One of the most popular questions on the internet about college essays is, “Can I write about anything?”

The answer, like most I give when prospective students or parents ask me questions about college essays, is both yes and no.

College Essay Prompts

The answer is part no because almost all colleges have an essay prompt that requires you to write about a particular topic. Take a look at these prompts for the 2022-23 Coalition App: 

• Tell a story from your life, describing an experience that either demonstrates your character or helped to shape it.

• What interests or excites you? How does it shape who you are now or who you might become in the future?

• Describe a time when you had a positive impact on others. What were the challenges? What were the rewards?

• Has there been a time when an idea or belief of yours was questioned? How did you respond? What did you learn?

• What success have you achieved or obstacle have you faced? What advice would you give a sibling or friend going through a similar experience?

• Submit an essay on a topic of your choice.

As you can see, only prompt #6 gives you the freedom to write about any topic. 

Other Considerations

Beyond considerations about the prompt, you should also know that most colleges use personal statements to understand more about you, the applicant’s, life, personality, and interests outside of academic factors.

In my first job reading admissions file, my cohort of readers was trained by the college admissions staff to look for indicators in the personal statement that the applicant has experienced or explicitly wrote about moments of adversity, cultural awareness, or building character. For this reason, I often recommend applicants relate stories in their personal statements that express the aforementioned personal qualities and attributes. To put it simply, your personal statement should convey more than “just” an anecdote about your life. Use your personal statement to communicate that you have the characteristics, like integrity, empathy, or cultural competence, that will add value to a college classroom or campus. 

I also recommend that applicants do not waste space in the college essay simply reiterating what an admissions officer or reader can find in their resume, transcript, or test scores. Remember, the college essay is useful to admissions officers because it provides an opportunity for the candidate to articulate how they can or will positively contribute to the college BEYOND academics.

Though there are personal statements, especially at the grad school level or for transfer applicants, that ask you to explain your academic or professional background. So, in those instances, when you’re explicitly being asked to discuss these topics, you definitely should. Always follow the prompt.

If you have other questions about what you should and shouldn’t write about in your college essays, send me an email at contact@koodooslearning.com, check out the Koodoos YouTube channel, or buy my book, Writing Your Way into College.  

Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash