Let’s talk about what not to write about in your college essay!
As a final note, the list at the top is probably not comprehensive. I encourage you to look up videos/articles by people who review college essays for a living, either actual admissions counselors or people who offer college essay review services. They have seen WAY more essays than I have, and can tell you what people write about much better than I can. It's also just pretty fun to watch YouTube videos and count it as part of your college application process. Here are some links if you want to explore this more:
So far, we have focused on very specific essay topics you should steer clear of. However, there are many students who gain admission to their dream colleges every year by using these topics. What’s their secret? Simply put, they have found a way to make cliche topics feel a bit less cliche.
Writing about personal failures can be some of the most beautiful, meaningful, inspiring literature out there. You can find such writing in the memoir section of the library. We recommend leaving it there (and not introducing it into your college essay) for a few reasons.Â
Another college essay topic to avoid is “School was hard.”
1) Open up a google doc and write down literally everything you can think of about yourself. Formative memories, tiny memories that you don't know why you remember, places you've been with family and friends, your favorite things, aspects of your identity, people you care about, hobbies, experiences, etc. If it pops into your head, write it down. Even if it seems trivial, it's way better to write a bad idea down than have it bounce around in your head. You can also look through old notebooks and items in your house that are important/memorable to you. Write down any notes/feelings you think of as you're writing stuff down, and any applicable tangents your brain goes on. When you're done with all that, you'll have this massive document of ideas + memories specific to you that you can potentially write about (mine was like 12 pages lol). Later on when you're looking at the prompts you can look back through the document and highlight anything that jumps out at you (again, even if it seems trivial! Especially if it seems trivial! Some of the strongest essays I've read have been meaningful reflections of trivial events). You can also go through each bullet point and try to connect the moment/memory/thing to anything meaningful you want to talk about (deeper topics like finding joy in trivial moments, how leaps of faith are super nerve-wracking but also rewarding, etc.) If you find yourself getting into the flow of doing this step, that bullet point may be something you want to write about! If you're having a hard time coming up with a meaningful connection, just move on.
For example, if you decide to do a “resume” style essay, don’t try to dazzle them with all of your different accomplishments. Instead, zero in on one very specific accomplishment, and dive into layers of reflection and meaning. This gives you much more room to detail how the experience shaped you into the kind of person who will to the college. The same wisdom holds true for writing about your mission trip: if you must write about it, try to focus on that we’re not expecting. Like, did it teach you about healthy boundaries and autonomy and balance, instead of the cliche version. .
Finally, we do think there are some extremely narrow exceptions here where you can pull it off. Thatâs generally where the failure led to lessons learned that form the bulk of the essay (the essay should mostly talk about the actions you took post-failure). For example, you could write about failing in your run for student council, with a focus on what that failure added to your life.Â
Note on mental health issues: This is another extremely tricky area that is generally worth avoiding in college essays. For more on thinking through this topic, see our article on the section.Â
College essay topics to avoid include anything illegal or unethical.
The ideal essay topic is one that makes the committee trust you and believe that you’ll add value to the college. That’s going to be tough to do when you write about illegal or unethical activities.
Cliché college essays typically include topics such as:
As we detailed before, an issue with most immigration college essays is that they focus on worn topics such as adjusting to a new place, learning new languages and cultures, and so on. If you’re going to write this essay, you’ll be better off focusing on something like a single specific moment (like what you did the first time you encountered racism or xenophobia) or a much less conventional challenge you faced (for example, asking someone out on a date when you are still struggling with a new language).
College Application Essays: What NOT To Include
When writing college essays about your personal hero, be sure to actually focus more on yourself than on them. Help us see what you learned from them, how you’ve applied those lessons, and how they’ve shaped you into the thinker and scholar you are today.
What Not to Write About in a College Essay
Now you know what to do when it comes to college essays. And, perhaps more importantly, you know what not to do. Now comes the hard part, though: sitting down and doing it!
11 Topics to Avoid in College Essays | Post University
And even when it’s not an outright crime, you should refrain from writing about unethical activities that make you look bad. For example, some students have actually written college essays about how they were caught cheating on a test and ultimately learned from the experience. Learning from mistakes is fine and all, but the only outcome of such an essay is making the admissions committee question how long it will take you to start cheating on various college tests and essays.