College Essay Topics

Often the hardest part of the application process is answering the question "what do I write about in my college essay?" Perhaps for the first time, that subject is YOU! High school students are taught to write papers about many subjects, but writing personal narrative essays are not always in the curriculum. And if they were, the assignment was to meet the standard of the assignment to get a good grade. Now, you are expected to write an essay that helps you stand out from your peers that isn't being graded on a visible scale. This is where the help of a professional writing tutor can really benefit you. College essay coaches have the perspective of reading other students' essays for a living, so we know what some of the most commonly chosen essay topics are. We also know which ones you should avoid! There are some subjects that are selected so often, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, that college admissions advisors strongly recommend not writing about them, if you want to stand out.

However, even with the right college essay topic, it is important to approach writing with the right tone. Colleges are trying to learn about who you are - what your values are, what kinds of choices you make, whether you learn from any mistakes you have made in the past - and the tone of your writing as important as the subject. Are you pessimistic? Sarcastic? Inauthentic? Or are you hopeful? Thoughtful? Kind? Which of those students do you think a college would want to invite to live on campus? At times we are too close to our stories, and we cannot see how our tone is coming across until it is read by someone who is emotionally detached from the event. Your essay coach will help reflect back to you the readers' experience, so you can make sure you have the right topic, the right tone, and of course, the right technique to get into the colleges on your list!

Ashley Fuchs is a professional college essay writing coach at Write Away Tutoring. Contact her today to ask more about getting started.