TMCnet Feature Free eNews Subscription
January 21, 2020

7 Topics to Avoid When Writing Your College Admission Essay



Once this academic year is complete, high school students will be trying to make their way to colleges and universities to pursue higher education and training. The process can be challenging, especially to those who haven’t been exposed to it before and that can be crippling for their academic career. 



One section that can be especially confusing is writing the college admission essay to secure a place in the targeted college. Choosing the wrong topic can lead to being rejected and missing out on studying at the school of your dreams. 

To avoid that, here are seven topics to avoid when writing your college admission essay.

Anything related to politics

If you aren’t applying to be a political scientist, avoid writing about politics at all because it can be a personal subject to some. In different countries, it is etiquette not to discuss politics in public spaces with people you work with, at social gatherings or other places with diverse people. 

Think about this, when processing college application, how would you feel about a particular student you are assessing that has political opinions that contradict yours? 

Undoubtedly you might feel strongly about that person and also some colleges might reject you to avoid future political debates that might escalate on campus.

Religious topics

Openly speaking about your religious opinion is usually reserved for those with in-depth knowledge about religion in its entirety. That is because the majority of religious people are often biassed towards their own religion and that can easily incite conflict. 

In that way, it is easy to offend the committee reviewing your application, so it is better not to even start writing about this topic. When you are confused about which topic to use, you can ask an online essay writer to do the work for you. And it’s not just about essays, but also for thesis, dissertation and other coursework.

Economy or money

The economy and finance subject is very interesting, but it wouldn’t be wise to write a college admission essay. Although it’s also a hugely important part of the lives of the majority of the population, it might not be as interesting to write about as an admission essay. 

Money is also a controversial subject that has conflicting opinions, which are very dangerous for admission essays. For example, you might write an essay about the injustice of monetary resource appropriation out of goodwill but then offend someone who has a contradicting opinion.

Your health problems or those of any family member

Unless you are a medical student, writing about health problems may be highly inappropriate. You might mention some health issues that someone on the review committee has. If you are minimizing the extent it can affect them, you will be destining yourself for disaster. 

Also, writing about the health issues you have faced and how you were able to treat them is a personal matter and has nothing to do with your admission. Writing about this topic is also very risky because you might end up making personal examples and that would minimize the chances of getting accepted.

Differences between people

It’s true that our population is very diverse and has different cultures and backgrounds, but that doesn’t mean that you can use this as a topic for an essay. Just like the other subjects, this topic is very delicate, and very easily, it can escalate to an argument. 

While writing about this topic, you might inadvertently offend someone and accuse you of discrimination, which will lead to being rejected. Avoid writing about the difference of races, nationalities, and genders because they can provoke conflict with serious repercussions. 

Be careful when writing about personal tastes

Personal tastes can be acceptable in some cases; for example, you can write a great essay when writing about a favorite book, or music genre. However, proceed with caution on this subject also because, in some cases, avoiding it altogether might be beneficial. 

When you write about hating a certain band, or certain art can also cause conflict with the reviewing committee. Also, writing about what you love may be boring for some people, so to be on the safer side, avoid using this topic.

Anything that violates the law

Obviously, you wouldn’t write about how much you love toting your illegally owned firearm but there are some subjects relating to the law that should be avoided. For example, writing about a story of how you, or someone else, were on the wrong side of the law may not be the best topic. 

Also, writing about how the law is unjust or arguing with certain laws and their application can lead to being rejected. Bear in mind that laws should remain absolute for everyone and writing negatively about the law can paint a negative picture on you.

The bottom line

Writing an admission essay is not rocket science and shouldn’t necessarily be complex and. However, there are subjects that you should just avoid altogether and some of them are listed above. There are others that weren’t included in this list where you need to discern for yourself, and in that case, just consider if that subject could potentially open conflict. 

You want to avoid any topic that might open up arguments or offend any group of people. Remember that colleges don’t want to admit people who will be bad examples in their school facilities, so also avoid topics that will paint a bad picture on you.



» More TMCnet Feature Articles
Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. [Free eNews Subscription]
SHARE THIS ARTICLE

LATEST TMCNET ARTICLES

» More TMCnet Feature Articles