Scholarships
Study tips & tricks
What Not to Write About in a College Essay
Author:
Dallas Hardwick
Dec 5, 2024
10 min
Table of contents
College essay topics to avoid
You’re in your last year of high school and will be off to college soon enough. Before that happens, realize that essay writing is the way of life in university. It figures that one of the first steps before you move to the next step of your academic life is writing college essays.
Writing an essay is a part of the application process that many students struggle with. It’s a common weak point that we’re here to help you with by learning the most common college essay topics and what mistakes to avoid.
If you want to stand out, you mustn’t write an essay with a mediocre topic everyone’s already written about before. Take some time to brainstorm and find a “personal, original, and specific” topic that can make your college application memorable.
But don’t stress too much. We know it is a big hurdle but we’re here to help make it easier. Let’s talk about what not to write in a college essay so you can avoid them when you write yours.
Bad college essays and what not to do in a college essay
Why do colleges have you write an essay as part of the application process? Well, it’s how they generally get a sense of who you are. Your essay helps them understand your voice, perspective, beliefs, standards, and ideals.
For instance, you’re given a prompt that asks you to recount a challenge, failure, or setback. The admissions officers isn’t interested in the challenge itself, but in who you are and how that helped you deal with the setback. The essay is a way for them to get to know you better, in a more dynamic way.
Knowing this, you need to ensure that you answer the essay prompt in a way that showcases your positive traits. You need to word it in a way that highlights the traits the college is looking for, not just all the good things about you.
Now, besides making yourself look good, you want to use your college essay as a way to stand out. How can you do that? There are various ways, like using humor in your writing style, which help humanize you. This is a great way of making the admissions committee not look at you as just another boring applicant.
You can also use detailed sensory descriptions, which create an immersive experience for your reader. Aside from the writing style, we’ll also caution you when it comes to overused college essay topics.
Don’t fall into the trap of using boring and cliché college essays like “The Big Performance,” a mission trip you went to, or why a particular person is your hero. Topics like these lack originality, often feel superficial, don’t show depth, and lack impact.
Using such topics for your college essay is almost 100% sure to keep you from being accepted to your dream school. With that said, let us help you by delving into the common college essay topics to avoid when writing essays.
Bad college essay topics
You can make almost any topic work if you’re a skilled writer. But for college essays, you want to take the risks or they may backfire. You must be extra careful in choosing a topic that isn’t too personal, not cliché, not controversial, and certainly not inappropriate.
However, it’s a bit stressful given you’ve never done this before. You find yourself looking through the internet for help, searching “What not to write in a college essay.” Well, you are on the right page.
Your college essay is about YOU
One crucial thing about writing college essays is to not write about someone else. No matter how amazing this person is, your college essay should be about you. Just think about who’s the one the college will accept based on the essay you wrote—is it you or your “hero” dad?
Don’t embellish your essay with lies
It’s something that some students tend to do - embellishing their stories when they think it’s not enough to impress. You really shouldn’t lie in your college essays. You should know that admissions officers can detect insincerity and lying is not a personal quality they value.
It’s unnecessary anyway. You never need to write a dramatic story to make your essay pop. Stay true to yourself and only share honest stories. This is the easiest way to get the admissions committee to get a better sense of you.
We’ll help you avoid the common mistakes of crafting essays for college applications with the following bad college essay examples. These are topics you should avoid writing about when you start your college application.
Academic achievements and trauma-based stories
One of the most common topics to avoid in writing a college essay is one centered on your academic achievements. You would think they should help you get in, right? But they won’t if you approach it like you’re applying for a job.
It’s a big mistake to write your essay where you just list or make a tally of everything you’ve accomplished in school. It misses the purpose of the essay, which is for the college admissions to get to know you better.
A list of your accomplishments in an essay can lead to wasting already limited word count. It will make your essay look cramped and impersonal with the word limit not giving you much room to contextualize all the successes you’ve made.
Another too common and not the best topic to write for college application essays is trauma. Stories based on trauma like family or personal trauma, illness, or death of someone you love are too personal and heavy to process.
There’s also the risk of you writing an essay that isn’t about you. The essay about the death of someone you love could end up becoming a eulogy. There’s no info there that can help the admission committee to get to know you better.
On the other hand, trauma-based stories can venture into melodrama or self-victimization. More than that, your trauma is solely yours and you don’t owe anyone about it.
Controversial and inappropriate topics
We also don’t recommend writing about divisive or controversial topics like religion, politics, or any sensitive social issue. They may be topics you feel passionate about, but a college essay isn’t the right time or place to write about them.
These are topics that are too sensitive and highly polarizing. Given how you won’t know if the person who will read your essay has views aligned with yours, an essay with these topics could very well tank your application.
Now, no one can stop you from writing about controversial topics. So if you do choose to write them, make sure you do so in a respectful and thoughtful manner. Make sure as well as to have logical arguments and proofs that can back up your opinions.
Also don’t think it’s a great idea to write about inappropriate topics in your college essay for shock value. If you’re thinking of writing about substance abuse, alcohol, illegal activity, or anything illicit, you need to perish the thought.
These topics are not advisable due to possibly making you look bad to the admission committee. They’re major red flags about your entire character and ability to make decisions.
The only time it might be appropriate to write about them is when you volunteered in a harm reduction facility. And even then, it’s crucial you write the essay delicately.
Clichés and superficial topics
Clichés are also a no-no when it comes to college application essays. These are overused topics, something the admissions officers more than likely has read before. Instead, try to find a new perspective or angle to a common topic if you want your essay to stand out.
You should also avoid writing about topics that are superficial or boring. These are topics that won’t reveal a lot about yourself, thus unable to help the admission committee get a sense of your character or how you’ll do in college.
Here are some examples of superficial and cliché essay topics for college essays:
- Sports injury and recovery
- Romantic heartbreak
- Parents’ divorce
- “The big game” or “big performance”
- Learning perseverance or hard work
- Discovering a new hobby or passion
- Your favorite sports team or TV show
- How you get skilled in this particular video game
- Your skills in time management and organization
- . Pet stories or romantic relationships
- . Winning your school election
- . Volunteer trip or mission trip
Writing cliché essays and making them work
We know we’ve said not to write about overused or cliché topics, but there are ways you can still make them work if you really want to write about them. How can you do that? By finding a unique angle that lets you showcase personal growth or how a particular experience has shaped you as a person.
Don’t simply recount events. Think about how the tragedy changed you or how a particular relationship taught you to be more understanding. When it comes to sensitive topics, handle it delicately without sharing too many graphic details.
If you want to talk about your academic accomplishments, don’t just list them. How about zeroing in on one specific achievement and reflecting on it? You will have more room to add details about that specific event and how it shaped you as a person. The same with mission trips or sports challenges, focus on writing about values the school is not expecting.
The most important thing here is to make sure that your essay focuses inward, on the strengths, insights, and values that make you a great addition to the college. A little bit of self-awareness and creativity can go a long way in making cliché topics compelling.
Check out WriterEssay.com for expert assistance in writing college essays.
FAQ
It depends on the college. It’s typically more important for schools that take in applications holistically. Smaller schools also place great importance on college essays.
The admissions officers want to see that you understand the basics of writing. They also want to see that you can answer the essay prompt well, showcasing a strong command of the English language. More importantly, they want to see how well you can tell a story, show profound thinking, and reflect on your experiences.
It depends on the school, but they’re typically not long. They’re commonly around a minimum of 250 words and a maximum of 650 words. When writing your college essay, it’s best to get as close to the word count as you can, without exceeding it. This is because most schools won’t accept essays with words more than the maximum word count.
Use standard fonts, sizes, and margins. The most commonly used is 12-point Times New Roman. Keep it at a 1.5 or double spacing.
If you’re using phrases from sources, make sure to paraphrase them. Use your own language and sentence structures to say the meaning of the phrases instead of copying them word by word.
No. You’ll be wasting precious words in a title and it’s not even actually helpful. Your college essay is all about you and the admissions officers can draw a title or a meaning after reading it.
Since the essay is all about you, the answer is yes. You should write in first person from the beginning to the end of your essay.
Ideally, you should start after junior year. At the end of July, you should have finalized your main college essay so you’ll have time to write supplemental essays and fill out applications.
Need help writing your college essay? Visit WriterEssay.com and enjoy assistance from professional writers specializing in homework, thesis, research papers, and all other kinds of essays. Contact us today!
