Can't think of anything

Otterma
Sat, 13 May 2017 20:53:39 +0000

Deep breath. It’s great that you’re getting an early start. Few 17 year olds have profound or dazzling experiences or insights to draw on. College admissions readers know this and some of the best essays they see are about how people look at simple, everyday things.

Here’s an idea: instead of deleting drafts, file them away. Create a folder on your computer called “essays” and then subfolders for potential essay themes. Write a little bit every day…a paragraph about anything that strikes your fancy, no matter how short or insignificant. File that paragraph in the appropriately themed subfolder, creating new subfolders as needed.

Over time you will find yourself returning to a few specific themes or topics and you can start to focus on and expand those.