College Essay Subjects

If you’re a football player, that doesn’t mean you have to write about football in your college essays.

In your college essays, it’s important to not simply reiterate what the rest of your college application says about you. If, for example, your major activity is playing football, don’t write about football in your personal statement. Even if you scored one heck of a touchdown against your high school’s chief rival. Even if you’re being heavily recruited for football by the university that you’re applying to. The fact is that highly selective college admissions officers want to get to know you better. They want to understand what you’re like off the gridiron.

They want to know your interests that don’t involve football. Maybe it’s reading romance novels. Maybe it’s knitting or studying transcendentalism. Maybe it’s teaching kids in your community to swim. Whatever your interests are outside of your main activity, it’s important to hang a lantern on this in your college essays. And it doesn’t have to be an interest or activity that you focus on. It can just be a story. Tell college admissions officers a story that shares insight into who you are and what you’re all about. These are the college essay subjects to focus on.

It can be a game you play with your parents. A tradition you have with your brother. A thing you like to do while you eat your breakfast. It can be about somewhere you like to go when the world has you down. There are tons of possibilities for your college essays. We encourage you not to restrict yourself to sports essays if you’re an athlete. All too often, sports essays read as trite anyway. College admissions counselors are quite often bored by sports essays and they’re bored by essays that don’t show a unique side into your personality. So show off that personality!