1. The Perfect Topic for Your College Essay Adapted from VW Barber’s Article from http://www.college- admission-essay.com/

2. Introduction  College admission essays are the committee’s first impression of who you are on a personal level  The topic of your essay should convey the most positive and interesting aspect of yourself  The committee should come away from reading it with the realization that you will be an asset to their campus and will continually represent them positively

3. Where to Begin  Start with a free write  Time yourself for 15 minutes  Write down every experience you’ve had that’s made an impression on you, changed you for the better, shown you something about the world that helped you recognize beauty, respect, integrity, etc.  Write down why you’ve decided to attend this particular school  Consider your accomplishments, times you struggled most, things you’re most proud of, extracurricular activities, hobbies, etc.

4. When to Begin, Continued  If it wasn’t an event that moved or changed you, perhaps it was a role model  Make sure the committee comes away with a thorough understanding of who YOU are, not just an image of your role model  Take lessons you’ve learned from him/her and why you want to emulate that person  List things they’ve said or done that have stuck with you as you’ve grown and become the person who will be attending their university

5. Whittle Your List  After 15 minutes, you should have 20-25 different ideas, events, people, or combo of those  If not, try another 15 minutes until you do!  Pick 5 incidents that display any or all of the following qualities:  Emotionally moving  Personal  Exceptionally unique  Profound or philosophical  Ethnically or culturally related

6. Pick a Theme  After picking your 5 strongest representations of the aforementioned qualities, rate them from 1-5  Make a list of as many themes as possible that could be related by telling this anecdote  Consider the following possible themes:  Triumph through adversity  A great revelation or epiphany  The day your learned integrity  The person who taught you any of the above

7. Pick a Theme, Continued  Choose which of these themes you think represents you best and start to write the experience which best exemplifies this  Remember…it should be vivid, detailed, and personal—this experience is yours and yours alone

8. Last Minute Hints  This essay should not only be impressive to the admissions committee but interesting for you to write about too  Don’t forget to have fun with it  Good luck!