How to Find Compelling Ideas for Your College Essays

While a large portion of a student’s high school career will be focused on grades and academic performance, college essays, personal statements, and other writing sections offer students the chance to display their character and personality beyond the numbers. College admissions officers look for the aspects that make an applicant unique, and with college essays, students can work to make a personal connection with an admissions reader. Making a good impression will boost a student’s chance of acceptance to their target school. So, to help students get the most out of their applications, here are ways to find compelling ideas for your college essays.

What Were Your Greatest Moments of Growth?

Ideally, students will have challenged themselves throughout their high school career. The type of challenge or its intensity doesn’t matter. What matters is that the student stepped outside of their comfort zone and tried to improve. 

When brainstorming for college essay ideas, think about the times you tried to broaden your horizons. At the top US schools, admissions admissions officers want to see students who are constantly challenging themselves and working to become better people. This is the mindset these schools attempt to foster. By thinking back to how you have changed throughout high school and highlighting the moments you felt you grew as a student (and as a person), you’ll show admissions officers that you are already the type of scholar who would fit well within their institution. 

Some examples could be times when you taught yourself something new or that you never thought you could learn, the ways you are different as a person (such as being more organized, creative, or social), or recalling a specific moment that prompted a greater change in your life. 

Focus on Passions and Field of Interests

It should be no surprise for students that excelling often requires more than just being competent in a subject. Students should be genuinely passionate and excited to study and grow in their field. Passion is infectious, and being able to display your passion and the way that it drives you is one of the key aspects that shows others that you are serious about your field. 

When ideating your college essays, focus on the aspects of your study you’re passionate about. Think about why you’re interested in your field and how you’re inspired to move forward. A music major may describe the way that music makes them feel. A computer science major may describe the satisfaction of building a system or optimizing a set of code. And a business major may explore their drive for success and their want to positively impact their family and community. 

The key is thinking about why your field of interest is special to you and expressing that excitement throughout your essays. Being excited yourself will, in turn, get others excited, and for college admissions, being a passionate and dedicated student is a good impression to leave in the admissions office. 

Explore your Unique Background

All colleges in the United States value a robust and diverse student body. Administrators want this campus to be full of dedicated young scholars who all bring something unique to their fields. Everyone has their own individual history, so highlighting your background can help give your application that extra bit of personality unique only to you. 

For example, students may highlight their hometown, upbringing, where they come from, and the special challenges they faced. Exploring their culture and how their background has shaped their perspective and areas of interest is also a detail students can leverage. 

Exploring their history can make their essays more compelling as long as students are genuine and focus on the intellectual curiosity their experiences have fostered. 

Highlight your Extracurriculars 

Extracurriculars do more for students than just adding experience to their college applications. What students do outside the classroom often becomes their greatest moments of growth, opportunity, and achievement. Throughout their high school careers, students should engage in activities that not only support their passions but also challenge them to learn and change. 

With college essays, admissions officers are looking for insight into a student’s character. By bolstering their application with extracurriculars, students will have proof of their dedication as well as more material to write about in their essays. 

Examples may include passion projects that students plan and conduct on their own, leadership roles that they may have taken in their school or community (such as starting a club or leading a fundraiser), or volunteering for something outside of their area of interest just to learn something they otherwise wouldn’t have. 

Learning isn’t just what happens in the classroom, and taking opportunities to excel in unique ways is another trait admissions officers look for. 

How Did You Make a Community Impact?

In line with the previous point, admissions officers greatly favor students who’ve shown initiative in their communities and have gotten involved in helping others. This is a very strong character trait that will help students when their applications are taken to the admissions committee. 

If you are seeking ideas for your college admissions essay, finding ways to mention your community involvement will always yield positive results. Examples could be getting involved within your school to solve a problem or help other students, volunteering for a charity or organization that aligns with your passions and field of interest, or creating a club that focuses on community outreach. 

These experiences will be the foundation for lessons learned, connections made, and ways students have grown throughout high school. And that, in turn, can be the genesis for very compelling topics for college essays. 

Find Compelling Ideas with InGenius Prep

Ultimately, our former admissions officers at InGenius Prep agree that the best, most compelling, and memorable college essays are authentic and unique for that student. Admissions officers read thousands of applications each admissions cycle. Don’t get caught up writing what you think your application reader wants to see. Be genuine about your goals, and write an essay that conveys your passions in a way only you can. The more you focus on using your own unique voice, the more compelling your college essay will be. 

If you need help crafting your college essay, InGenius Prep is ready to help you every step of the way. Our Application Counseling program, headed by Former Admissions Officers from the top US colleges, will have your student writing the best possible essay and give them a 7x increase in their chances of acceptance to their dream school.

Schedule a free strategy meeting today to learn more about InGenius Prep’s programs!