r/CollegeEssays

College admissions are due in the next month and following, and I have yet to solidify a good topic for me to write about. I don't have a traumatic event or life-changing moment, so I am struggling to find something to write about. I have many interests and things I do however, including fishing, hiking, and other things. Some topics that I have considered was fishing and pipelining that from how I taught my friends to fish and into my leadership positions at school, or minecraft and how I spent so much time on it growing up and I rarely go on it anymore (but I believe that is too cliche and common), and then writing about a time my whole family and friends thought I went missing hiking but it was really the greatest experience of my life.

I just feel like the ideas aren't suitable for a good story and won't be compelling for admission officers to read. If anyone has any opinion on the things I said or maybe some other ideas to write about I am taking ANY feedback! I love the outdoors, and I also love biology. I plan on majoring in Biology or Marine Biology to pursue Medical School.

I work with a college consultant and he’s been really discouraging. I would like another perspective! My essay certainly isn’t perfect, but I feel like it’s stronger than he’s making it out to be 😭 I just want to make sure it is understandable from someone who doesn’t know me :) My top schools are Shryers honors college and UMich. My dms r open!

Some of my stats:

Gpa- 3.74

APs- 8 (4s and 5s on all)

Honors-7

College in high school- 3

Speech & Debate: 1st Place, PHSSL State Qualifiers (2026); 3rd Place, PHSSL State Championships—Oral Interpretation (2026); 2nd Place, Mars Invitational (2026); 2nd Place, Hampton Invitational (2026); State Semifinalist, News Broadcasting (2025). Academic: AP Research Score of 5. Leadership & Service: Selected as Student Body School Board Representative, a newly created Student Council position; President, Rotary Interact Club; Vice President, Multicultural Club; founded an annual bake sale benefiting North Hills Community Outreach, raising $2,000+ and doubling club membership. Odyssey of the Mind: 3-time HS regional champion and state qualifier in problem solving. Color Guard: Selected as Captain for two consecutive seasons. Fountain of Youth Beauty Academy: Youngest student in cohort; completed 200 in-person hours and online coursework toward nail technician licensure; earned highest final exam grade.

1. my fear of stickers, pittakionophobia, which i’ve had since i was little and i could write about navigating a uncomfortable world while bringing in my supermarket job where stickers are very common to show almost adaptability and overcoming issues in a way
2. taking up a hobby of collecting precious moments (the figurines) and showing the memories behind a few of them.
3. also collecting but how when i started my job as a cashier i started to try collecting all the states coins to show patience, and a strong attention to detail.
4. the story of how i only like one brand and a specific flavor of gum and not everywhere carries it. and instead of ordering it on amazon i still go to multiple different delis to see if they have it.
5. not knowing how to tie my shoelaces as a kid and bringing that into feeling left behind and denial to then showing acceptance so i could catch up

My personal statment is kinda cliche but my counslers and teachers who read it said it was good. I am worried its not ivy level or T20

is an essay about how I always get free concert upgrades a good idea? I would talk abt how I never spend more than $100 and I always negotiate to get pit or closer seats. and then I would connect it to how I love talking to people etc and I always find a way to connect to people. and then how I use this skill for good where I advocate for people who maybe cant talk and just how I help people in general through service and volunteering. I would talk abt how I was really quiet as a child so the concert negotiating skill is an example of huge growth for me. Ik this essay can make me come off as arrogant or entitled so I would try my best not to do this.

is this a bad idea, or too overused? how can I make it better?

Hi everyone! thank you so much for clicking on my post and considering it!! I just need a little bit of advice and someone's else eyes on it. The only reviews I've gotten are from my mom and my best friend, but they're pretty biased so I'm taking it with a grain of salt.
Thanks for clicking on my post! :)

I am too much stressed and need help from someone who has already gone through this process. My writing skill is not so good to be honest.

It's as obvious as the title lol! This is so embarrassing to admit but ever since I got back into school, I met this freshmen who reminds me of myself who I see potential in. It has reminded me of how much ive changed over the years and how i want to see this 'younger me' grow into someone great. I would use this as a way to talk about myself and my life growing up and how I had someone who I looked up too. Is this a good topic?? Not sure what else I should write about.. If you have any ideas.. please let me know!

I'm working on my Common App personal essay and wanted some outside opinions before I keep editing it.

My essay is about being a male Bharatanatyam dancer in America. My mom came to the U.S. from India and always dreamed of having a daughter she could pass Bharatanatyam down to, but she ended up having two sons. When I was four, I was actually the one who approached her and asked her to teach me.

The essay follows how I went from basically copying movements I didn't understand to learning the meanings behind them, including learning Sanskrit, which I barely even knew existed when I was younger.

A big part of the essay is also my Arangetram. I was preparing to have it at 14, but we had to postpone it because of my mom's injuries/health issues. Between that and trying to balance school, it kept getting pushed back and still hasn't happened. The essay uses that to talk about how I used to see the delay as falling behind, but eventually realized that progress doesn't always happen according to the timeline you planned.

The opening is basically:

>“My mother spent years dreaming of having a daughter. Instead, she got me.”

Someone close to me who is currently in college read the essay and told me that I shouldn't focus on only Bharatanatyam. They said I should talk about three different parts of my life, like Bharatanatyam, DJing, and leading my math team to second place in competitions.

The problem is that those other things are already in my Activities section, and honestly, Bharatanatyam is much more personal to me and has shaped me significantly more than something like a math competition.

For people familiar with Common App essays, is focusing deeply on this one story better, or would admissions officers actually prefer seeing multiple activities/parts of my life in the personal statement?

I'm intentionally not posting the full essay because I don't want it publicly searchable, but I'd really appreciate feedback on the concept/approach.

HEY I'M DOING AN ESSAY ON TRANS PEOPLE IN HISTORY ARE THERE ANY PEOPLE I SHOULD INCLUDE I already have people like Marsha P. Johnson, Catherine Jorgensen, and Sammy Williams, but I'd love any people that made some significant impacts; bonus points if its further back in history :))

hi so i just “finished” my essay and would like some feedback on what i could improve or do to make it longer and better. please dm me if you can help!