College essays can be a challenge to write, but you must make an impression on your professor. Unfortunately, some topics are so common they’re treated like cliches. Here’s how you can avoid cliché topics in your college essays and write with your creativity instead.
Why Should You Avoid Cliche Topics in College Essays?
Why Should You Avoid Cliche Topics in College Essays?You have a lot of reasons to avoid cliches in your college essays. It would be best if you avoided them because they are boring and unoriginal. They are also boring to read because they sound like everyone else’s essay. If you do not write about your unique personality and experiences, it will seem like all of your other classmates’ essays, making you look like a copycat.
Avoiding cliches is vital because it shows that you are aware of your uniqueness and want to be different from other students. It would be best if you also avoided them because they are not exciting topics for college essays. When you think of interesting topics for college essays, try thinking about things that have happened to you personally or something that has happened in the world around us recently.
If you do use a cliché in your essay, then you must make sure that you explain why the topic is relevant to your essay and how it relates to your specific situation. If not done correctly, this will only serve as an example of bad writing rather than a good one.
7 Cliché College Essay Topics to Avoid
College writing is one of the most challenging subjects. You’ll be tested on it just like any other subject, with no room for mercy. Unfortunately, some students still come up with overused college essay topics or ideas that are cliché and boring. If you want to write outstanding essays in college, here are seven common college application essay topics that should be avoided.
Highly Personal Topics
College essays are not the place to get personal. You can talk about your experiences and how they relate to what you’re learning in school, or you can write about a topic that interests you. But don’t try to be too cute with your approach and make it sound like you’re speaking directly to the reader. You want to sound like an expert, not a meme artist.
Personal Achievements and Accomplishments
If your goal is to brag about yourself, then this is not your essay topic. Instead, it would be best to focus on discussing what makes you unique, what sets you apart from others, and why you think that makes you an excellent candidate for admission to particular schools or programs. You might also consider writing about how your experiences have shaped your identity as a person who has achieved great things in your life.
Most Important Place or a Role Model
This is a cliché college essay topic to avoid. It may seem like an obvious point, but it is not. This type of writing makes the reader feel that there are no other essential topics to discuss; therefore, this is the only thing to write about.
Athletic Topics
While athletics play a role in education, it is not just about sports. It also includes academics, social life, health, and more. These topics are not very important in college essays and should be avoided if you want to get a good grade. Avoid using these topics in your paper if you want your essay to stand out from other students’ essays.
Humorous Topics or Jokes
Jokes and funny topics are not something college students want to write about. Even if they can write about them well, it would not be suitable for the overall topic of your essay. Therefore, try to avoid using such terms in your paper when writing an essay.
Travel Experience
Travel experience is a cliché topic, especially for students who have been to many places. Even if you have traveled extensively and have a great experience that you would like to share with the world, it will be easy for your audience to make assumptions about your travel experiences based on what they have heard or read about other people’s experiences.
Privilege or Luck
One of the most common clichés in college essays is to write about how lucky you are or how privileged you are. The problem with this line of thinking is that everyone sees it as an excuse for why they didn’t work hard enough or didn’t do what they had to do. Instead of explaining, you are just stating that you have been lucky enough to get into college.
7 Tips and Ideas to Help You Avoid Cliche Topics
Although it’s easy to find a topic you can write about. The more challenging part is finding a topic you aren’t bored with. Avoid cliche essay topics by having these tips and ideas below.
Show that You Belong at the School of Your Choice
You want to say something about why you love the school, which makes it more personal and shows that you care about the school and its students. If possible, talk about something specific from your life at this school.
If there is something specific like a class or club that you have been part of, talk about what made it special for you. For example, if a particular teacher inspired you in some way, tell us about them in detail so readers can get an impression of who they are and their influence on your life.
It would be best if you were yourself because that is who you are and what people like about you. Don’t try to be someone else or pretend to be something you are not.
You need to stay true to your personality and not try to hide any of your flaws or weaknesses. If you want someone else to like you, show them how much they can trust your talents and abilities. If someone does not trust your skills, it is better for them if they don’t get too close with you because they might end up disappointed by their past experiences with you.
Avoid Inflammatory Topics
When writing an essay, there are many things that you should keep in mind. One thing that you should do is avoid creating an inflammatory topic. An inflammatory topic makes it difficult for people to understand what you meant when writing your essay, which makes it difficult for them to understand what you wrote.
It is important not to let your emotions get in the way of your writing. The more you share, the more you risk losing your voice. After all, expressing yourself can be cathartic and therapeutic, but it’s also vital to remember that writing is first and foremost an art form. It’s not easy to get right at the best of times; it can seem impossible when you have no idea what you want to say.
Write About Culture and Identity with Sensitivity
If you want to write about culture and identity, then you need to know what those are in the first place. Before writing about them, it would be best if you defined them for yourself.
Culture is a set of customs, traditions, beliefs, and behaviors shared by a particular people; it includes their language, dress, art forms, and architecture. It can also have religious beliefs, which help define a group’s morals and ethics. Identity is one’s sense of self-worth based on one’s background, experiences, and preferences.
Avoid Focusing on a Single Event
If your essay is about one particular event or experience, you mustn’t focus on it too long. Instead, try to talk about other events and experiences that occurred during that time in your life and see how they relate to the first event or experience discussed in your essay.
Engage the Reader with Strong Writing
It’s important to remember that the first step in writing an essay is to have a purpose. This can be as simple as answering a question or trying to persuade someone else of your point of view. You might also have a specific goal, such as proving that a particular point of view is correct or changing someone’s mind about something.
In all cases, however, you should have something in mind when you start writing—something that will guide your thoughts throughout the rest of the process.
How to Write a College Essay That Stands Out?
If you are applying to college, you have probably already written an essay. But have you ever wondered how to make your college essay stand out from everyone else’s? These tips will help you create a great college essay that will be remembered.
Your First Paragraph Should Grab the Reader
The first paragraph of any essay should be a hook, a statement that grabs the reader and makes them want to continue. It can be an anecdote or an observation about the topic at hand.
A good hook will make your reader want to know more about what you have to say, but it should also be concise and to the point. Don’t ramble on about lots of details; instead, focus on one or two main issues that will help you set up the rest of your essay.
Don’t Be Boring
It’s hard to imagine, but you have to be original, or you don’t stand out from the crowd. In other words, if everyone copies their friends’ essays, they’ll look like copycats and won’t get noticed.
This doesn’t mean you can’t make use of your favorite authors and books. You can quote them in your essay, but make sure you don’t overdo it. Remember that good writing is concise and powerful. Quoting too many authors will make your essay sound boring and unoriginal.
Approach the Essay from a Different Angle
Although it might seem like a simple task, you have to think of something different and unique. Think about what has never been done before and use this to your advantage in writing.
The first thing you need to do is write down what you will do. This step can be done in any way that works for you and will help you get started on your essay. You should start by writing down what type of paper it is, such as an expository or argumentative essay, and then think about how you will approach it.
Another thing you need to consider when writing an essay is whether or not there are any topics you want to cover in-depth or touch upon briefly and move on with your paper. If this is the case, then give yourself more time than if there aren’t any topics that interest you personally anymore or if there are too many topics that require too much time spent on them.
Be Clear and Logical
A great college essay will always be clear and logical. It should be easy to read and understand. The best way to achieve this is by keeping your paragraphs short, but they don’t have to be boring or dry.
In addition to being clear and logical, your college essay should also be interesting. There are plenty of ways to get people interested in your work: use vivid images, personal anecdotes, or stories from someone else’s life. You want readers to engage with your work; if you can make them laugh or cry, that’s even better.
Leave Your Reader with a Lasting Impression
The best way to write a college essay is to go beyond the obvious and to make your readers think about the points you raise. In other words, it’s not enough to summarize what you learned in class or how you did on the quiz. It would be best if you looked for ways to make your reader think about the issue and respond with something original.
The most effective way to do this is to evoke a feeling of despair or hope in the reader. The trick is not just to make them feel the emotion but also to make them care about it.
Wrapping Things Up: How to Avoid Cliches Topics in College Essays (and What to Do Instead)
So much goes into writing a college application essay, which can be stressful. With so many unique individuals aspiring to college these days, essays are more important than ever. Knowing the right way to get your message across without coming across as a cliche is a key to standing out in the crowd.
That does not mean that writing a creative essay for college is impossible. There are some things to keep in mind when choosing good topics for college essays. These pointers can help you to develop an effective essay that has something new and original to say. This can ensure that you capture the imagination of those reading your work.
