How to Choose a College Essay Topic

Short answer: Tell the story or stories that best highlight the “takeaways” you want the admissions officers to associate with you.

Longer answer (to remove that confused look on your face). You don’t want to start with the topic or the story you think you want to tell. These essays are designed to help an AO make an informed decision — preferably the one that leads to your offer of admission.

What story or stories show who you are, how you think, and how you’d naturally contribute to the incoming class? Those are “topics” you write about (or about which you write if you prefer that I not dangle a preposition this close to your SAT).

Fun fact: You are the world’s leading expert on you!

See more answers here.

For official application deadlines and requirements, visit Common App or College Board’s BigFuture.


The system behind the answer

EssaySecrets™ teaches you how to build an application that makes the decision easy.

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