35 Ideas for College Essay Inspiration

Writing your college essay is nothing short of a challenge, but one particular challenge we consistently notice students facing is the struggle to come up with an essay topic that stands out. However, what we notice more often is that these same struggling students just haven’t taken the proper time to brainstorm and generate ideas.

Many students gravitate toward the first idea they come up with, something suggested to them in passing, or what they wrote in English class– but once these students spend a few minutes thinking about their values and how they connect to their experiences, they often find that they DO have a lot to say that would help them stand out. That’s why we’ve written this blog!  

Whether you’re just starting your personal statement or struggling with inspiration for supplemental essays, this blog explores 35 college essay topics to spark your creativity. Try to answer as many of these questions as you can. You might notice there are some experiences that are consistently coming to mind. This might mean it’s a super important experience for you and likely gives you plenty of chances to show different sides of yourself– and therefore a great essay topic. 

If at the end of this blog, you feel like you have an idea but are still not sure how to turn it into an essay, feel free to contact us! Our dedicated team of college counselors and essay specialists can’t wait to help you draft an essay that makes you proud.

35 College Essay Inspiration Ideas:

1. A moment that changed your perspective: Try to describe an experience that changed how you view the world or yourself.
2. A challenge you’ve overcome: Think about a time when you overcame an obstacle and what you learned from the experience.
3. A passion project: Describe a project or action you started out of a place of elevated interest. 
4. Cultural heritage: Think about the different ways that your cultural background shaped your identity, values, or goals. Try writing about that! Make sure to give yourself a specific story to focus on. 
5. A unique skill or talent: Write about a talent/skill that sets you apart and how it developed it over time. 
6. Intellectual Curiosity: Write about something that fascinates you and how you took that interest to the next level.
7. A mentor or role model: Write about how a particular person has influenced your life, and make sure to highlight specific lessons or values they taught you. WARNING! Be careful not to write an essay about this other person. It still needs to be about you.
8. A significant failure: This one might be hard, but try to reflect on a time you failed at something important to you. What did you learn from the failure, and how did it contribute to your growth?
9. A place of significance: Describe a place that holds special meaning in your heart. Try to tell us about this meaning and where it comes from. 
10. A book, movie, or work of art that changed your life: Write about how a specific work of art, literature, or film has affected you. Be careful about letting this become a media review. This still needs to be an essay about you.
11. Volunteering and community service: Share an experience from volunteering that permanently changed your life or viewpoint. 
12. Figuring out your identity: Write about a time you went down a path of self discovery and how you came out the other side.
13. A family tradition: Tell us about your family! Maybe a tradition or a special moment that makes you smile. Prompts like this can help you show admissions officers that you’re family oriented, and might even make them smile!
14. An unexpected friendship: Do you have a friend that you can’t even believe is your friend? What did your relationship with them teach you?
15. A moment of leadership:Think about a time you took on a leadership role and what the outcome was. Remember to focus on your role, not just the group’s accomplishments.
16. A quirky habit or hobby: Do you have a hobby or habit that you like to spend your time on? Try writing about it. Tell us about where the hobby came from and how you’ve developed it over time.
17. The impact technology has had on you: Technology has completely taken over our world. As a potential writing prompt, think about the impact technology has had on you and if it influenced your views in a significant way.
18. A pivotal conversation: When you think about an “important conversation,” what comes to mind? This can be with a family member, classmate, friend, coach, or stranger as long as it left an impact.
19. Adapting to change: At one point or another, everyone has faced a major change: (moving to a new place, a death in the family, getting a sibling). If this is true for you, how did you manage to adapt?
20. Dreams for the future: What is your biggest dream for the future? How do you plan to achieve it? Better yet, what steps have you already taken to achieve it?
21. A moment of empathy: Empathy is an important skill. Spend a little time thinking about a time when you felt deeply connected with someone else’s feelings and how it changed your world view.
22. A tradition you question: Have you ever had a tradition— whether in your family, religion, or town that you’ve questioned or even challenged? What did you learn through the process? How did it change you?
23. A unique family story:  If you can, tell us a story that has been passed down in your family and how it has helped shape who you are today through your values.
24. A significant journey: Whether it’s a physical trip that changed your perspective in some way or a metaphorical journey of self discovery that you put yourself through, tell us about a time you overcame your fears or discovered a new perspective.
25. An ethical dilemma: Think about a time when you faced an ethical dilemma. Did you resolve it? Do you still think about it to this day? Is there anything you wish you would’ve done differently? What did it teach you about integrity and your morality?
26. A “eureka” moment: Setbacks can be so challenging when you’re in the thick of them. Tell us about a sudden realization that you had or a moment of insight that completely changed a situation. How has it influenced you since? What did you learn from the experience?
27. A creative process: Are you a creative person? If so, try to put your creative process into writing. Whether it’s art, music, writing, or any other form of expression, try to capture it in words and think about what it reveals about who you are as a person.
28. A lesson learned from nature: If you’re a nature person, or even if you’re not, try to think about a time where you learned something from, or in, the great outdoors.
29. A misunderstanding that taught you a lesson: Misunderstandings are a normal part of life. Think about a time when a misunderstanding led to a big change or realization in your life. Did it change your approach to communication? What did it mean for you?
30. A moment you took a stand: Have you ever stood up for what you believed in? Went against the grain in a major way? Try to write about a time where you did and the consequences or outcome you experienced.
31. Your Best Day Ever: What comes to mind when you think about your best day ever? Who is there? What did you do?
32. A recipe with a story: For many people, food is the connective tissue in their relationships. Think about a recipe that is important to you– whether within your family, friend group, or just personally– and try to write about the story, tradition, or meaning behind it.
33. Overcoming a language barrier: Has this ever happened to you? Try describing a time when you had to overcome a language barrier and how you were able to communicate with those around you.
34. A lesson learned from a younger person: Do you have a sibling, mentee, or younger cousin? If you do, try to think about something they taught you or helped you see things differently.
35. An invention or idea you have: Are you the kind of person always trying to think of ways things can be improved? If that sounds like you, try to write down the next time you notice yourself doing it. Even if it’s not implemented, it’s a great way to flex your creativity and problem solving skills.