4 Signs Your Admissions Essay Topic Isn’t Working

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4 Signs Your Admissions Essay Topic Isn’t Working

1) You’re way under word count

If you really have enough to say, you will struggle with the 650-word count, often going far beyond that. In fact, for that reason, I advise all my students to ignore word count completely at the drafting stage. If your draft is under, that’s usually a clear-cut sign that this topic might work better as a supplement or that you didn’t dig deeper enough for a vulnerable self-reflection to take your topic to the next level. Most students end up drafting thousands of words and then cut it down in the revision process to 650 words.

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Hi! It’s Been a Minute. Let's Get to Know Each Other a Bit...

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Hi! It’s Been a Minute. Let's Get to Know Each Other a Bit...

What makes a great (admissions) essay?

Something totally real and unpretentious. Admissions officers want to get know the real you apart from a dizzying algorithm of numbers, extracurricular hours, and GPAs. Give them a slice of life that reveals who you are instead of something fake that you think sounds good. I wrote about cooking with my grandma—so simple it's almost cliche. But I used that anecdote to explore my immigrant identity and show what I’ve overcome.

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Testimonial Tuesday: Accepted to Johns Hopkins

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Testimonial Tuesday: Accepted to Johns Hopkins

When Ben reached out to me, he was convinced he had the best admissions essay topic about helping out in a factory for a summer. After all, his family, friends, and even teachers all said this was a unique way to show his personality. Unfortunately, after multiple revisions, his authentic self just couldn’t come across no matter how hard he tried to make it work. It was an important lesson in not forcing a topic —even if you’re convinced it’s the coolest idea ever— if it’s just not working. Maybe the idea is great but your experience wasn’t impactful enough to write a whole essay about it. The language felt verbose and overwritten, which is another sign the idea wasn’t working.

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