How to Write an Awesome College Essay on a Common Topic

The college essay examples I analyze in this video demonstrate four qualities of an outstanding personal statement despite using pretty common topics.
I'll also share a bit about why they're so great, and a few lessons you can learn as you write your own college essays.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro & Things I'll cover in this video
01:19 - Food Essay Example & Analysis
10:50 - Football Essay Example & Analysis
14:15 - How to Make Your Essay Stand Out
15:10 - Why a Common Topic Needs Uncommon Language & Connections
✌️WHO AM I? ✌️
I’m Ethan (College Essay Guy) and my goal is to bring more ease, joy, purpose, and access to the college admission process. I wrote two Amazon bestsellers on college essays and each year my team and I reach more than 1MM students and counselors via www.collegeessayguy.com.
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✋ QUESTIONS? ✋
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[@afrank237]

This guy's essays are pure master pieces😭

[@Collegeessayguy]

Thanks for saying so! Very thankful for our students.

[@PackMowin]

Thank you so much for this! Changed my viewpoint fs

[@Zara-qe2nt]

I want to thank you for all these wonderful videos and essay examples! I came across your videos on you tube and new immediately your content is very valuable. I had my son watch them. He is at a STEM highschool here in the Atlana area. He learned from you and clearly wrote 2 stellar essays because GaTech is not an easy college to get into but he did!!!! 😊 THANK YOU ❤

[@Collegeessayguy]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing.

[@anikakagalavadi6470]

I love your videos! Came from the webinar, thank you!

[@Collegeessayguy]

Glad you like them!

[@ethancoskay8130]

Ethan you are crushing this Webinar!

[@Collegeessayguy]

Appreicate you!

[@pitcrew8662]

I am being way too hard on myself about formatting, my brain just went to English class mode when I don’t need to. Thanks for this.

[@Collegeessayguy]

Get creative!

[@kvan3706]

I know right. The trick is to think of ourselves as writing for a magazine or blog or something like that.

[@emilycarter8922]

You might want to check this out kzbin.info/www/bejne/a4u4mIdrmMyHnZI

[@philipsamuelsen7904]

College Essay Guy, Your videos are exceedingly helpful. Thank you for sharing!

[@Collegeessayguy]

Happy to help!

[@riemibrahim2184]

Some people say "If you feel comfortable when people read your essay, IS NOT a good personal essay." I was just wondering what do you think about this?

[@Collegeessayguy]

I don't think that's necessarily always true!

[@scuti7073]

Values, insight (surprising answer), vulnerability, and craft

[@Collegeessayguy]

Exactly!

[@firuza_abdulloeva]

Thank you, Ethan!

[@Collegeessayguy]

Thanks for watching!

[@henryquillin3733]

first comment! thanks so much for this vid! I just sat down to get started on my 'why this major' essay. I don't really know where to start ughghghg

[@Collegeessayguy]

Check this guide out for some tips and examples (video incoming!): www.collegeessayguy.com/blog/why-major-college-essay

[@emilycarter8922]

You might want to check this out kzbin.info/www/bejne/nX-lo5d7lKiFbpI

[@user-mx7vi3bs4i]

Oh mY GOD! NOW I KNOW ABOUT WHAT THE ESSAY SHOULD BE! THANK YOU ETHAN

[@Collegeessayguy]

:)

[@ridakhan6449]

Thank you very much for the video !! Could you please make a video on how to creatively end your essay ?

[@Collegeessayguy]

Thanks for the idea! We'll work on it.

[@fourhourdifference]

Love these examples!!! Please post more!

[@Collegeessayguy]

More to come!

[@jack-vn2lz]

im hungry... best ending

[@Collegeessayguy]

LOL. Thanks for watching!

[@belalhossain3149]

I have never ever seen this type of essay 😮 thakns a lot ❤

[@Collegeessayguy]

Thanks for watching!

[@noluthandosithole829]

What an amazing writer, his a genius.

[@Collegeessayguy]

Thanks for watching!

[@isabellesnow9945]

Hi sir, I was wondering if you would be willing to do a video about a tv show essay and the way in which the characters relate to some of the values we hold dear. Once again another amazing video. Thank you.

[@Collegeessayguy]

Noted. Thanks for watching!

[@ayyy_julio7249]

This guy has completely saved my college application.

[@Collegeessayguy]

Thanks for being here.

[@zenace1]

Does the personal statement need to have a "sense of future" with an example? What I mean is that does it need to showcase an event or topic, a theme/analysis, and a "setup for how the person will carry those themes into the future." Most personal statements I've read now have an event with a theme and some characteristics that it reveals about the writer. Usually these themes and characteristics are developed toward around the third quarter of the essay. Then, toward the end, the writer mentions an example of something that they did after the realization or reveal of the theme, which embodies those traits. For instance, an essay I read was about a girl's grandmother, and how the grandmother's existence and later illness taught the girl to value time and devote this time to others. Then, toward the end of the essay, the author provided an example of volunteering at a nursing home, where she played music to the residents. I noticed that the first essay had the themes and traits that he revealed in the various chunks/scenes. However, it seems like it lacked concrete example of something they did AFTER the those events to embody those traits. My draft is somewhat similar, where I talk about a topic and reveal what it says about me, but I am struggling to show how I a will carry these traits with me into the future. Is a real-world example of this "POST-analysis/realization thing" necessary?

[@Collegeessayguy]

Thanks for writing in. It's not necessary to end your personal statement with a "sense of the future" anecdote. There are other ways you can creatively end your essay. More info here: www.collegeessayguy.com/blog/end-personal-statement

[@kianholden7387]

One question. When I’m writing the “so what” facet of the essay, am I trying to show why my values are important in this world? Or is it something else I’m supposed to be saying?

[@Collegeessayguy]

It could be that! It could also just be communicating what your values are and how they manifest in your life.

[@dilmurodabdusamadov5572]

Thats next lvl

[@Collegeessayguy]

LOL thanks for watching.

[@sripadsirikonda9213]

everything was really great. But I have one question, what common app prompt does the first essay answer? I am just learning on how to apply and I am kind of confused.

[@Collegeessayguy]

Thanks for writing in! We often suggest writing your Common App essay for Prompt #7 - "Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you’ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design." We've found that some of the other prompt options can cause students to feel limited in regards to what they're "allowed" to say in their essay. Hope this helps!

[@sripadsirikonda9213]

@@Collegeessayguy but at the top of the essay, there is no prompt that has been made up. The essay just starts without the title or the made up prompt. Is that allowed? And what schools did this guy apply to?

[@shootingstarz_tv]

This essay is amazing, where do I get, and I heard that you said that there were three students who wrote about food, where do we get them, or could also analyze them

[@Collegeessayguy]

You can check it out on our blog post here: www.collegeessayguy.com/blog/college-essay-examples

[@mamoako1521]

5:42 ❤

[@Collegeessayguy]

Thanks for watching!

[@michelluyeye]

Hello,should I give my purpose of what you would like attend and you vision in your essay?

[@Collegeessayguy]

That sounds like better material to include in a college's supplemental "Why Us?" essay. Your Common App essay/personal statement should focus more on you, and less on the school.

[@candylover5971]

Hello! I was wondering if you know how long these essays took to finalize. I feel that I'm being too hard on myself right now, and I have to keep reminding myself that these essays weren't born in one day 😅

[@Collegeessayguy]

Our students typically iterate on their personal statement over several drafts/a few months.

[@sadakayoutube7661]

Subscribed

[@Collegeessayguy]

Thank you!

[@Renata-sy3kg]

Awesome video! BTW, doesn't it exceed the word limit of 650 words?

[@Collegeessayguy]

It's possible some of these essays do exceed the 650 word limit in Common App. It was a few years ago they changed the wordcount to 650. Overall though, the essay examples should serve as inspiration for your essays!

[@Renata-sy3kg]

@@Collegeessayguy they certainly do! Thanks for all the effort you put in your videos!

[@mypage9331]

Thank you for the videos and content you share. I believe you are very sincere and not out to make money. Thes are great examples! One question: many parts of the essays are "telling" and not "showing". Is that not a big no no? Would love to get your feedback.

[@Collegeessayguy]

LOL thank you!

[@PackMowin]

@@Collegeessayguy nice feedback

[@pickleandcroissant8463]

shoutout to the future writers of the new yorker fiction section just writing college essays on their lunch break - and also my mediocre and common essay that says nothing about no one

[@Collegeessayguy]

Thanks for chiming in.

[@kidd1769]

How do you write an essay about values you don’t have? For instance I am meant to write an essay that portrays compassion and well...I am not very c-co-compassionate. Well by the time you see this, I would probably have submitted about 500 words of arrant nonsense

[@Collegeessayguy]

Thanks for writing in! If you don't personally possess the value you need to write about, perhaps you can write about the relationship you have to that value, or how someone else's display of that value impacted you. Just a thought! We suggest speaking with a counselor or admissions rep directly as well!

[@kidd1769]

Thank God I haven’t sent it also thanks for the advice 👍🏽

[@user-zt4zx1xl5b]

I am writing about gender roles and how I managed to get out of that and become someone more confident in myself and be true to my ideals. I don't know if that's a good topic, I think it could be a little simple I am interested in business

[@Collegeessayguy]

That topic could work! A good question to ask yourself is: "Does this topic demonstrate the skills, qualities, values, and interests I offer the school as an incoming student?" If yes, then start outlining and writing your first drafts. If no, go back to brainstorming!

[@eviefrogs777]

does anyone have tips for if i know i want to write about band/marching band but don't know how to make it not boring?

[@Collegeessayguy]

Try making uncommon connections. More tips on this here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eqDKpWWJpsmnhcU

[@sg-strategygameplay3691]

GREAT ESSAY. CAN YOU SHARE ITS PDF VARIANT?

[@Collegeessayguy]

Unfortunately I don't have a PDF with just these examples, but you can find them throughout various free blog posts on my site. www.collegeessayguy.com/

[@expertboy4041]

what essay prompt was this tho in the common app?

[@Collegeessayguy]

These were all written for the "topic of your choice" prompt: Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

[@clairesimi8199]

Could I send you my essay to review?🙏🏾

[@Collegeessayguy]

Hi there! Thanks for writing in. We have an essay review platform where you can submit college essays for review by our CEG team. There are paid and free options available. review.collegeessayguy.com/ If you're looking for 1-on-1 help with your college application and essays, please submit a request form at this link and John from our team will be in touch with you soon. www.collegeessayguy.com/college-essay-coaching Hope this helps! We believe in you.

[@omaaradell]

Can you read a main essay please?

[@Collegeessayguy]

Thanks for writing in. Unfortunately, Ethan is swamped this time of year and unable to provide feedback on everyone's essay. We recommend working with our friends over at Prompt. They provide essay feedback relatively quickly. Here is their link: prompt.com/ceg/ In the meantime, check out these two blog posts. They are often helpful for revising an essay. The Great College Essay Test: www.collegeessayguy.com/blog/tgcet Revising Your Essay in 5 Steps: www.collegeessayguy.com/blog/5-steps-revising-your-college-essay Want even more free resources? Check out these free resources here: www.collegeessayguy.com/college-essay-resources Hope some of these help!

[@omaaradell]

Thank you for responding ,but i did not mean (read my main essay). I just wanted you to make the same video but with a main common app essay not a supplementary one.

[@ankisingho2940]

Can I write my essay about sexual abuse victim as a boy and how I then came out and then started sex education classes and a school campaign. (I am from India and sex education is seen as weird thing to talk about ,people are just so religious they just don't want to talk about it.) .??

[@Collegeessayguy]

That topic could work! A good question to ask yourself is: "Does this topic demonstrate the skills, qualities, values, and interests I offer the school as an incoming student?" If yes, then start outlining and writing your first drafts. If no, go back to brainstorming!