The Best College Essay Topics (Plus, Expert Writing Tips)

1. 1
   Start with an attention-grabber. Santos explains that it’s important to grab the reader’s attention within the first few lines of your essay. Remember, the admissions officer will be reading tons and tons of college essays, so a punchy opening that captures their attention makes a huge difference. ^[8] Here are some suggestions:

   • Share a meaningful personal anecdote or a famous quote that relates to the themes you’ll be addressing in your essay.
   • Ask a thoughtful question that you’ll be answering in your essay.
   • Make a surprising or unexpected statement that you’ll elaborate on in your essay. ^[9]
2. 2
   Make sure your essay has a clear beginning, middle, and end. You don’t need to follow a typical 5-paragraph structure that you may have learned in high school, but it is important that your essay follows a clear progression. Don't write one long, rambling paragraph, or a stream-of-consciousness. Instead, break up your essay into digestible paragraphs, and take the reader on a clear journey that ends in a distinctly different place from where they started. ^[10]

   • For example, if you’ve decided to focus on your passion for marine biology in your essay, you might start with a hook about the first time you visited an aquarium as a child, and how fascinated you were with everything you saw.
   • The middle of your essay could then focus on the ways your love for marine biology deepened throughout high school, including any classes, clubs, or extracurriculars you participated in to learn more about aquatic life.
   • Finally, you could end your essay with the reason you want to continue studying marine biology at a university, why you’re so passionate about this field, and how your love for the subject makes you the person you are today. ^[11]
3. 3
   Write in your own unique voice. You don’t need to use overly stiff, academic, or flowery language to impress the admissions officer reading your essay. In fact, they’ll likely be able to tell if you’re writing in a voice that isn’t genuine to you, and this tends to have a negative effect. ^[12] Instead, focus on writing in your real voice, without changing up your whole vocabulary and sentence structure. This doesn’t mean being overly casual or informal—this is still a college essay, after all! It simply means writing in a way that feels true to your style.

   • To assess the tone and flow of your essay, try reading it out loud. ^[13] You might not be able to see that your language is stiff or awkward when you’re reading, but you’ll likely be able to hear it when it’s spoken aloud.
4. 4
   Start early, and give yourself lots of time to finish your essay. A college essay is typically pretty short (about 650 words), but this doesn’t mean that you should wait until the last minute. A good college essay will require lots of brainstorming, outlining, proofreading, and potentially re-writing, so it’s always best to start well in advance of the deadline. ^[14]

   • Don’t be afraid to write several different drafts, or to start over completely if you realize that the topic you chose just isn’t working. If you start early, you’ll have plenty of time to change your plan, if necessary.
5. 5
   Proofread, proofread, and proofread again. In a college essay, perfect punctuation, spelling, and grammar truly matter. This indicates discipline and attention to detail, which are traits your admissions officer definitely wants to see in your application. Reread your essay a few times on your own and make any necessary edits, and then give it to a teacher or college counselor for a final look-over. This will ensure that your essay is as polished as it possibly can be! ^[15]
Advertisement

1. 1
   How important is a college essay to your application? Your college essay is a very important component of your application. It gives you the chance to highlight positive qualities that may not be clear from other parts of your application, and it can also be the deciding factor when choosing between two equally qualified candidates. All in all, writing the best college essay you can gives you the best chance of getting into the schools you’re applying to. ^[16]
2. 2
   What are admissions officers looking for in a college essay? When reading your college essay, admissions officers are evaluating your communication and writing skills first and foremost. However, they’re also hoping to learn more about your positive traits, personal history, and unique perspective. Essentially, they’re trying to determine the kind of presence you’ll bring to the college’s community, while also evaluating your writing ability. ^[17]
3. 3
   When should you start writing your college essay? Writing a good college essay takes time, and you’ll likely need to go through a revision process as well. To give yourself ample time to write, edit, and ask for feedback on your essay, most counselors recommend getting started the summer before your senior year. This also allows you to get some work done on the essay before your schedule gets busy with classes and extracurriculars in the fall. ^[18]
Advertisement

We’ve asked our professional writers for their best tips to choose the right topic for your college essay.

1. 1
   “It’s important to write about something you’re truly passionate about, even if it’s not a sensational or showy topic.” “In my college essay, I wrote about my two biggest passions at the time, which were studying English and being a singer-songwriter. I focused on how these two interests were connected by a common thread: my desire to understand and empathize with others."- staff writer Annabelle R.

   • "First, I explained how reading books gave me a chance to put myself in a character's shoes and explore their mind. I then connected this to songwriting and explained that I used it as a way to understand the people I love (and my relationships with them) better.”
   • “This essay topic may not have been the flashiest choice, but it was super personal and meaningful to me, and it seemed to pay off—I was accepted into my dream school."
   • The bottom line? "I think the best course of action for a college essay is to write about something you care about deeply, something that reveals a truth about who you are. Honesty, vulnerability, and authenticity are key!”
2. 2
   "Don't just write about what happened externally; write about your internal experience." "I feel like the best essays that I've ever read weren't really about what happened on the outside—they were more about how someone changed, grew, or learned from an experience. Try to avoid just talking about the big game that you lost, or the debate competition that you won. Instead, think about what's really drawing you to that experience. What's making you want to share that above everything else? Take some time to really reflect on how the experience touched you, and then make sure that that comes across in your essay." - staff writer Caroline H.

   • "I wrote about a big rowing camp that I went to, but I didn't focus on just writing about exactly what happened: what races I did, how much we practiced, what we ate, etc. Instead, I used the experience to show how I had changed in deeper, more personal ways throughout the process. Specifically, I wrote about how I learned that sometimes, you have to be your own biggest source of support when you want to reach a goal."
   • The bottom line? "Once you choose a topic, take 10 minutes to brainstorm and reflect. Why do you want to write about this? If all you can think of is that it sounds impressive, it might not be the best pick out there. Instead, try to choose something that feels connected to deeper growth or learning that's stayed with you."
Advertisement