By Sam Segan
We like to say that there is no truly bad topic if it’s well-executed. However, we have found that the five topics below tend not to make for successful personal statements. If you think you can be the exception to the rule, feel free to go for it. Otherwise, avoid:
- The three “D”s: Death, Divorce, and Disease. Your essay should show you as an active participant in your own life, not a passive victim. Writing about the death of a relative, parents’ divorce, a period of depression, or an illness you’ve suffered makes it difficult for us to see who you are at your best. You may mention one of these events in the course of your essay, but it shouldn’t be the main topic. For instance, you might mention struggling with the passing of a grandparent in your first paragraph, but then dedicate the rest of your essay to showing your work to pass on their legacy: things you are doing now.
- Mental illness. Just as you should avoid writing about physical illnesses, you should avoid writing about mental ones. Perhaps it reflects badly on our society that we have such stigma around mental illness. Still, colleges are ruthless. They don’t want a “risky” student on campus. For that reason, avoid writing about suffering from a mental illness like depression or an eating disorder.
- Your childhood. Your essay is about you as a college-bound near-adult. If you spend your essay recounting charming anecdotes from your life at four years old, you’d be missing out on showing us your true, current self. If there’s a moment in childhood that foreshadows or connects to later life, feel free to include it as an introduction! But it should take up no more than a fifth of the essay, or about 100-150 words.
- The same subject as your supplemental essays. While you do want to show consistency throughout your college application, it’s a bad idea to write about the same exact event for both your primary essay and supplemental essays submitted to the same school. They will make the school think you’re one-dimensional. You can, of course, reiterate very important information like your choice of major or the varsity sport you play. But the focus of each essay submitted to a school should be different.
- Displays of privilege. That means you don’t want to write about a single service trip you took to a less-developed country; it may come across as exploitative. You also don’t want to write about an expensive family trip to an exotic location–it’s probably not relatable. Yes, it’s unfair: you didn’t choose to become a member of a family that granted you substantial advantages in the world. However, the essay should still focus on you and the choices you make, and you can do that without highlighting your affluence.
Of course, we like to say that your topic is the least important thing about your essay. Much more important is that you approach whatever you write about with sincerity, openness, and depth of thought.
