Choosing a College Essay Topic

Choosing a college essay topic can be tricky. It's like a singer in a talent time competition choosing a song. Choosing the wrong song means that the singer may well be out of the competition. Similarly, a student has a much higher chance of getting a low grade if the wrong topic is chosen for the essay. So how should one go about choosing the right college essay topic? There are several approaches that the student can adopt.

Student discussion groups.

Discussions help the mind to open up. During the course of discussions, several potential topics may come up. And even then, students can discuss among themselves whether these make good topics or not for the essay. This makes it easier for the student to zoom down on good topics.

Material review.

Reviewing study materials is another good way of coming up with good essay topics. Any form of study materials will help - lecture notes, tutorial notes, hand scribbled notes, etc. They are meant to help stimulate the mind, and from the mind, good ideas for essay topics may emerge.

Lecturer consultation.

Consulting the lecturer of the tutor is a great way to help decide on an essay topic. You can always draw on the vast knowledge and experience of the lecturers. That is because being college staff, they probably had gone through tons and tons of essays written by other students. They may be more than able to provide you with some fine options.

Brainstorming for ideas on your own.

While others can provide you with priceless feedback, you may ultimately have to depend on yourself for good essay topics. You can always brainstorm for ideas by yourself. Give yourself some private space and time and you may be pleasantly surprised at what you can come up with.

So what makes a good essay topic?

A good essay topic is something that allows you to show your strengths. Examples of such strengths include your ability to write well, your ability to do good research, your ability to come up with original ideas, your ability to argue well, etc.

Obviously, if you choose the wrong topic for your essay, your grades may suffer.

To make your life easier, you may want to choose a topic that interest you. The more passionate you feel about something, the easier it is for you to write. You will also get to enjoy writing the essay more.

Finally, remember to choose a topic that stretches you a little but doesn't overwhelm you. If you choose a topic that is too challenging, it's easy to feel overwhelmed and your weaknesses will be easily exposed. There is no need to intentionally choose a challenging topic to make your essay appear more impressive.

On the other hand, you must be careful not to choose something that is too easy for you. A college essay requires certain standards. Your job is to show that you have the ability to meet those standards. So choose a topic that is suitable for your level of writing.