, an important person in history -- inspires you in a special way and makes you want to emulate them. Discussing what you find most admirable in another person can give insight into your values and beliefs.
Goals and Dreams
If the essay question you're facing concerns your future goals, use the opportunity to provide a map of your dreams and ambitions. Explain where you hope to be in ten years’ time, why you wish to attend this particular college or university and what you think you can contribute to your field of interest in the future. Approaching your essay this way can reveal not only who you are, but who you’re hoping to become.
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