How to Write Great Essays

C
O N S I D E R I N G T H E
T
O P I C S
When you examine each topic, it will become clear which one(s) allow you to present your-
self and your story best. What topic can you make the best emotional connection with? That
is the one that will connect with your readers, too. College counselor Dr. Beverly Lenny advises
her students to “choose the right vehicle to express yourself. What you want to say is more
important than the question itself.”
Go back over the topics in the preceding section, adding any other topics your applica-
tions, or your school, may provide you with. Then:
74

---

Untimed Essay Writing Strategies
CHAPTER 6 
HOW TO WRITE GREAT ESSAYS
75
1. For each different topic or question, use a separate sheet of paper, and write the
topic at the top.
2. Write anything that comes to mind in response to that topic. Your ideas may be
in the form of a neat list, moving from the most to least important, or they can
be random, needing more organization later.
3. Get out your personal inventory and match information with the topics. Does
your summer job at the local independent bookstore, and all you have learned
from your eccentric boss, fit well with topic #3? What about your obsession with
fashion photography? It could be narrowed down to a specific creative work or
body of work (topic #4), or work well as a significant experience (topic #1) if you
write about your visit to New York to attend a seminar at the Fashion Institute of
Technology.
Once you have prewriting notes on each topic, answer the following:
■
Can I answer the question or address the topic completely?
■
Does the topic let me highlight something about myself that was not evident
on the rest of the application?
■
Is the topic about something personally significant and important to my life?
■
Can I make the essay unique, easily avoiding clichés?
■
Will my essay on this topic say something positive about me?
■
Can I write about myself and this topic without bragging or overstating my
importance?
■
Will my essay on this topic hold the interest of the reader?
■
Does the topic avoid potentially offensive subjects?