QUESTIONING TO FIND THE TOPICS

Figuring out what to write about is often the most difficult and frustrating part of the essay experience. This is where the cross-examination and analytical skills of my 25 years of experience as  litigator can help!  

• Expert questioning to spark ideas, recollections and relevant details
• Persistent probing to dig past superficial answers and find the student's unique story

These skills will uncover the student's defining moments and unique stories and will help the student convert them into purposeful and persuasive essays.

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THE GOAL IN PICKING THE TOPICS​

The essay prompts in the Common Application, Coalition Application, and other core essays are intentionally broad to give the student wide latitude in picking a topic.  The same is true for many of the supplemental application essays. 

​The admissions officers want a sense of the student's thinking and personality.  Apart from  grades, test scores and activities, what does the student care about? Is the student someone they want to know? Someone they want on their campus? The essay should enhance rather than duplicate the application. The student should look for a topic that reveals at least one of the following:

• How the student thinks and/or solves problems
• What the student values
• How the student made a difference
• Why the student would be a good fit for the school
• A positive defining characteristic

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GOOD TOPICS

A good topic is one that is narrowly-focused and unique to the student. Through the narrative of the essay, the student should be able to subtly showcase his/her personality, values, thought process, etc.  

• A defining moment
• A memorable moment
• Something unexpected
• Something moving or inspiring
• A challenging experience
• A difficult decision
• A failed endeavor
• An important commitment
• A truly unusual experience
• A truly unusual interest
• An interesting perspective on the ordinary

​TERRIBLE TOPICS

The last thing a student wants to do is to offend the admissions officers or give them a reason to dislike the student.  Students should not write an essay on any of the following topics:

• Complaining about the essay or application process
• Taking a position on a controversial issue
• Listing the student's accomplishments
• Showing that the student is over-privileged (e.g. my trip around the world)
• Illegal or illicit activities

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RISKY TOPICS

While it is true the biggest risk is a boring essay, there are several topics that are risky because they are overused and/or difficult to write well. This is not to say that these topics can never produce a stand-out essay; it's just that they present unique challenges. These topics include:

• The student's hero or the most influential person in the student's life. The risk is that admissions officers will learn more about someone else and not enough about the student.
• Death, divorce or other tragedies. While these experiences are certainly life-altering events, the risk is that these essays will be clichéd.
• Childhood anecdotes. While these anecdotes might be cute, admissions officers want to learn about who the student is today, not who the student was as a young child.
• Parody or an entirely humorous essay. These kinds of essays can be clever, but sometimes they prevent the admissions officers from getting to know the "real you."

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​BORING TOPICS

Most high school students have had the same general experiences, so writing about them will do little to distinguish the student from everyone else.  Unless the student can focus in on a very specific, unusual and unique moment in any of the categories below, the student should avoid them.

• Trips that taught the student to embrace cultural differences or broadened the student's horizons
• Community service trips/projects
• Sports injuries 
• Sports victories
• Summer camp