5 College Admission Essay Topics to Avoid
In an admission essay to get into college, your goal is to get accepted. There are some things you shouldn’t mention in that essay, even if they are true, and keep reading to find out what you should leave out in order to look better to the admissions board. College essays can be tricky things, and you want to make sure that you’re putting forward your very best work, because otherwise your chances at being accepted will be lowered considerably. If you’re taking this essay seriously, then the school you’re applying to will be more likely to take you seriously and accept you as a student.
Even though this essay is supposed to represent you as a person and a future student, there are some things that you won’t want to include so that you don’t put off any of the school board members that are going to be reading it and deciding your future. Depending on the school, they can receive dozens of applications in any one day, and yours needs to stand out in a good way, not in a desperate for attention way.
Five Topics to Avoid in Your Admission Essay
1. The most important person or thing in your life
It’s not necessarily a bad thing to talk about God or your best friend or your mother. It’s just that these types of essays tend to be too broad and unfocused. In addition, they are normally painfully monotonous.
2. Sports
Millions of students write about their winning run, goal or basket, and you don’t want to put yourself into that group. Essays about scoring and winning are far too common to make a difference, and nobody wants to read about the losing team.
3. Illegal activity
Don’t in any way bring up arrests, drugs, jail time or even legal sexual activities. Even if you’ve changed and abandoned the life of recklessness, don’t talk about it. You never know how you could offend someone, and that will likely be the reason for your not being accepted.
4. Changing formats
The essay is an essay for a reason. Don’t dabble in stream-of-conscious style writing, or sarcasm or satire. The structure that’s already in place has worked well, and although it might seem old-fashioned, don’t change it!
5. Listing your accomplishments
Even if you might be the best person in the world, no one wants to read a recitation of all the good things you’ve done and places you’ve been.