Brody's Guide to the College Admissions Essay

Conclusion—settling on the right topic

So now you’ve got a list of topics. Some of them seem completely worthless (“I wrote that I love my grandma,” you’re thinking. “That is not a good essay topic!”) Some look intriguing, but you’re not sure how it might be turned into an essay. Hopefully, a few ideas appear promising.

Now’s the time to bring it all together. Everything you’ve absorbed in this chapter can now be put to use, as you look at the questions you need to answer and try to adapt a topic from your list.

Good luck, and don’t forget what we discussed in this chapter.

• When choosing a topic, remember our three rules of choosing a good topic for your college essay:
  
  1) The essay must be about you,
  2) The essay must be interesting, and
  3) The essay must be about something not obvious from your application.
   

• Own your essay.

  Pay attention to the questions, but write what you want to write.
   

• Put your best foot forward.

  Never lie or exaggerate the truth. But also never forget that you’re trying to put together the best and most persuasive application, not the most technically “accurate.”
   

• Structure your brainstorming process.

  Don’t just read a question, think of an answer, and begin to write. To properly mine your entire life for good admissions essay fodder, you need to create a written list of all possible topics and give yourself some time.

Finding an topic is, in our opinion, the hardest part of the process. Once you’ve done that, you’re ready to put together that perfect essay!

 

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