Skip to main content
What are your chances of acceptance?
Your chance of acceptance
Duke University
Loading…
UCLA
Loading…
+ add school
Your chancing factors
Unweighted GPA: 3.7
1.0
4.0
SAT: 720 math
200
800
| 800 verbal
200
800

Extracurriculars

Low accuracy (4 of 18 factors)

How to choose a meaningful personal statement topic?

Hey guys, I'm pretty lost when it comes to selecting a topic for my personal statement. Any advice on what makes a topic meaningful or impactful when writing a college essay?

a year ago

Hey there! Choosing a meaningful personal statement topic can be tough, but it's important to remember that it's a chance for you to showcase your personality, experiences, and values. Here are a few tips to help you find a truly meaningful topic:

1. Reflect on your experiences and identify moments that have shaped your growth, values, and passions. These can be milestones, challenges, accomplishments, or any other events that hold a special place in your heart.

2. Consider discussing a unique perspective or background that you bring to the table. Remember, colleges value diversity and individuality, so try to find a topic that speaks to who you are.

3. Focus on an aspect of your life that is important to you, but isn't necessarily covered elsewhere in your application. This will help paint a well-rounded picture of you for the admissions committee.

4. While it's practically impossible to choose a topic admissions officers have absolutely never seen before, because they read so many thousands of essays each year, you do still want to avoid certain topics that are overused in college essays. You can find a list of these topics here: https://blog.collegevine.com/cliche-college-essay-topics

For example, you might write about how your experience volunteering at a local animal shelter taught you the importance of empathy and giving back to the community. This topic would allow you to showcase your passion for animal welfare and commitment to helping others while sharing a memorable story.

I hope that helps, and best of luck in finding your perfect personal statement topic!

a year ago

About CollegeVine’s Expert FAQ

CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.