It can be intimidating to decide on topics for your college essays. Realistically, this is some of the most important writing you are likely to do as a high school student. The key to successfully approaching these essays is understanding the different types you’ll have to write. Then, you can use brainstorming exercises to determine some topics for those essays.
The three types of essays discussed in this blog include the personal statement essay, the dream school essay, and the future ambition essay.
Brainstorming for Your Personal Statement Essay
The personal statement essay gives students the most flexibility in their writing style and topic choice. A student can submit this essay to all schools that allow one to apply using the Common Application. Brainstorming impactful ideas will be extremely helpful when approaching this essay.
A great technique to use for a personal statement is one called free writing. This technique involves writing about the first thing that comes to mind and continuously writing without much thought until there is nothing else left to say. Even if you do not use this piece in your essay, you will be in the mood to start writing about a personal story, and you’ll likely come up with ideas subconsciously that you may not have thought of otherwise.
It’s also important to note that you want to stand out from other applicants, so don’t choose a topic just because it worked for someone else. Find a concept that helps convey a part of your personality or experience that you have yet to express through your resume or other application materials.
Brainstorming for Your Dream School Essay
The dream school essay asks students to explain why they want to go to their school. Reasons can vary from a desirable location or a program they dream of joining.Â
One of the biggest challenges with answering such a complex and open-ended question is that some students may not know where to start. A good brainstorming strategy for this essay is to break it down into further questions such as “What about this school makes me excited to go there?” or “Why am I excited to learn about this new program and discipline?”.
It is best to answer these questions as if you are taking notes in a lecture, as this phase does not require strict structure. Still, be sure to write your responses in a manner that makes sense to you. This strategy is known as chunking, and it helps break the essays up into things that you want to talk about. It also combats the struggle of trying to answer the question head-on.
Generic responses will not do well here, and one way to avoid regurgitating the same answers as everyone else is to explain why something is important to you as an individual. You’re more than welcome to write that you’re applying because the program you’d like to enroll in is very prestigious. However, it’s better to explain how enrollment in this specific program is key to achieving your future goals to stand out among others who feel the same way.
Brainstorming for Your Future Ambition Essay
Colleges request students submit future ambition essays that have the student reflect on their goals. Students are also expected to acknowledge their strengths and weaknesses. Much like the personal statement essay, this essay requires the student to showcase a part of themselves that the admissions officers wouldn’t be able to see through the rest of their application.
One brainstorming exercise for this type of essay is to fill out a list of superlatives about yourself. These would still have to be personal superlatives, such as what you are most proud of about yourself and the area you think needs the most work. Students could also think about the best and worst moments of their lives and what they can learn from them.
Remember to focus on the future with this essay. Listing off strengths and weaknesses won’t help you create a successful piece. Students must convey to the admissions officers that they understand how their strengths and weaknesses can impact them as they work towards their goals. Since this is the case, your goals should be ambitious but reasonable.
Conclusion
Brainstorming is necessary when crafting an essay that appeals to college admissions officers. These officers aren’t looking for well-written research papers or book reports. They want to see a piece of well-written writing that tells a part of your story.
The purpose of brainstorming exercises is to get words on the paper and for students to find a topic that conveys the message they’re hoping to get across, even if they might not be thinking about it instinctively or consciously. Brainstorming and choosing a topic is arguably the most challenging part of writing a college essay, but students will reap the most rewards from doing so successfully.
Learn How to Write a College Essay from the Experts at Curvebreakers
Multi-week group classes and one-to-one options are available.