Are service trips a huge "NO" as a Common App essay topic?

430ktk
Sun, 13 Jul 2014 17:41:21 +0000

I don’t think the mere mention of service is cliche. There’s a Tufts admissions officer that blogs on reddit (I think his name is Dan), and he said that it’s best to avoid cliche topics like service, but it can also make an essay stand out if you can write about a cliche topic in a way that isn’t cliche, which is what it sounds like your sister did.