List of Unoriginal Common App Essays

Applying to College Common and Coalition Application
21

<p>@mmmgirl, 1Rachel94:
There is an essay option for “challenging a belief/idea.” This seems to suggest that controversial topics are welcome if they show you doing critical thinking and showing other desirable character traits (e.g. maturity, intellectual honesty) to arrive at your conclusions.
For example (just an example), if you grew up in an atheistic home and then had a huge intellectual struggle that ended with you discovering the love of God, especially if this is truly the defining event of your life, I don’t see why admissions committees should have a problem with the essay just because “religion” is “controversial.” If an essay prompt asks for what your driving purpose in life is, and it’s to glorify God, is it really better to evade the truth and say something (probably true, but terribly indirect and evasive) they want to hear like “making small contributions that build up to a greater purpose”? (ignoring my bad wording)</p>

<p>That said, just because I don’t see why they should have a problem, doesn’t mean they won’t necessarily have a problem… Though I find it sort of odd(/sad) that on certain “controversial” issues, defending one side is welcomed (somewhere described an “auto-admit” for certain circumstances) while defending the other side is strictly warned against by all college advice sites.</p>

22

<p>01) Describe your significant experience while you were running to toilet because you were having dysentery by food poisoning. What was your experience? What did you learn from it? Will you eat the same food again? please limit your response to no more than 650 words.</p>

23

<p>bump because this is so interesting</p>

24

<p>Here’s another: I worked at the soup kitchen for 1 month and it changed my life.</p>

25

<p>My parents’ divorce.</p>

<p>The death of my grandparent.</p>

<p>I’m sure great essays have been written on these topics but I suspect these events formed the background of the story and not the main point.</p>

26

<p>An exact copy of Kwasi Enin’s essay, slightly paraphrased. </p>

27

<p>how their love of dogs made them have a “passion” for becoming a veterinarian if I had a nickel for the amount of times I heard someone tell me they’re becoming a vet because they love their dog and other dogs I would have enough nickels to fund med school</p>

28

<p>What about an essay on academic interest or what I want to learn about? I have seen numerous results threads from accepted students who states that they wrote about their academic interest on their intended major.
Seems like very very common topic, but I guess this topic works…</p>