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It’s not always easy to choose an essay topic for your college applications. Even more difficult sometimes is finding a way to make it uniquely yours. But there are plenty of ways to find inspiration. Here are some application essays that got the authors accepted into some big-name schools.
Brittany’s Costco Essay
Brittany was accepted into five Ivy League schools and Stanford with her essay involving Costco. The essay is a study of Brittany’s curiosity and exploratory nature. She speaks of the real-life applications of physics and history, as well as asking philosophical questions about her fellow shoppers. Read her essay here.
Ziad’s #BlackLivesMatter Essay
Ziad was accepted by Stanford University in April. His essay prompt was “What matters to you, and why?” Ziad’s answer was to write #BlackLivesMatter 100 times. They gave no further explanation. Sometimes the strength of your conviction is what compels people to like you. You can read more about Ziad’s story here.
Jodie’s Thousand Paper Cranes
One thing instrumental for application essays is having the admissions people learn something about you. If they can’t tell at least something about you by the end of your essay, what have you accomplished as the writer? This is what makes Jodie’s essay shine; by the end, you understand that she is persistent. She likes to finish her projects. You also catch glimpses of her compassion, and of her want to learn. These are some factors that led to her acceptance at Johns Hopkins University. You can read Jodie’s and other accepted Johns Hopkins students’ essay here.
Soa’s Antananarivo Essay
Many times, others encourage high school students to focus on an incident where they overcome some sort of hardship. As Soa learned, sometimes it’s better to show yourself as a work in progress. Soa’s reaction to the bullies is not fair nor heroic, and it forces her to consider herself seriously. It compels her to take action. That call to action is why Harvard accepted her. Read her essay here.
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