What are some of the most common topics students write about in their college essays?

It's very common to hear people talk about overdone essay topics, and knowing what they are is a huge first step to making your application stand out. Some of the most common topics students gravitate to are:

1. Sports injuries or victories: Essays about tearing an ACL, the comeback from a big loss, or lessons from being a team captain are everywhere. Unless you have an extremely distinctive angle—like how an injury sparked your interest in physical therapy or led to an unexpected new hobby—this one tends to blend in.

2. Mission trips or service trips: Many students write about going abroad to help those in need, discovering perspective, or feeling gratitude. While these experiences can be meaningful, admissions officers see hundreds of similar stories each year. If you take this route, focus on a specific, personal moment rather than the whole trip.

3. Moving or adapting to a new environment: Whether it's changing schools or coming to the U.S. as an immigrant, these are powerful narratives but also very common. To make this unique, focus on a particular moment or detail—like the day you helped another new student navigate the cafeteria.

4. Overcoming personal or family hardship: Topics like divorce, loss of a loved one, or financial struggles are important, but many students share these kinds of stories. Instead of telling the whole timeline, zoom in on a defining conversation, an epiphany, or a moment you took action.

5. Academic challenges: Stories about struggling in a hard class and working hard to improve your grade, or discovering a love for a subject after a bad test score, pop up a lot. They can be effective if you tie them to something bigger, like how a challenge led you to tutor others facing the same problem.

6. Winning a big award or getting recognition: While achievements are great, essays that just recount success without deep reflection rarely stand out.

As you brainstorm, try to focus on something that feels truly close to you, even if it's small or seemingly ordinary. Sometimes an unusual interest (like repairing old watches, writing fan fiction, or helping take care of a sibling), a quick exchange, or an embarrassing moment can say much more about who you are than a grand, sweeping story. Example: Instead of writing about the whole soccer injury and comeback, one student wrote about the friendships built while drawing doodles for teammates on their casts during recovery, revealing humor, empathy, and leadership in a totally fresh way.

If your story fits into one of these common categories, don't worry—but make it uniquely yours by narrowing the focus and revealing something about your personality or growth that only you can tell.