College essay topics that are unique are also typically the most memorable, and if there’s anything you want to be during the college application process, it’s that! Admissions officers have to sift through thousands of applications, and the essay is one of the only parts that allows them to really get a sense of who you are and what you value in life.
Therefore, make sure you take the time to come up with an essay topic that is in direct response to every question in the prompt.
Remember that specificity in your topic is what will make your essay unique and memorable. It truly is the key to making a strong statement (pun intended)!
Good college essay topics are typically those that:
#4: It’s Unique
If you ever need help coming up with an idea of what to write for your essay, just refer to the list of 53 examples of college essay topics above to get your brain juices flowing.
Many different kinds of college application essay topics can get you into a great college. But this doesn’t make it any easier to choose the best topic for you.
What does being unique mean exactly, though? Many students assume that they must choose an extremely rare or crazy experience to talk about in their essays —but that's not necessarily what I mean by "unique." Good college essay topics can be unusual and different, yes, but they can also be unique takes on more mundane or common activities and experiences.
It’s one of the most efficient ways I know to help create a TON of content for your personal statement and also add texture to bring your essay to life.
My 28 months in America living with five families helped me develop five values: open mindedness, spending quality time with family, understanding, discipline, and genuine appreciation.
Feel like their essay could make a difference in their college application but aren’t sure where to start.
Essay Topic: My First Flight Failed, But My Love Was Born
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I love writing, philosophy, speech and debate. and punk rock music. But I am not any one of these things, because I am all of them. I call myself a “punk-rock philosopher.”
Being punished for playing with transformers because they “aren’t for girls” didn’t stop me from becoming passionate about robotics, where I created and fought for an open source platform that educates children about robotics around the world.
Click here for a list of questions to help you with the exercise. Then, watch the video below.
You can think of a narrative essay as having three basic sections: Challenges + Effects
A: Some counselors caution, with good reason, against naming extracurricular activities/experiences in your personal statement. (It can feel redundant with your Activities List.) You actually can mention them, just make sure you do so in context of your essay’s theme. Take another look at the eighth paragraph of the “My Laptop Stickers” essay above, for example:
Also note that a somewhat-common lesson (e.g., “I found my voice”) can still appear in a stand-out essay. But if you choose this path, you’ll likely need to use either an uncommon structure or next-level craft to create a stand-out essay.
If you’re willing to spend a few more minutes, ask “so what?” of each example to see if a specific insight emerges.
Montage Structure FAQs
Parts of yourself that are essential to who you are (e.g., values or “islands of your personality”), and
Raising the Stakes/Rising Action: Builds suspense. The situation becomes more and more tense, decisions become more important, and our main character has more and more to lose.
For example, if your thread is “food” (which can lead to great essays, but is also a really common topic), push yourself beyond the common value of “health” and strive for unexpected values. How has cooking taught you about “accountability,” for example, or “social change”? Why do this? We’ve already read the essay on how cooking helped the author become more aware of their health. An essay on how cooking allowed the author to become more accountable or socially aware would be less common.
Roughly the next third focuses on actions she took regarding those challenges. (Though she also sprinkles in lessons and insight here.)
This is one of the most popular essay writing topics and for good reasons. It allows students the opportunity to argue in favor of something that can improve society. You can add anything in place of [Something]. For example:
We hope this article gave you some essay topic ideas to write your college essay on. If you need someone to help you write your essay, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
- Politics
- Religion
- Sports
- Privilege
- Revenge
- Unfortunate events and tragedies
- Irresponsible activities (like “partying”)
Now that you know what topics to avoid, let’s go over some good essay topic ideas.
Write About Your Life Goals
Write about the various challenges you have faced in your life and how they have transformed you into the person you are today.
This is a great essay topic if you really want to impress your teacher.
Before jumping into “what” topics to write your college essay on, understand what essay topics to avoid!
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The very best college essay topics are those that hold deep meaning to their writers and have truly influenced them in some significant way.
- Write down all the details
- Figure out your focus and approach
- Structure your narrative
- Write a rough draft
- Edit, revise, and proofread
- Get feedback and tweak as needed
If you’re really unsure about how to approach your essay, think about what part of your topic was or is most meaningful and memorable to you, and go from there.
Recap: From College Essay Topics to Great College Essays
By coming up with a real, honest topic, you’ll leave an unforgettable mark on admissions officers.
This step will likely take the longest amount of time — at least several weeks, if not months — so really put effort into fixing up your essay. Once you’re satisfied, do a final proofread to ensure that it’s technically correct.
And with that, I wish you the best of luck on your college essays!
There’s no one right way to approach your college essay, so play around to see what approaches might work well for the topic you’ve chosen.