What are some of the best college essay topics you've heard of or written about?
I've been brainstorming ideas for my personal statement, but I keep second-guessing myself about what makes a topic 'good' for college essays.
Should I write about something really big, like moving to a new country, or is it okay to write about a smaller, more everyday experience? For example, I was thinking about writing about the summer I spent helping at my family's restaurant, but I don't know if that's interesting or 'college app' worthy.
Would love to hear what topics worked for people or what kinds of stories really stood out. Do colleges prefer something unique and dramatic, or can simple topics be just as effective if they're written well?
Should I write about something really big, like moving to a new country, or is it okay to write about a smaller, more everyday experience? For example, I was thinking about writing about the summer I spent helping at my family's restaurant, but I don't know if that's interesting or 'college app' worthy.
Would love to hear what topics worked for people or what kinds of stories really stood out. Do colleges prefer something unique and dramatic, or can simple topics be just as effective if they're written well?
4 months ago
•
11 views
Camille Luong
• 4 months ago
Advisor
Great question! It’s normal to wonder whether your topic needs to be dramatic or unique to make a strong impression. In reality, some of the best college essays are about small, everyday experiences that reveal something meaningful about the writer.
Admissions officers read a huge range of essays, so what matters most is how you use your story to illustrate your personality, values, and growth. A ‘big’ event—like moving to a new country—can be powerful, but only if it focuses on a specific moment or feeling rather than giving a broad life summary. Likewise, a ‘small’ event—like working at your family’s restaurant—can be memorable if you reflect on what you learned or how it shaped your perspective.
For instance, one standout essay was about a student’s daily ritual of making tea with their grandmother. The topic was ordinary, but the student used the experience to talk about cultural heritage, intergenerational bonds, and the lessons they gained from those quiet moments together. Another strong essay focused on a student negotiating peace between rival factions in their school's Dungeons & Dragons club—a quirky, very specific scenario that highlighted leadership and empathy.
Writing about your experience at the family restaurant could absolutely work! You might zoom in on a single moment, like the first time you managed a busy dinner rush solo, and discuss what it taught you about patience, communication, or stepping into new responsibilities. Or maybe there's a unique tradition or customer interaction that changed how you see your family or yourself.
At the end of the day, colleges want to get to know the real you. A simple topic, told with honest reflection and detail, can be just as compelling—sometimes even more so—than a dramatic or rare experience. The key is to move beyond just what happened and focus on how it affected you and what you took from it. If your story is personal and authentic, it’ll stand out.
If you’re still brainstorming, try listing moments—big or small—when you learned something new about yourself. Look for the details only you could write about. Those make for the best essays!
Admissions officers read a huge range of essays, so what matters most is how you use your story to illustrate your personality, values, and growth. A ‘big’ event—like moving to a new country—can be powerful, but only if it focuses on a specific moment or feeling rather than giving a broad life summary. Likewise, a ‘small’ event—like working at your family’s restaurant—can be memorable if you reflect on what you learned or how it shaped your perspective.
For instance, one standout essay was about a student’s daily ritual of making tea with their grandmother. The topic was ordinary, but the student used the experience to talk about cultural heritage, intergenerational bonds, and the lessons they gained from those quiet moments together. Another strong essay focused on a student negotiating peace between rival factions in their school's Dungeons & Dragons club—a quirky, very specific scenario that highlighted leadership and empathy.
Writing about your experience at the family restaurant could absolutely work! You might zoom in on a single moment, like the first time you managed a busy dinner rush solo, and discuss what it taught you about patience, communication, or stepping into new responsibilities. Or maybe there's a unique tradition or customer interaction that changed how you see your family or yourself.
At the end of the day, colleges want to get to know the real you. A simple topic, told with honest reflection and detail, can be just as compelling—sometimes even more so—than a dramatic or rare experience. The key is to move beyond just what happened and focus on how it affected you and what you took from it. If your story is personal and authentic, it’ll stand out.
If you’re still brainstorming, try listing moments—big or small—when you learned something new about yourself. Look for the details only you could write about. Those make for the best essays!
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Camille Luong
Nomadic
Stanford University, BAH in Urban Studies
Experience
5 years
Rating
5.0 (5 reviews)