Are these cliche topics?

  1. My experience with web development.
  2. My fascination with old computers.
  3. Talking about how I attempted to break multiple world records when I was young and using these anecdotes to make a statement about how I always try to push myself to the limit -- especially in the context of my programming work. (Of course, I would never phrase it like that in my essay, but this is just to give you a general idea of what I plan to make it about.)

Are these essay topics cliche? Which one is the most interesting? Note that for each of the topics above I am very vague. I have anecdotes to support each one, and each anecdote reveals something about me (curiosity, determination, insightfulness, etc).

Many people would immediately point to the world record essay, but I do not want it to come across as trying too hard to impress. It was a genuine interest when I was young, and I find that my personality since then has persisted.

Also, is it a bad idea to write about web development, especially as a prospective computer science major?

The goal of the essay is to reveal things about you that can’t be gleaned from the rest of your app. Colleges want interested and interesting people. Showing some introspection and growth are useful, too. But the essay needs focus on fairly recent events. A brief mention of an earlier time is okay, but focusing on middle school activities would be bad, for example.

I feel like maybe the old computer one has a germ of potential. But the essay has to be about you… so that is the tricky part.