There are famous examples of strong college essays that admissions offices love to publish, just as there are cringe-worthy examples of terrible college essays that end up. Continue reading to understand what makes an essay awful and which college essay themes to avoid. These may guide you towards How to Write a Great Essay.

What Makes Bad College Essays Bad

What causes a college essay to become a disaster? Faulty personal statements combine challenging subject matter with bad delivery, just as brilliant personal statements combine an unexpected theme with superb execution.

Problems With the Topic

The most common method to sabotage a college essay is to misunderstand what the essay is about or how you've chosen to explore a certain event. Poorly chosen essay material might easily result in an unappealing essay in one of several ways, which I'll address in the next part. The essay is your chance to show your desired college admissions office your personality, character, abilities, and skills that aren't on your record. So, if you start with a lousy topic, you risk destroying not only your essay but also the favorable impression that the remainder of your application produces.

College Essay Topics To Avoid

Want to know why it's so common to be told to write a college essay about something boring and every day? That's because the more unusual your subject, the more probable it is to fall into one of these pitfalls.

Too Personal

The issue with the extremely personal essay topic is that sharing something personal might demonstrate a lack of boundaries. And understanding where to set proper limits will be crucial if you're living on your own with a group of strangers. Sadly, slipping into the TMI zone of essay subjects is more often than you would believe. If it's not something you'd tell a kind stranger sitting next to you on the aircraft, it's probably not something you should tell the admissions office.

Too Revealing of Bad Judgment

In general, avoid discussing prior unlawful or unethical behavior in your essay. Giving admissions authorities reasons to dislike you is simply a terrible idea. Some exceptions might be made if you performed something in a vastly different mentality from your current one (while escaping from danger, under severe coercion, or when you were very young, for example). If your essay is about how you've turned a new leaf and you have a transcript to back you up, this is a good option. Unigo might help you learn How to Write a Good Essay for a Scholarship.

Too Overconfident

While it's admirable to believe in one's ability, no one enjoys a constant show-off. If you're going to write an essay about your successes, it's best to explain a setback or a moment of uncertainty rather than just praising yourself to the heavens.

Too Clichéd or Boring

Keep in mind your audience. In this situation, you're attempting to stand out to an admissions counselor who has reviewed hundreds of other applications. If you mistake being dull or trite in your essay, it will simply not register as something worth reading in that person's mind. For instance, expressing sadness in response to a sad but all-too-common occurrence. Unfortunately, many of life's difficult, formative experiences are fairly universal. So, if you're going to write about death or divorce, be sure to concentrate on how you dealt with the situation so that the essay is unique to you. A lengthy, idiosyncratic description can only save this topic.

Too Off-Topic

Unlike the essays you've written in school when the goal is to evaluate something outside of yourself, the focus of your college essay should be on you, your background, your personality, and your plans for the future. Writing about someone or anything else may produce a terrific essay, but it's not appropriate in this situation. For example, documenting how skillfully other people do things, say things, and are active in the essay while you stay inert and inactive. It's a terrific learning experience to be in the midst of someone else's vital scientific study, intricate stage production, or serious political engagement.

Too Offensive

You run the danger of displaying a lack of self-awareness or the ability to be open to new ideas if you make this possible error. Remember that no one enjoys being lectured. If that's the case with your article, you've demonstrated a lack of capacity to communicate effectively with others. Also, keep in mind that no college wants to enroll someone too closed-minded to learn from others. A long, one-sided article about a contentious topic will make you appear to be precisely that. Visit Unigo to learn How to Write a Good Essay Introduction

The Bottom Line

The subjects or the execution of bad college essays are both problematic. Because the essay is how admissions authorities learn about your personality, point of view, and maturity level, choosing the correct topic is critical to portraying yourself as a self-aware, self-directed, open-minded candidate who will thrive in an independent atmosphere.

Writing an essay, especially on a subject they are unfamiliar with, maybe difficult for writers of all talent levels. However, the writing techniques listed above may make the process smoother and less stressful. Apply for scholarships using your writing abilities. To locate perfect scholarships for you, use Unigo's Scholarship Match.