how to brainstorm your college essay

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How to Brainstorm a College Essay

June 10, 2024

Brainstorming often gets a bad rap. Many people either find it completely useless or outright hate it. Quick, try it—what do you think of when you hear “brainstorm”? A group of students sitting awkwardly around a whiteboard, waiting for someone else to share their idea first? Staring at a blank page with ever-increasing bewilderment slash terror? Producing a list of ideas, only to think every single one of them is a dumpster fire? Now, it’s time to write your college essay, and word on the street is that you should brainstorm first—but what does that even mean, and do you have to do it? If you’ve ever wondered how college essay brainstorming works or how to brainstorm college essay ideas, we’ll be getting into all that and more in today’s blog.

What is brainstorming?

In general, brainstorming is the process of producing ideas, whether individually or in a group. Although it can be employed in a number of different contexts, from board rooms to PTA meetings, we’re going to focus on its relevance to the college essay writing process in particular.

Why should I brainstorm college essay ideas?

The goal of brainstorming is not to simply transcribe the ideas you already have but to unlock ideas that you didn’t even know you had.

For example, it’s very likely that your brainstorm will reveal forgotten memories or events. It almost always generates surprising connections. And at the very least, it will help you understand why you want to write about a particular topic, which is an essential piece of information to keep in mind as you move forward.

Brainstorming college essay ideas is also a way to overcome a fear of the blank page, which is a legitimate form of writer’s block. Usually, writers either feel like they have no ideas or so many ideas that committing to just one is causing anxiety. Either way, it’s debilitating. Don’t worry, though—a good brainstorming process will either produce at least a few viable ideas or help you pare down your list.

Finally, brainstorming and writing are creative processes, which means we can better understand what goes on in our brains—and develop new ways to spark creativity during both acts—by delving into literature on the subject. For starters, according to many researchers , creativity is often characterized by an interplay between divergent and convergent thinking, or the process of producing as many ideas as possible in a spontaneous, unfiltered way and then narrowing those ideas down in a logical, evaluative way. Fortunately, both types of thinking can be harnessed during the brainstorming process to help you choose your best possible topic.

Do you always have to brainstorm?

Nope! Some students do enter the college essay process with a very clear sense of what they want to write about. This tends to happen when 1) you have an all-consuming passion or 2) you have undergone a significant challenge or life event. In either case, you just can’t imagine writing about anything else but your topic.

For example, when I wrote my college personal statement, I knew right away that I wanted to write about writing. I spent most of my free time seriously crafting and revising fiction, and it was a part of my life that felt indistinguishable from me as a person. To know me, I felt that admissions readers had to know that I loved to write, what my writing meant to me, and how I wanted it to influence my future. Although I spent many hours refining how the essay would begin and unfold, the topic itself felt non-negotiable.

So if you already know your Common App topic, that’s incredible. Check that item off your to-do list!

That said, students who enter the essay process knowing what they want to write about are few and far between. For this reason, we ask all our students to at least humor us with the brainstorming process, even if only to gather potential ideas for future supplemental essays. Moreover, many students are stuck between 2 to 3 potential topics, and engaging in brainstorming exercises tends to clarify the way forward.

How do I brainstorm college essay ideas?

Have a piece of paper or word processing document ready, and let’s begin!

College Essay Brainstorming Step #1: Set the mood.

Before you try to brainstorm college essay ideas, set yourself up for success by evaluating where and how you work best. Do you like being in a quiet space, listening to instrumental music, or being outside? Do you enjoy physically writing your ideas down on a piece of paper, using a digital mind mapping tool, or speaking your ideas into a voice recorder? Maybe you need to be at your desk in your room with some instrumental pop in your headphones and a snack at the ready, or sitting outside at your favorite café with a coffee. Whatever your ideal set-up is, get it ready!

If you need to center yourself before you sit down, try going for a quick walk, doing a meditation, or listening to some music that makes you feel positive or motivated. Feel free to pause and do this again at any point during your brainstorming process if you begin to feel too unfocused.

College Essay Brainstorming Step #2: Iterate.

To kickstart the creative process, you’ll want to activate your DMN, or default mode network, via divergent thinking. Divergent thinking is the process of amassing as many ideas as possible in a spontaneous, non-judgmental way. There is a great deal of freedom at this stage so it’s important not to censor yourself, even if some of your ideas seem far-fetched or unlikely. Why? That far-fetched or unlikely idea will spark even more ideas, some of which may be surprisingly perfect. Bottom line: write down anything (yes, anything!) that comes to mind.

So how do you do this? In our opinion, brainstorming works best when it’s semi-structured. Instead of sitting down in front of a blank Google Doc and waiting for inspiration (spoiler alert: you’ll be there for a while), use targeted brainstorming questions and lists to help, like Nancie Atwell’s Writing Territories or Georgia Heard’s heart maps . Set a timer for each exercise if you’d like–10-15 minutes is usually sufficient, but feel free to go beyond that.

College Essay Brainstorming (Continued)

Still not sure where to start? Try out the following list of questions, inspired by the Common App prompts . Bullet point as many ideas/experiences as possible underneath each, even if they feel silly or “out there.” We also hereby give you permission to doodle, draw, use different colors, go crazy with Post-It notes, or whatever you feel like you need to do to get this first step done.

• When you think of your background (racial, cultural, socioeconomic, family, etc), what comes to mind? What about your background is most important to you?
• When you think of your identity (religious, family, language, sexual, gender, etc.), what comes to mind? What about your identity is most important to you?
• If you had one hobby or interest that you could pursue forever, what would it be?
• Do you have any special talents (artistic, athletic, etc) that you’ve poured a great deal of time and energy into? What are they?
• Have you ever experienced a challenge, setback, or failure? What was it?
• Have you ever questioned or challenged a belief? An idea? Which ones?
• When have you felt deeply happy or thankful? Why?
• What have you accomplished that you are most proud of?
• Have you ever had a realization that made you see the world differently? What was it?
• What topics keep you up at night? What sends you down a Google or Wikipedia rabbit hole? What could you research, write, read, or talk about for hours? Make a list.

Although you might naturally gravitate towards certain types of brainstorming exercises, try to keep an open mind. Sometimes, the strangest brainstorming activities produce the best ideas. In addition, aim to complete more than one exercise—we typically have our students do 2 to 3 exercises in various modalities, such as sketching, drawing, and listing.

College Essay Brainstorming Step #3: Evaluate.

When we underwent Step #2, we eschewed evaluative thinking and tried to let our brains be as “unfiltered” as possible. Now, we want to turn that evaluative thinking back on and start to filter what ideas or topics would be the best possible options for this particular essay. This part of the process stimulates the CCN, or cognitive control network, and is also known as convergent thinking. Before you do this, remind yourself of the point of the Common App essay: t o add dimension to the rest of your application . This will help you evaluate your ideas according to your essay’s purpose.

For example, let’s say you completed Nancie Atwell’s Writing Territories. Under “Pets” you listed “Mr. Sparkles Jr.”, AKA the guppy that made the journey to Fish Heaven when you were seven. This might be a great topic for an essay about a childhood memory, but likely wouldn’t be a good Common App topic. (Unless Mr. Sparkles inspired your love of ichthyology and you now give presentations at your local elementary school about caring for pet fish, in which case, we stand corrected.)

Two ways to engage in evaluative thinking:

• Go back through your exercises and code each of your responses. Circle the responses that you’re most interested in or drawn to. Cross out the responses you don’t want to write about or feel uninterested in. Underline the responses that you’re not sure about.
• Read through your exercises. Highlight your top five ideas. Then, circle your top three.</li></li>

College Essay Brainstorming Step #4: Test your ideas.

When you’ve narrowed your brainstorm down to a few ideas, a great way to decide between them is to do a quick test run. You can do this quickly and easily by freewriting. When freewriting, you write down everything you can think of about this topic—anecdotes, sensory details, connections, people, etc.—for at least 10 minutes without stopping or censoring yourself. You can write in paragraph form or use bullet points. For example, a freewrite about Mr. Sparkles, Jr. might look like this:

Mr. Sparkles Jr was a gift from my godmother. I added him to my tank happily and he soon became my favorite fish because he was different from all the other fish. He was black-and-white striped and I used to sit for hours watching him swim around the tank. I remember coming home from school and my mother told me that he had died, and my dad had already flushed him down the toilet.  Devastated, I cried for hours and my godmother even brought me a backpack with fish printed on it, with one that looked like Mr. Sparkles so that I could remember him. I think I still have that backpack somewhere.

Anyway, it was also the first time that I had thought about death. I wondered if Mr. Sparkles had felt anything when he died, or if the other fish in the tank were sad, or whether there was anything I could have done to help him stay alive longer?

After you finish a freewrite for each topic, see which topic satisfies all three of the below conditions:

• The topic feels interesting and/or exciting to you and gives you room to explore.
• The topic shows the reader something positive about you: a trait, a value, a way of thinking, etc.
• The topic is recent, or you are able to draw recent connections (i.e., the essay does not start in first grade and end in third grade, with no connection to present day).

You can do this a few times—there are no rules!

Keep going until you narrow down to one topic or discover that you can combine more than one topic because they have a hidden connection (this is always exciting).

Okay, seriously…what topic should I pick, though?!

If you’re stuck between a few possible topics, you might be wondering “What does it matter what I want to write about? What topic is the strongest one for my college application?!”

Okay, hear us out—the topic that you are most excited to write about, that presents you in a positive light, and that is recent—IS the strongest one for your college application! Not only will the resultant essay be authentic to you and demonstrative of you (which is the whole point) but research suggests that revision is most effective when you are invested in your topic . So if Person in Your Life thinks it would be the best move for you to write about your extensive hand-sewn collection of mini animals and how it showcases your creativity, but you’re like “eh…” listen to that gut feeling! You like your mini animals, sure. But maybe what you really want to write about is how you overcame the fear of learning to scuba dive .

Neither topic is inherently better or worse than the other, and neither will necessarily strengthen your application more than the other. The topic that will strengthen your application is the one that you are excited to write about and feel committed to working on over an extended period of time.

Final step…write!

You can start by creating an outline or writing a 1-2 page (double-spaced) topic exploration draft. This can also be called a zero draft or a brain dump. Call it whatever you want to make it less intimidating.

Final Thoughts — College Essay Brainstorming

Brainstorming college essay ideas doesn’t have to be overly stressful or intimidating. If you do it right, it can actually be (dare we say) low-stress and enlightening.

Want to work with one of College Transitions’ highly skilled essay coaches? Click here to see available packages or schedule a free consultation.

Need more resources? You might consider checking out the following:

• Common App Essay Prompts
• 10 Instructive Common App Essay Examples
• College Application Essay Topics to Avoid
• UC Essay Examples
• 150 Journal Prompts
• How to Start a College Essay
• How to End a College Essay
• “Why This College?” Essay Examples
• Best College Essay Help
• College Essay

Kelsea Conlin

Kelsea holds a BA in English with a concentration in Creative Writing from Tufts University, a graduate certificate in College Counseling from UCLA, and an MA in Teaching Writing from Johns Hopkins University. Her short fiction is forthcoming in Chautauqua .

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Home / News / Academic Writing Tip: 8 Brainstorming Techniques

Academic Writing Tip: 8 Brainstorming Techniques

So, you’ve read and re-read the academic writing assignment that you received from your professor, and now you’re staring at a blank page.

Does your mind feel as blank as the page? Are you Frozen by fear? Rubbing your eyes with exhaustion?

Whether you’re writing an essay for a community college in Boston, Massachusetts or a university in New England, USA, you need to start somewhere. Brainstorming means you use your imagination and prior knowledge to collect thoughts. After gathering a great quantity of ideas, you select the highest quality ideas.

Filling that empty white document can feel like leaping into unknown icy water. Brainstorming is the way to warm up for a deep dive into the EAP topic.

Brainstorming begins with simple questions. What do you know about the topic? What do you want to learn about the topic?

As you brainstorm, you journey farther down the academic writing quest. How do you narrow down a topic into a thesis? How do you gather the examples and evidence necessary for an academic essay?

Here are EAP brainstorming strategies to jumpstart the engine of your creativity.

Brainstorming tip #1: Freewriting

Do you have no ideas? Or the opposite problem—too many ideas?

Freewriting means what it sounds like—you’re free to write whatever comes to mind. The point is not to make it perfect—not even necessarily to make it good—but just to put thoughts on paper—no rules, no revising. You can even write about how you don’t know what to write about.

The only limit you should set for yourself is that you write for a specific period of time—let’s say 30 minutes—or for a specific number of pages—let’s say 2 pages. Non-stop activity gets the juices flowing, and a concrete goal gives you satisfaction. Here’s an example of freewriting:

This essay is supposed to be about the Boston Tea Party but I don’t know anything about US history except that the American Revolution happened a long time ago (when???) somewhere in Massachusetts or maybe I’m wrong. I can’t think of anything else to say and now the clock says two minutes, I’ll keep babbling anyway. Boston, MA, politics, tea. My grandmother used to make tea when I stopped by after my English courses. But that’s not useful for this essay. Or maybe there’s a connection. Hmmm… I remember the professor talked about the taxes in the New English states (colonies?) and my grandmother used to complain about paying high taxes at the market and…

Freewriting stimulates your brain the same way physical exercise wakes up your mind.

Brainstorming tip #2: Making a Cube

Draw a cube in your notebook. Each of the six sides has a task:

Side 1: Describe the topic.

Side 2: Compare the topic.

Side 3: Connect the topic.

Side 4: Classify the topic.

Side 5: Argue for or against the topic.

Side 6: Personalize the topic.

Instead of those 6 tasks, you could replace those verbs with other academic tasks: apply, analyze, question, connect, define, classify, associate, or explain cause and effect—whichever inspire ideas.

Imagine your topic is attending university in the U.S. Next to each point on the cube, you would write words and phrases inspired by the verb at hand:

Side 1: Describe: Exciting, difficult, expensive, growing opportunities, expensive, valuable.

Side 2: Compare: Different from my country. USA = more essay writing, dorms with roommates, critical thinking, fewer standardized exams and lectures, smaller classes.

Side 3: Connect: student visa policies, US immigration law, IELTS, TOEFL iBT, travel restrictions from covid-19, globalization means more English at work.

Side 4: Classify: community colleges (Holyoke, Greenfield), state universities (UMASS Boston), private ivy league (Harvard) graduate schools, MBA, BA, MFA programs.  

Side 5: Argue for : opens doors, better jobs, international workplace, investment in future, social networking, broadens horizons.

Side 6: Personalize: my cousin > engineering degree, MIT internship, campus resources help with culture shock (which worries me.) IELTS stresses me out!!!!  Way to avoid?

This brainy approach works if you like approaching topics from different angles.

Brainstorming tip #3: Clustering

When you cluster, you draw bubbles and connect words and concepts associated with the topic—anything that comes to mind.

This visual method works when you have a lot of random thoughts and you are trying to “see” connections.

Brainstorming tip #4: Bulleting

With this technique, you make bulleted lists with concepts, terms, and ideas. This can help you narrow down from the first list to a second list. The list on the left contains general bullet points, while the list on the right expands on a single bullet to delve deeper.

This method works great if you’re an orderly person who likes making lists.

Brainstorming tip #5: Venn Diagram

  The famous Venn diagram technique works well for brainstorming differences and similarities between two topics. You draw two intersecting circles and write the qualities they share in the middle where the circles intersect and the qualities that are unique in the left and right spaces. For example, let’s say you’re brainstorming differences and similarities between two cities in Massachusetts, Boston and Northampton.

This famous brainstorming method is used in the academic and business worlds because it so clearly shows differences and similarities.

To analyze relationships among three topics, you can make a Venn diagram with three circles. The 3-circle helps visualize and understand complex connections. You brainstorm three basic questions. Which qualities are unique to each? Which traits do any two topics have in common? Which similarities are shared by all three topics?

Brainstorming tip #6: Tree diagram

The tree diagram begins with a central idea that branches off into categories or supporting ideas.

Imagine you’re brainstorming different types of schools in US higher education.

Tree diagrams are perfect for brainstorming classification essays. You could also draw tree diagrams to brainstorm effects, starting with a cause at the top and branching off into increasingly specific downstream effects. Pretty cool, huh?

Brainstorming tip #7: Journalist Dice

Dice aren’t just toys for games and gambling–they can be a tool for writing. Rolling journalist dice is a stimulating way to flesh out narrative essays. Each side of the die corresponds to one of the 6 question words. To make the game fun, roll a die, and write down one answer the question every time you roll. Roll at least a dozen times to write down a variety of details and ideas.

In addition to building a narrative essay, this brainstorming technique can help you develop a compelling story for your college application essay. For the tired and uninspired writer, the game element of rolling dice makes the writing process more engaging and enjoyable. 

Brainstorming tip #8: T diagram

This method works well if you like thinking in terms of opposites.  Can you say “On the one hand” and “On the other hand”? 

What’s next in the writing process?

After your fast and furious brainstorm, the next step is to create an outline. When you outline, you pick your best and brightest ideas. Then you begin organizing them into a coherent, linear argument. You select and sort supporting points, evidence, examples, and elaboration. To learn more about outlining, click here for the next article in our academic writing series. 

The best way to improve your writing is to join an academic or business English course . With guidance from an expert instructor and feedback from a community of peers, you can master the art of academic writing.

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Brainstorming

What this handout is about.

This handout discusses techniques that will help you start writing a paper and continue writing through the challenges of the revising process. Brainstorming can help you choose a topic, develop an approach to a topic, or deepen your understanding of the topic’s potential.

Introduction

If you consciously take advantage of your natural thinking processes by gathering your brain’s energies into a “storm,” you can transform these energies into written words or diagrams that will lead to lively, vibrant writing. Below you will find a brief discussion of what brainstorming is, why you might brainstorm, and suggestions for how you might brainstorm.

Whether you are starting with too much information or not enough, brainstorming can help you to put a new writing task in motion or revive a project that hasn’t reached completion. Let’s take a look at each case:

When you’ve got nothing: You might need a storm to approach when you feel “blank” about the topic, devoid of inspiration, full of anxiety about the topic, or just too tired to craft an orderly outline. In this case, brainstorming stirs up the dust, whips some air into our stilled pools of thought, and gets the breeze of inspiration moving again.

When you’ve got too much: There are times when you have too much chaos in your brain and need to bring in some conscious order. In this case, brainstorming forces the mental chaos and random thoughts to rain out onto the page, giving you some concrete words or schemas that you can then arrange according to their logical relations.

Brainstorming techniques

What follows are great ideas on how to brainstorm—ideas from professional writers, novice writers, people who would rather avoid writing, and people who spend a lot of time brainstorming about…well, how to brainstorm.

Try out several of these options and challenge yourself to vary the techniques you rely on; some techniques might suit a particular writer, academic discipline, or assignment better than others. If the technique you try first doesn’t seem to help you, move right along and try some others.

Freewriting

When you freewrite, you let your thoughts flow as they will, putting pen to paper and writing down whatever comes into your mind. You don’t judge the quality of what you write and you don’t worry about style or any surface-level issues, like spelling, grammar, or punctuation. If you can’t think of what to say, you write that down—really. The advantage of this technique is that you free up your internal critic and allow yourself to write things you might not write if you were being too self-conscious.

When you freewrite you can set a time limit (“I’ll write for 15 minutes!”) and even use a kitchen timer or alarm clock or you can set a space limit (“I’ll write until I fill four full notebook pages, no matter what tries to interrupt me!”) and just write until you reach that goal. You might do this on the computer or on paper, and you can even try it with your eyes shut or the monitor off, which encourages speed and freedom of thought.

The crucial point is that you keep on writing even if you believe you are saying nothing. Word must follow word, no matter the relevance. Your freewriting might even look like this:

“This paper is supposed to be on the politics of tobacco production but even though I went to all the lectures and read the book I can’t think of what to say and I’ve felt this way for four minutes now and I have 11 minutes left and I wonder if I’ll keep thinking nothing during every minute but I’m not sure if it matters that I am babbling and I don’t know what else to say about this topic and it is rainy today and I never noticed the number of cracks in that wall before and those cracks remind me of the walls in my grandfather’s study and he smoked and he farmed and I wonder why he didn’t farm tobacco…”

When you’re done with your set number of minutes or have reached your page goal, read back over the text. Yes, there will be a lot of filler and unusable thoughts but there also will be little gems, discoveries, and insights. When you find these gems, highlight them or cut and paste them into your draft or onto an “ideas” sheet so you can use them in your paper. Even if you don’t find any diamonds in there, you will have either quieted some of the noisy chaos or greased the writing gears so that you can now face the assigned paper topic.

Break down the topic into levels

Once you have a course assignment in front of you, you might brainstorm:

• the general topic, like “The relationship between tropical fruits and colonial powers”
• a specific subtopic or required question, like “How did the availability of multiple tropical fruits influence competition amongst colonial powers trading from the larger Caribbean islands during the 19th century?”
• a single term or phrase that you sense you’re overusing in the paper. For example: If you see that you’ve written “increased the competition” about a dozen times in your “tropical fruits” paper, you could brainstorm variations on the phrase itself or on each of the main terms: “increased” and “competition.”

Listing/bulleting

In this technique you jot down lists of words or phrases under a particular topic. You can base your list on:

• the general topic
• one or more words from your particular thesis claim
• a word or idea that is the complete opposite of your original word or idea.

For example, if your general assignment is to write about the changes in inventions over time, and your specific thesis claims that “the 20th century presented a large number of inventions to advance US society by improving upon the status of 19th-century society,” you could brainstorm two different lists to ensure you are covering the topic thoroughly and that your thesis will be easy to prove.

The first list might be based on your thesis; you would jot down as many 20th-century inventions as you could, as long as you know of their positive effects on society. The second list might be based on the opposite claim, and you would instead jot down inventions that you associate with a decline in that society’s quality. You could do the same two lists for 19th-century inventions and then compare the evidence from all four lists.

Using multiple lists will help you to gather more perspective on the topic and ensure that, sure enough, your thesis is solid as a rock, or, …uh oh, your thesis is full of holes and you’d better alter your claim to one you can prove.

3 perspectives

Looking at something from different perspectives helps you see it more completely—or at least in a completely different way, sort of like laying on the floor makes your desk look very different to you. To use this strategy, answer the questions for each of the three perspectives, then look for interesting relationships or mismatches you can explore:

• Describe it: Describe your subject in detail. What is your topic? What are its components? What are its interesting and distinguishing features? What are its puzzles? Distinguish your subject from those that are similar to it. How is your subject unlike others?
• Trace it: What is the history of your subject? How has it changed over time? Why? What are the significant events that have influenced your subject?
• Map it: What is your subject related to? What is it influenced by? How? What does it influence? How? Who has a stake in your topic? Why? What fields do you draw on for the study of your subject? Why? How has your subject been approached by others? How is their work related to yours?

Cubing enables you to consider your topic from six different directions; just as a cube is six-sided, your cubing brainstorming will result in six “sides” or approaches to the topic. Take a sheet of paper, consider your topic, and respond to these six commands:

• Describe it.
• Compare it.
• Associate it.
• Analyze it.
• Argue for and against it.

Look over what you’ve written. Do any of the responses suggest anything new about your topic? What interactions do you notice among the “sides”? That is, do you see patterns repeating, or a theme emerging that you could use to approach the topic or draft a thesis? Does one side seem particularly fruitful in getting your brain moving? Could that one side help you draft your thesis statement? Use this technique in a way that serves your topic. It should, at least, give you a broader awareness of the topic’s complexities, if not a sharper focus on what you will do with it.

In this technique, complete the following sentence:

____________________ is/was/are/were like _____________________.

In the first blank put one of the terms or concepts your paper centers on. Then try to brainstorm as many answers as possible for the second blank, writing them down as you come up with them.

After you have produced a list of options, look over your ideas. What kinds of ideas come forward? What patterns or associations do you find?

Clustering/mapping/webbing:

The general idea:

This technique has three (or more) different names, according to how you describe the activity itself or what the end product looks like. In short, you will write a lot of different terms and phrases onto a sheet of paper in a random fashion and later go back to link the words together into a sort of “map” or “web” that forms groups from the separate parts. Allow yourself to start with chaos. After the chaos subsides, you will be able to create some order out of it.

To really let yourself go in this brainstorming technique, use a large piece of paper or tape two pieces together. You could also use a blackboard if you are working with a group of people. This big vertical space allows all members room to “storm” at the same time, but you might have to copy down the results onto paper later. If you don’t have big paper at the moment, don’t worry. You can do this on an 8 ½ by 11 as well. Watch our short videos on webbing , drawing relationships , and color coding for demonstrations.

How to do it:

• Take your sheet(s) of paper and write your main topic in the center, using a word or two or three.
• Moving out from the center and filling in the open space any way you are driven to fill it, start to write down, fast, as many related concepts or terms as you can associate with the central topic. Jot them quickly, move into another space, jot some more down, move to another blank, and just keep moving around and jotting. If you run out of similar concepts, jot down opposites, jot down things that are only slightly related, or jot down your grandpa’s name, but try to keep moving and associating. Don’t worry about the (lack of) sense of what you write, for you can chose to keep or toss out these ideas when the activity is over.
• Once the storm has subsided and you are faced with a hail of terms and phrases, you can start to cluster. Circle terms that seem related and then draw a line connecting the circles. Find some more and circle them and draw more lines to connect them with what you think is closely related. When you run out of terms that associate, start with another term. Look for concepts and terms that might relate to that term. Circle them and then link them with a connecting line. Continue this process until you have found all the associated terms. Some of the terms might end up uncircled, but these “loners” can also be useful to you. (Note: You can use different colored pens/pencils/chalk for this part, if you like. If that’s not possible, try to vary the kind of line you use to encircle the topics; use a wavy line, a straight line, a dashed line, a dotted line, a zigzaggy line, etc. in order to see what goes with what.)
• There! When you stand back and survey your work, you should see a set of clusters, or a big web, or a sort of map: hence the names for this activity. At this point you can start to form conclusions about how to approach your topic. There are about as many possible results to this activity as there are stars in the night sky, so what you do from here will depend on your particular results. Let’s take an example or two in order to illustrate how you might form some logical relationships between the clusters and loners you’ve decided to keep. At the end of the day, what you do with the particular “map” or “cluster set” or “web” that you produce depends on what you need. What does this map or web tell you to do? Explore an option or two and get your draft going!

Relationship between the parts

In this technique, begin by writing the following pairs of terms on opposite margins of one sheet of paper:

Looking over these four groups of pairs, start to fill in your ideas below each heading. Keep going down through as many levels as you can. Now, look at the various parts that comprise the parts of your whole concept. What sorts of conclusions can you draw according to the patterns, or lack of patterns, that you see? For a related strategy, watch our short video on drawing relationships .

Journalistic questions

In this technique you would use the “big six” questions that journalists rely on to thoroughly research a story. The six are: Who?, What?, When?, Where?, Why?, and How?. Write each question word on a sheet of paper, leaving space between them. Then, write out some sentences or phrases in answer, as they fit your particular topic. You might also record yourself or use speech-to-text if you’d rather talk out your ideas.

Now look over your batch of responses. Do you see that you have more to say about one or two of the questions? Or, are your answers for each question pretty well balanced in depth and content? Was there one question that you had absolutely no answer for? How might this awareness help you to decide how to frame your thesis claim or to organize your paper? Or, how might it reveal what you must work on further, doing library research or interviews or further note-taking?

For example, if your answers reveal that you know a lot more about “where” and “why” something happened than you know about “what” and “when,” how could you use this lack of balance to direct your research or to shape your paper? How might you organize your paper so that it emphasizes the known versus the unknown aspects of evidence in the field of study? What else might you do with your results?

Thinking outside the box

Even when you are writing within a particular academic discipline, you can take advantage of your semesters of experience in other courses from other departments. Let’s say you are writing a paper for an English course. You could ask yourself, “Hmmm, if I were writing about this very same topic in a biology course or using this term in a history course, how might I see or understand it differently? Are there varying definitions for this concept within, say, philosophy or physics, that might encourage me to think about this term from a new, richer point of view?”

For example, when discussing “culture” in your English, communications, or cultural studies course, you could incorporate the definition of “culture” that is frequently used in the biological sciences. Remember those little Petri dishes from your lab experiments in high school? Those dishes are used to “culture” substances for bacterial growth and analysis, right? How might it help you write your paper if you thought of “culture” as a medium upon which certain things will grow, will develop in new ways or will even flourish beyond expectations, but upon which the growth of other things might be retarded, significantly altered, or stopped altogether?

Using charts or shapes

If you are more visually inclined, you might create charts, graphs, or tables in lieu of word lists or phrases as you try to shape or explore an idea. You could use the same phrases or words that are central to your topic and try different ways to arrange them spatially, say in a graph, on a grid, or in a table or chart. You might even try the trusty old flow chart. The important thing here is to get out of the realm of words alone and see how different spatial representations might help you see the relationships among your ideas. If you can’t imagine the shape of a chart at first, just put down the words on the page and then draw lines between or around them. Or think of a shape. Do your ideas most easily form a triangle? square? umbrella? Can you put some ideas in parallel formation? In a line?

Consider purpose and audience

Think about the parts of communication involved in any writing or speaking act: purpose and audience.

What is your purpose?

What are you trying to do? What verb captures your intent? Are you trying to inform? Convince? Describe? Each purpose will lead you to a different set of information and help you shape material to include and exclude in a draft. Write about why you are writing this draft in this form. For more tips on figuring out the purpose of your assignment, see our handout on understanding assignments .

Who is your audience?

Who are you communicating with beyond the grader? What does that audience need to know? What do they already know? What information does that audience need first, second, third? Write about who you are writing to and what they need. For more on audience, see our  handout on audience .

Dictionaries, thesauruses, encyclopedias

When all else fails…this is a tried and true method, loved for centuries by writers of all stripe. Visit the library reference areas or stop by the Writing Center to browse various dictionaries, thesauruses (or other guide books and reference texts), encyclopedias or surf their online counterparts. Sometimes these basic steps are the best ones. It is almost guaranteed that you’ll learn several things you did not know.

If you’re looking at a hard copy reference, turn to your most important terms and see what sort of variety you find in the definitions. The obscure or archaic definition might help you to appreciate the term’s breadth or realize how much its meaning has changed as the language changed. Could that realization be built into your paper somehow?

If you go to online sources, use their own search functions to find your key terms and see what suggestions they offer. For example, if you plug “good” into a thesaurus search, you will be given 14 different entries. Whew! If you were analyzing the film Good Will Hunting, imagine how you could enrich your paper by addressed the six or seven ways that “good” could be interpreted according to how the scenes, lighting, editing, music, etc., emphasized various aspects of “good.”

An encyclopedia is sometimes a valuable resource if you need to clarify facts, get quick background, or get a broader context for an event or item. If you are stuck because you have a vague sense of a seemingly important issue, do a quick check with this reference and you may be able to move forward with your ideas.

Armed with a full quiver of brainstorming techniques and facing sheets of jotted ideas, bulleted subtopics, or spidery webs relating to your paper, what do you do now?

Take the next step and start to write your first draft, or fill in those gaps you’ve been brainstorming about to complete your “almost ready” paper. If you’re a fan of outlining, prepare one that incorporates as much of your brainstorming data as seems logical to you. If you’re not a fan, don’t make one. Instead, start to write out some larger chunks (large groups of sentences or full paragraphs) to expand upon your smaller clusters and phrases. Keep building from there into larger sections of your paper. You don’t have to start at the beginning of the draft. Start writing the section that comes together most easily. You can always go back to write the introduction later.

We also have helpful handouts on some of the next steps in your writing process, such as reorganizing drafts and argument .

Remember, once you’ve begun the paper, you can stop and try another brainstorming technique whenever you feel stuck. Keep the energy moving and try several techniques to find what suits you or the particular project you are working on.

How can technology help?

Need some help brainstorming? Different digital tools can help with a variety of brainstorming strategies:

Look for a text editor that has a focus mode or that is designed to promote free writing (for examples, check out FocusWriter, OmmWriter, WriteRoom, Writer the Internet Typewriter, or Cold Turkey). Eliminating visual distractions on your screen can help you free write for designated periods of time. By eliminating visual distractions on your screen, these tools help you focus on free writing for designated periods of time. If you use Microsoft Word, you might even try “Focus Mode” under the “View” tab.

Clustering/mapping. Websites and applications like Mindomo , TheBrain , and Miro allow you to create concept maps and graphic organizers. These applications often include the following features:

• Connect links, embed documents and media, and integrate notes in your concept maps
• Access your maps across devices
• Search across maps for keywords
• Convert maps into checklists and outlines
• Export maps to other file formats

Testimonials

Check out what other students and writers have tried!

Papers as Puzzles : A UNC student demonstrates a brainstorming strategy for getting started on a paper.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Allen, Roberta, and Marcia Mascolini. 1997. The Process of Writing: Composing Through Critical Thinking . Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Cameron, Julia. 2002. The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity . New York: Putnam.

Goldberg, Natalie. 2005. Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within , rev. ed. Boston: Shambhala.

Rosen, Leonard J. and Laurence Behrens. 2003. The Allyn & Bacon Handbook , 5th ed. New York: Longman.

University of Richmond. n.d. “Main Page.” Writer’s Web. Accessed June 14, 2019. http://writing2.richmond.edu/writing/wweb.html .

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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College Essay Brainstorming: Where to Start

Bonus Material: College Essay Brainstorming Questions  

The college essay is an extremely important component of your college application. Yes, college admissions officers do care about standardized test scores, academic transcripts, extracurricular activities, and letters of recommendation.

All of these application components can help officers assess a student’s academic and professional potential (and much more).

The college application essay, however, gives students a chance to share their unique voice with an admissions officer. It’s like a brief interview, where students can give officers a powerful glimpse of who they are outside of their application in roughly 650 words.

So what do you say in those 650 words? How do you pick the right essay topic?

It’s all about the brainstorming process. In general, the more time you can devote to gathering potential essay topics  before  you start writing, the better. Gathering this material can also be helpful for writing supplemental essays down the road.

In this post, we provide actionable tips for guiding your college essay brainstorming process. After reading this article, students will be well poised to gather topics and eventually select the “right” essay topic .

We also give students access to 30 free college essay brainstorming questions to get started. Grab these below.

Download College Essay Brainstorming Questions

Here’s what we cover:

The Importance of College Essay Brainstorming

• 8 College Essay Brainstorming Tips
• Bonus : 30 College Essay Brainstorming Questions

We define the college essay as a “demonstration of character, values, and/or voice.” It is an introspective, personal essay that (ideally) adds significant value to a student’s overall application.

Many students are not well-versed in writing this kind of essay. Indeed, most students are familiar with the concept of the academic essay, with its neat five paragraphs. Very few have had a lot of time in high school classrooms to write deeply reflective pieces, and concise ones at that. (Remember: you only have 650 words or fewer to craft your response!)

That’s why brainstorming is so essential  to the college essay writing process. It’s your key to pinpointing the right topic, which we define as one with the potential to generate an essay that aligns with these 7 winning qualities .

It can also be valuable for gathering potential topics for supplemental essay responses, which many competitive colleges require.

For these very reasons, we spend a significant amount of time brainstorming in our college essay mentoring programs and summer workshops. Students who are able to gather a lot of material in this time tend to have an easier job down the road choosing the right topic, creating an outline, and eventually writing that first draft.

What’s more, they might surprise themselves in what they are able to pull from their many life experiences! It’s not uncommon for an essay student to choose a certain topic they never would have considered prior to brainstorming.

The tips outlined in the next section reflect this great value of brainstorming, and are the same we offer our college essay students at the start of their process.

8 College Essay Brainstorming Tips

Don’t let that blank page intimidate you! Follow these tips to guide your brainstorming process and remember that this stage should and will take time.

1. Know the standards

Students should feel very comfortable with colleges’ general expectations for the essay  before  they start brainstorming. If you haven’t done so already, please check out the following PrepMaven posts:

• What is the College Essay?

7 Qualities of a Successful College Essay

• 11 College Essays That Worked
• What College Admissions Officers Look For

It can also be helpful to review the Common Application’s essay prompts . While students don’t necessarily have to respond to a  specific  prompt, these provide insight into the type of essay colleges are seeking.

2. No topic is “too small” (but some are “too big”)

Students only have 650 words (or fewer) to write their essays. That’s not a lot of space! For this reason, don’t shy away from seemingly “small” topics as you brainstorm.

One student who earned Ivy League acceptance, for example, wrote about her passion for hot sauce in her college essay!

On the same note, if you come up with “big” topics, such as cultural identity, a long-term extracurricular activity, or a religious belief, do your best to highlight specific components of these topics, or one representative experience. The best college essays don’t say everything there is to say about such large topics. Rather, they focus skillfully on one smaller component of a potentially bigger picture.

3. Write down all the details for every topic

When you land upon a topic, mine it for details. Write down everything you can think of about that experience, idea, or memory. Many of our students like to use bulleted lists in a Google Doc for doing this.

It’s important to squeeze out every possible detail so that you can fully assess a topic’s potential! In many cases, such details will become college essay topics themselves.

4. Work by category

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all of the possible topics out there–and don’t worry, this is common–gather ideas by category. Here are some sample category examples:

• Travel experiences
• Extracurricular activities
• Family life
• Culture and heritage
• Interests and hobbies
• Challenges (non-academic)

Categories can help you build a general portrait of who you are, at least to start. Once you have a few ideas per category, start diving deeper into those ideas and generating further details about each one.

5. Ask the right questions

It is often easier for students to generate a rich pool of potential topics by answering questions designed to encourage deep reflection and introspection. Of course, this begs the question: what should I be asking myself?

Take a look at these 30 questions  we ask our students in our college essay workshops and mentorship programs at the beginning of their process.

Once you’ve answered these questions fully and to the best of your ability, you’ll be poised for essay topic selection.

6. Keep it to yourself, mostly

Many college essay students risk writing about what their parents, friends, or teachers want them to write about. Others risk writing “what colleges want to hear.” Yet authenticity is one of the most important qualities of a successful college essay!

That’s why we encourage students to brainstorm independently. You are the only one in the world most familiar with your life experiences, after all! Consult family members, friends, or mentors only once you are further along in the essay writing process, or if you need clarification on the details of a specific experience. This will ensure you gather topics that are true to you first and foremost.

7. Maintain orderly notes

Brainstorming can be messy. Establish a system early on for maintaining orderly notes! Some tools that can come in handy:

• Bulleted or numbered lists
• Index cards
• Color-coding (digital or manual)
• Google Docs

8. Consider takeaways for each topic

As you compile topics, save time and start thinking in terms of “takeaways” for each. This will allow you to assess a topic’s potential for demonstrating your character, values, and/or voice.

Ask yourself for each topic : What values does this showcase? What does this say about me specifically? What meaningful reflections does it invite? What aspect of my voice is apparent here?

Download 30 College Essay Brainstorming Questions

You can jumpstart your college essay brainstorming process right now by downloading our college essay brainstorming questions.

With this free download, you’ll get:

• 30 of the best brainstorming questions we ask our students
• Guidance for next steps

Kate is a graduate of Princeton University. Over the last decade, Kate has successfully mentored hundreds of students in all aspects of the college admissions process, including the SAT, ACT, and college application essay. 

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College admissions

Course: college admissions   >   unit 4.

• Writing a strong college admissions essay
• Avoiding common admissions essay mistakes

Brainstorming tips for your college essay

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• Taking your college essay to the next level
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Video transcript

Home / Guides / Writing Guides / Writing Tips / How to Brainstorm for an Essay

How to Brainstorm for an Essay

Once you get going on a paper, you can often get into a groove and churn out the bulk of it fairly quickly. But choosing or brainstorming a topic for a paper—especially one with an open-ended prompt—can often be a challenge.

You’ve probably been told to brainstorm ideas for papers since you were in elementary school. Even though you might feel like “brainstorming” is an ineffective method for actually figuring out what to write about, it really works. Everyone thinks through ideas differently, but here are some tips to help you brainstorm more effectively regardless of what learning style works best for you:

Tip #1: Set an end goal for yourself

Develop a goal for your brainstorm. Don’t worry—you can go into brainstorming without knowing exactly what you want to write about, but you should  have an idea of what you hope to gain from your brainstorming session. Do you want to develop a list of potential topics? Do you want to come up with ideas to support an argument? Have some idea about what you want to get out of brainstorming so that you can make more effective use of your time.

Tip #2: Write down all ideas

Sure, some of your ideas will be better than others, but you should write all of them down for you to look back on later. Starting with bad or infeasible ideas might seem counterintuitive, but one idea usually leads to another one. Make a list that includes all of your initial thoughts, and then you can go back through and pick out the best one later. Passing judgment on ideas in this first stage will just slow you down.

Tip #3: Think about what interests you most

Students usually write better essays when they’re exploring subjects that they have some personal interest in. If a professor gives you an open-ended prompt, take it as an opportunity to delve further into a topic you find more interesting. When trying to find a focus for your papers, think back on coursework that you found engaging or that raised further questions for you.

Tip #4: Consider what you want the reader to get from your paper

Do you want to write an engaging piece? A thought-provoking one? An informative one? Think about the end goal of your writing while you go through the initial brainstorming process. Although this might seem counterproductive, considering what you want readers to get out of your writing can help you come up with a focus that both satisfies your readers and satisfies you as a writer.

 Tip #5: Try freewriting

Write for five minutes on a topic of your choice that you think could  be worth pursuing—your idea doesn’t have to be fully fleshed out. This can help you figure out whether it’s worth putting more time into an idea or if it doesn’t really have any weight to it. If you find that you don’t have much to say about a particular topic, you can switch subjects halfway through writing, but this can be a good way to get your creative juices flowing.

Tip #6: Draw a map of your ideas

While some students might prefer the more traditional list methods, for more visual learners, sketching out a word map of ideas may be a useful method for brainstorming. Write the main idea in a circle in the center of your page. Then, write smaller, related ideas in bubbles further from the center of the page and connect them to your initial idea using lines. This is a good way to break down big ideas and to figure out whether they are worth writing about.

 Tip #7: Enlist the help of others

Sometimes it can be difficult coming up with paper topics on your own, and family and friends can prove to be valuable resources when developing ideas. Feel free to brainstorm with another person (or in a group). Many hands make light work—and some students work best when thinking through ideas out loud—so don’t be afraid to ask others for advice when trying to come up with a paper topic.

Tip #8: Find the perfect brainstorming spot

Believe it or not, location can make a BIG difference when you’re trying to come up with a paper topic. Working while watching TV is never a good idea, but you might want to listen to music while doing work, or you might prefer to sit in a quiet study location. Think about where you work best, and pick a spot where you feel that you can be productive.

Tip #9: Play word games to help generate ideas

Whether you hate playing word games or think they’re a ton of fun, you might want to try your hand at a quick round of Words With Friends or a game of Scrabble. These games can help get your brain working, and sometimes ideas can be triggered by words you see. Get a friend to play an old-fashioned board game with you, or try your hand at a mobile app if you’re in a time crunch.

Tip #10: Take a break to let ideas sink in

Brainstorming is a great way to get all of your initial thoughts out there, but sometimes you need a bit more time to process all of those ideas. Stand up and stretch—or even take a walk around the block—and then look back on your list of ideas to see if you have any new thoughts on them.

For many students, the most difficult process of paper writing is simply coming up with an idea about what to write on. Don’t be afraid to get all of your ideas out there through brainstorming, and remember that all ideas are valid. Take the time necessary to sort through all of your ideas, using whatever method works best for you, and then get to writing—but don’t be afraid to go back to the drawing board if a new inspiration strikes.

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How to Brainstorm Your College Essay Topic

The college essay is perhaps the most challenging—and intimidating—part of the college application process. Staring at a blank sheet of paper (or a blank computer screen) can feel overwhelming. You might think you have nothing to write about or nothing new and exciting to offer. If you’re wondering just how to brainstorm your college essay topic, then keep reading!

Here’s the good news: You are uniquely you, and you have stories to tell that nobody else can write. If you can uncover one of those stories, you’ve found your perfect college essay topic.

The process of considering what makes you unique, reflecting, and trying on different ideas until you find “The One” is called brainstorming . In this article, you’ll find useful tips , ideas, and exercises to help you brainstorm your way to a great college essay topic.

What makes a great college essay topic?

First, let’s talk about what makes a great topic for your essay. Remember that most of your application is made up of impersonal numbers: your GPA, your SAT/ACT scores, your class rank, etc. Admissions officers will also see a list of your activities and accomplishments. But when it comes to showcasing who you are as an individual, the essay is your big chance to make an impression.

With that in mind, a great topic is one that:

• Offers insight into who you are as a person

Admissions officers suggest students should “write about a specific experience, hobby or quirk that reveals something personal, like how they think, what they value, or what their strengths are.” Think of your college essay topic as a window or lens that admissions officers can use to get a glimpse into who you are and how you think.

On the other hand, your topic does NOT have to be:

• About something extremely extraordinary

In fact, admissions officers say that sometimes the most ordinary topics make the most memorable essays. These include topics like fly-fishing, a student’s commute to and from school, and even a family’s dining room table. So, shift your focus from trying to impress or trying to be extraordinary. Instead, try to zoom in on a slice of your life that reveals something important about you.

Wait—do I even get to choose my college essay topic?

Good question. The Common Application and most individual college applications give you a few prompts to choose from. However, these prompts are so broad and open-ended that you still have the freedom to write about almost anything .

For instance, the current Common App prompts ask you about your background, identity, talents, interests, obstacles you’ve faced, problems you’ve solved, events or realizations from your life, and more. And if you can’t manage to make your topic idea fit into those categories, the final prompt is: “Share an essay on any topic of your choice.”

Of course, before you begin brainstorming, look over the prompts you’ve been provided. See how specific or broad they are. Are there any guidelines you need to keep in mind as you brainstorm your topic? Go from there.

How to Brainstorm a College Essay Topic That’s Right for You

Brainstorming is a very personal and very creative endeavor. What sparks inspiration for you may not spark inspiration for someone else, and vice versa. So, read through the ideas, questions, and exercises for brainstorming your college essay topic below, and choose a few that appeal to you.

Keep going until you land on a topic idea that gets you inspired and excited. If you’re excited about your college essay topic, your passion and personality will naturally shine through.

1. Free Write About Yourself

On the top of a piece of paper or a Word document, write the question, “Who am I?” Set a timer for three minutes, and write until the timer goes off. Don’t second guess or edit. Write anything that comes to mind. Remember that no one else will read your college essay topic brainstorm.

Writing freely without overthinking is an important way to unleash your ideas. What would someone need to know in order to really know about you?

2. Explore Your Home

Take a tour of your home. Look closely at the objects in each room. Which objects are especially meaningful to you? As you look around your house, do any important or interesting memories come to you? Is there anything special or unique about your home that catches your eye?

Find photos, scrapbooks, and old journals or diaries if possible. If you come across any significant memories, jot them down or free write about them for a few minutes. Make a note of anything that inspires you.

3. Listen to a Playlist of Your Favorite Songs

Make a playlist of around 10 songs that you love. These can be songs you loved at different points in your life, or they can be your 10 favorites right now.

Often, our favorite songs resonate with us because we relate them to a memory, a feeling, or a core value. And music in general is an excellent source of inspiration. As you listen to your songs, does anything meaningful come to mind?

Do you think of a special person, place, or event in your life? Did a particular song help you through a challenging time in your life? Do you think your favorite songs say anything important about you? As with the previous exercise, record or free write about anything that catches your attention.

4. Ask Your Friends and Family

Sometimes, it’s hard to think or write objectively about ourselves—after all, we’re a little too close to the subject. It’s helpful to ask your friends or family members for ideas and inspiration too.

Ask questions like:

• If you had to describe me in three words, what words would you use?

Ultimately, you need to choose a college essay topic that appeals to you. But gaining some perspective from the people who love you might get your ideas flowing.

5. Reflect on Highs and Lows

Good college essays show maturity, reflection, and growth. They demonstrate your ability to think about the events that have happened to you, the lessons you have learned, and the impact these events have had on who you are as an individual. Often, we can find great stories of growth in the best and worst moments of our lives.

Think about the following:

• When did you first feel like you were no longer a child? Why did you feel that way? How do you think you’ve changed from your childhood self, and why?

Some of these answers might feel too personal. That’s OK—remember, your brainstorm is for your eyes only. You don’t have to share anything with admissions officers that makes you uncomfortable, but reflecting on the most important moments in your life can help you come up with some excellent material.

6. List Your Top 5 Traits

It’s tough to describe ourselves in a few words, especially because all of us are complex. But if you had to choose just five defining characteristics or traits to describe yourself, what words would you use?

First, list your five words. Then, try to trace your characteristics back to defining experiences or events. For example, if you’re curious , how do you think your curiosity began? Did anyone in your life influence you to be curious? Can you think of the first time or the most recent time that you exhibited curiosity?

Sometimes, a story that highlights one of your key personal traits can make an excellent college essay. Whether it’s an example of how you’ve displayed that trait, or an “origin story” of how you developed that characteristic, you’ll show admissions officers an important piece of who you are.

7. Think About Places

Essays about place, even one as simple as a dining room table, also make a compelling college essay topic. See if you have any meaningful “place” stories by answering the following questions:

• Are any of your favorite memories associated with a specific place? Which memories? Describe the place in detail.

Remember that no matter what you write about, you are ultimately the star of your essay. So, if you choose to write about a place, consider what this place means to you, how it has impacted you, and what it can tell readers about your personality, beliefs, and values.

8. Think About People

Similarly, you may choose to write about an influential person in your life. But the bulk of the essay should focus on how this person has impacted you and how you have changed or grown as a result of your interactions with this person.

Answer these questions:

• Who is someone in your life who is very different from you? How have you navigated those differences? What have you learned in the process?

Again, your essay shouldn’t simply describe another person. The admissions officers want to know more about you . But if you have a compelling story about an important person, and if that story provides meaningful insight into you, then you might have a stellar topic on your hands.

9. Answer Questions About Yourself

You’re probably thinking that you’ve already answered a lot of questions about yourself. But here are some more that might spark inspiration for the right college essay topic:

• What are you most curious about?

You don’t need to answer all of these questions. But if a few of them speak to you, start writing and see what emerges.

Remember that it’s important to “zoom in” on your ideas. So, don’t write an essay about all the traditions you’ve grown up with. Write about one tradition and a specific memory associated with it. The more you zoom in, the more detailed you can get. The more details you include, the more your essay becomes one that only you could write.

10. Write a Hook

If you’re still having trouble getting started, focus on writing a strong hook . What’s an interesting first sentence about you that could really grab a reader’s attention?

Here’s an example of a good hook : “I first got into politics the day the cafeteria outlawed creamed corn.”

Doesn’t that sentence make you want to know more? Imagine being a college admissions officer, slogging through essay after essay, many of them very similar. Many of the essays sound stiff, full of high-level vocabulary words but lacking in personality. Then you get to an essay about how creamed corn sparked a student’s interest in politics. Wouldn’t it be a breath of fresh air?

Try writing a few interesting hooks. One might hook you too, and before you know it, you’ll have written a whole first draft!

Next Step: Narrow Down Your College Essay Topic Ideas

Let’s say you’ve completed several of these exercises, and now you have a list of ideas. What’s the next step?

Narrow down your college essay topics like this:

• Does your top idea speak to you enough to run with it? If so, get going! If you’re stuck between 2-3 top choices, outline a beginning, middle, and end for each topic idea. List several specific sensory details you would include. Now, which idea speaks to you the most? Which provides the strongest and most compelling narrative? That’s your topic!

Once you’ve decided on a topic, it’s time to tell your story. Remember to focus on being honest, authentic, and very much you . Zoom in as much as possible, and give clear details that bring your story to life. Show a character arc—who you were at the beginning, how you grew and changed, and who you are now. Feel free to use personality and humor. The admissions officers want to hear your voice!

Final Thoughts: How to Brainstorm Your College Essay Topic

It’s hard to come up with a college essay topic that’s unique, exciting, and impressive. So, take that mindset and throw it far, far away.

Now, approach your college essay with the goal of helping admissions officers get to know the real you. If you’re authentic and write about something that’s meaningful to you, your essay will naturally stand out.

Complete several exercises to brainstorm your college essay topic without editing yourself . Eventually, you’ll find a topic that gets you excited. It’ll be a topic that accurately represents you and that makes you want to think, write, or talk about it more.

That passion, enthusiasm, and authenticity will shine through to admissions officers and make your essay truly memorable. I hope these tips on how to brainstorm your college essay topic were helpful. Good luck and happy writing!

Jason Patel is the founder of Transizion , a college counseling and career services company that provides mentorship and consulting on college applications, college essays, resumes, cover letters, interviews, and finding jobs and internships. Jason’s work has been cited in The Washington Post, BBC, NBC News, Forbes, Fast Company, Bustle, Inc., Fox Business, and other great outlets. Transizion donates a portion of profits to underserved students and veterans in of college prep and career development assistance. Jason is a Brazilian Jiujitsu martial artist, outdoorsman, and avid reader. You can find more content on his blog and YouTube channel.

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How should I start brainstorming topics for my college essay?

Most colleges provide open-ended prompts. Using the topic as inspiration, think about critical milestones or essential lessons you learned during your academic career. Tell stories about real-life experiences that have shaped the person you are. Write them down to brainstorm ideas. Choose stories that highlight your best traits.

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• Choosing Your College Essay Topic | Ideas & Examples

Choosing Your College Essay Topic | Ideas & Examples

Published on October 25, 2021 by Kirsten Courault . Revised on July 3, 2023.

A strong essay topic sets you up to write a unique, memorable college application essay . Your topic should be personal, original, and specific. Take time to brainstorm the right topic for you.

Table of contents

What makes a good topic, brainstorming questions to get started, discover the best topic for you, how to make a common topic compelling, frequently asked questions about college application essays, other interesting articles.

Here are some guidelines for a good essay topic:

• It’s focused on you and your experience
• It shares something different from the rest of your application
• It’s specific and original (not many students could write a similar essay)
• It affords the opportunity to share your positive stories and qualities

In most cases, avoid topics that

• Reflect poorly on your character and behavior
• Deal with a challenge or traumatic experience without a lesson learned or positive outlook

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

Spend time reflecting on and writing out answers to the following questions. After doing this exercise, you should be able to identify a few strong topics for your college essay.

Writing about yourself can be difficult. If you’re struggling to identify your topic, try these two strategies.

Start with your qualities

After identifying your positive qualities or values, brainstorm stories that demonstrate these qualities.

Start with a story

If you already have some memorable stories in mind that you’d like to write about, think about which qualities and values you can demonstrate with those stories.

Talk it through

To make sure you choose the right topic, ask for advice from trusted friends or family members who know you well. They can help you brainstorm ideas and remember stories, and they can give you feedback on your potential essay topics.

You can also work with a guidance counselor, teacher, or other mentor to discuss which ideas are most promising. If you plan ahead , you can even workshop multiple draft essays to see which topic works best.

If you do choose a common topic, ensure you have the following to craft a unique essay:

• Surprising or unexpected story arcs
• Interesting insight or connections
• An advanced writing style

Here are a few examples of how to craft strong essays from cliché topics.

Here’s a checklist you can use to confirm that your college essay topic is right for you.

College essay topic checklist

My topic is focused on me, not on someone else.

My topic shares something different from the rest of my application.

My topic is specific and original (not many students could write a similar essay).

My topic reflects positively on my character and behavior.

If I chose to write about a traumatic or challenging experience, my essay will focus on how I overcame it or gained insight.

If I chose a common topic, my essay will have a surprising story arc, interesting insight, and/or an advanced writing style.

Good topic!

It looks like your topic is a good choice. It's specific, it avoids clichés, and it reflects positively on you.

There are no foolproof college essay topics —whatever your topic, the key is to write about it effectively. However, a good topic

• Is meaningful, specific, and personal to you
• Focuses on you and your experiences
• Reveals something beyond your test scores, grades, and extracurriculars
• Is creative and original

Yes—admissions officers don’t expect everyone to have a totally unique college essay topic . But you must differentiate your essay from others by having a surprising story arc, an interesting insight, and/or an advanced writing style .

To decide on a good college essay topic , spend time thoughtfully answering brainstorming questions. If you still have trouble identifying topics, try the following two strategies:

• Identify your qualities → Brainstorm stories that demonstrate these qualities
• Identify memorable stories → Connect your qualities to these stories

You can also ask family, friends, or mentors to help you brainstorm topics, give feedback on your potential essay topics, or recall key stories that showcase your qualities.

Most topics are acceptable for college essays if you can use them to demonstrate personal growth or a lesson learned. However, there are a few difficult topics for college essays that should be avoided. Avoid topics that are:

• Overly personal (e.g. graphic details of illness or injury, romantic or sexual relationships)
• Not personal enough (e.g. broad solutions to world problems, inspiring people or things)
• Too negative (e.g. an in-depth look at your flaws, put-downs of others, criticizing the need for a college essay)
• Too boring (e.g. a resume of your academic achievements and extracurriculars)
• Inappropriate for a college essay (e.g. illegal activities, offensive humor, false accounts of yourself, bragging about privilege)

Here’s a brief list of college essay topics that may be considered cliché:

• Extracurriculars, especially sports
• Role models
• Dealing with a personal tragedy or death in the family
• Struggling with new life situations (immigrant stories, moving homes, parents’ divorce)
• Becoming a better person after community service, traveling, or summer camp
• Overcoming a difficult class
• Using a common object as an extended metaphor

It’s easier to write a standout essay with a unique topic. However, it’s possible to make a common topic compelling with interesting story arcs, uncommon connections, and an advanced writing style.

If you want to know more about academic writing , effective communication , or parts of speech , make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples.

Academic writing

• Writing process
• Transition words
• Passive voice
• Paraphrasing

 Communication

• How to end an email
• Ms, mrs, miss
• How to start an email
• I hope this email finds you well
• Hope you are doing well

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• Personal pronouns
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Summer is the perfect time to start writing your college essays because college application season is right around the corner! The Empowerly Team understands how difficult writer’s block is, so we listed out some concrete steps for you to get started, and how to craft the perfect essay!

Here is how to get started

1. take time for introspection..

• Create a list of your top 10 values (quality relationships, honesty, growth…)
• Brainstorm your strengths and personality traits

2. Find inspiration.

• Read quotes. Good ones will help you consider your life meaning and achievement in a thoughtful way.
• Read other essays. Draw inspiration from others’ perspectives, frames, and storytelling devices.

3. Map out your story/life.

• Start with all the memorable events and activities in your life and then fill in more trivial details between.

4. Just start writing and let your ideas flow.

• Get them all down on paper. It’s okay if it comes out as a mind dump. You’ll edit it later!

5. Be honest.

• Write about what’s true to you, not what you think admissions officers want to read.
• Show that you are genuine in your writing.

6. Storytelling.

• This writing style keeps readers engaged.
• Use vivid imagery by appealing to visual senses.
• Convey emotions to bring the reader into your shoes.

7. Avoid clichés.

• Admissions officers will be reading hundreds, if not thousands, of college essays. Make sure yours stands out from the crowd, grabs their attention, and doesn’t use the same, tired clichés that they’ve probably read hundreds of times.

8. Support your claims with evidence.

• Don’t just say you like science. Show it with evidence from science fairs, competitions, internships, and other extracurriculars. Admissions officers want to see that you have the ability to find and demonstrate your passion.

9. Read your essay out loud.

• The end recipient is a human and reading it out loud can help you identify awkward sentences.
• It’s important to have others read your college essay and provide feedback.
• It’s also important to limit the number of people editing because you might lose your personal voice amidst many other opinions.

There you have it! I often find starting an essay, especially a college essay, to be the most difficult part. I hope these tips will ease the process and help you think of the college application process as an opportunity to just learn about yourself. If you want more personalized help, check out our services and set up a consultation to get started with Empowerly today.

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Brainstorming Topics For The College Admissions Essay: Quick Tips

From the Common App’s personal statement to the more specific supplemental essay questions, the hardest part of writing a college admissions essay is often brainstorming and topic selection. “What do I write about? And where do I start looking for these magic ideas?”

The answer is, you think. You let tiny idea bubbles grow in your brain, until they are accessible, and you capture them all. You give these ideas time to percolate and grow beyond their original incarnations. Eventually, the winning topic reveals itself- trust us, it always does.

That said, we know it can be hard to turn on the faucet, especially under pressure. Here are five helpful tips for kicking off that brainstorming session and coming up with creative and compelling college essay topics:

• Relax.   Take a walk while you think.  Eat an ice cream cone.  Do something you really enjoy doing while pondering the proposed essay question. Engaging in an activity you enjoy (versus sitting at the kitchen table in frustration) helps alleviate some of the pressure that comes along with starting the process and gets the creative juices flowing.
• Identify key milestones.   It often helps to talk this out with your family members and friends, but try and jog your memory for the most meaningful events in your life thus far.  Think about birthdays and anniversaries.  Special visits from long lost friends.  Competitions you won (or lost).  Up to this point in your life, what have been your most cherished memories and why?  You might not end up writing about your seventh grade science fair, but there could be a smaller, more significant story to mine from there.
• List the things you love.   What do you like to do in your spare time? Where is the place, big or small, that you feel most at home?  Try to list for yourself the things that make you tick- the things you would choose to engage in/with every day if you had no other obligations.  Why do you love these things?  What do they say about you?  Your passions can often be a helpful launch point for identifying small stories about what makes you a valuable asset in an academic/social environment.
• Dig to the details.   Often students think the subjects of their essays have to be broad umbrellas for their all-encompassing life stories.  This is not the case.  In fact, oftentimes the most effective essays tell tiny stories that illustrate a larger personality trait or passion.  An essay about your general passion for music is much less effective than the story of how you washed three hundred cars in twenty days in order to save money to see your favorite artist.  Find the compelling stories within your stories.  You often have a very small space in which to express yourself, which is why these essays lend themselves to bite-sized tales that are representative of the whole, versus broad subjects that say very little in-depth about your inherent nature.
• Don’t self-edit.  Get it all down.   The brainstorming process, in order for it to be truly effective, has to be one devoid of self-criticism and judgment.  You never know which ideas are going to spark inspiration for others, so as you begin to come up with topics, take notes on everything.  You’re not allowed to cross an idea off the list until you’ve squeezed your brain dry of inspiration over the course of at least three separate brainstorming sessions.  Give yourself some time to cultivate and build upon your initial thoughts.  The subjects that pop into your brain first are floating at the surface for a reason, even if just to lead you one step closer to your final, brilliant idea.

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20 Brainstorming Ideas For College Essays

Why? Because I’m working on essays with several seniors right now and, for the most part, it’s a painful process for them. Between homework and assignments for school, activities, and sports, it’s hard to find time to write your essay .

And while it’s hard to sit down and turn that blank piece of paper into something poetic, it’s ten times harder if you don’t even know what you want to write about. Sure, you have the Common App essay prompts to work off of, but which one is going to help you write the essay which will propel your application from good to great?

If this is you and you’re having a tough time just getting some ideas on paper, here are a few prompts to get your creative juices flowing:

• What is your favorite subject and why?
• How do you spend your time outside of school?
• What are your most unique talents?
• What is important to you?
• How has a moment in your life inspired you to be a different person?
• What is a life lesson that you’ve learned (especially if you learned it the hard way)?
• What are your greatest strengths?
• What are your weaknesses?
• What is the most unusual thing you’ve ever done?
• What is the most interesting place you’ve ever visited or travelled to?
• What is an accomplishment or achievement you are most proud of?
• What is an obstacle or challenge you have had to overcome?
• Who is someone in your life you are inspired by and why?
• What jobs have you held and what have you liked and disliked about them?
• How are you different from your friends or classmates?
• What is your relationship like with your family (think immediate and non-immediate family)?
• How would your best friend describe you?
• How would your parents describe you?
• How would your brother or sister (if you have either) describe you?
• If you had a “do-over” in your life, what is something you would do differently and why?

Some of these prompts require you to dig a little deeper than others, but at the end of the day they are all designed to do one thing: get you thinking about yourself. Because that’s what your essay is for; an opportunity to tell admissions counselors about awesome and wonderful you.

If you have questions about writing your college essay or would like some help getting unstuck from writer’s block, use the comment box below or email me directly at [email protected] . I would love to hear from you!

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College Essays

Writing the college application essay is a tough gig. You've got to be charming, personal, memorable, and insightful--all in under two pages! But I'm going to tell you a secret: half of a great personal essay is a great topic idea. If you're passionate about what you're writing, and if you're truly documenting something meaningful and serious about yourself and your life, then that passion and meaning will come alive on the page and in the mind of your reader.

So how do you come up with an essay idea? The best way is to brainstorm your way to an event from your life that reveals a core truth about you. In this article, I will help you do just that. Keep reading to find 35 jumping off points that touch on every possible memory you could harness, as well as advice on how to use your brainstorming session to fully realize your idea for an essay topic.

What Makes an Essay Topic Great?

What does your application tell admissions officers about you? Mostly it's just numbers and facts: your name, your high school, your grades and SAT scores. These stats would be enough if colleges were looking to build a robot army, but they aren't.

So how do they get to see a slice of the real you? How can they get a feel for the personality, character, and feelings that make you the person that you are? It's through your college essay. The essay is a way to introduce yourself to colleges in a way that displays your maturity. This is important because admissions officers want to make sure that you will thrive in the independence of college life and work.

This is why finding a great college essay topic is so hugely important: because it will allow you to demonstrate the maturity level admissions teams are looking for. This is best expressed through the ability to have insight about what has made you into you, through the ability to share some vulnerabilities or defining experiences, and through the ability to be a creative thinker and problem solver.

In other words, a great topic is an event from your past that you can narrate, draw conclusions from, explain the effect of. Most importantly, you should be able to describe how it has changed you from the kind of person you were to the better person that you are now. If you can do all that, you are well ahead of the essay game.

How Do You Know If Your College Essay Topic Is Great?

Eric Maloof, the Director of International Admission at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas has a great checklist for figuring out whether you're on the right track with your essay topic . He says, if you can answer "yes" to these two questions, then you've got the makings of a great essay:

• Is the topic of my essay important to me?
• Am I the only person who could have written this essay?

So how do you translate this checklist into essay topic action items?

Make it personal. Write about something personal, deeply felt, and authentic to the real you (but which is not an overshare). Take a narrow slice of your life: one event, one influential person, one meaningful experience—and then you expand out from that slice into a broader explanation of yourself.

Always think about your reader. In this case, your reader is an admission officer who is slogging through hundreds of college essays. You don't want to bore that person, and you don't want to offend that person. Instead, you want to come across as likable and memorable.

Put the reader in the experience with you by making your narrow slice of life feel alive. This means that your writing needs to be chock-full of specific details, sensory descriptions, words that describe emotions, and maybe even dialog. This is why it's very important to make the essay topic personal and deeply felt. Readers can tell when a writer isn't really connected to whatever he is writing about. And the reverse is true as well: deep emotion shows through your writing.

Coming Up With Great College Essay Ideas

Some people know right off the bat that they have to write about that one specific defining moment of their lives. But if you're reading this, chances are you aren't one of these people. Don't worry—I wasn't one of them either! What this means is that you—like me—will have to put in a little work to come up with the perfect idea by first doing some brainstorming.

I've come up with about 35 different brainstorming jumping off points that ask questions about your life and your experiences. The idea here is to jog your memory about the key life events that have shaped you and affected you deeply.

I recommend you spend at least two minutes on each question, coming up with and writing down at least one answer—or as many answers as you can think of. Seriously—time yourself. Two minutes is longer than you think! I would also recommend doing this over several sittings to get your maximum memory retrieval going—even if it takes a couple of days, it'll be worth it.

Then, we will use this list of experiences and thoughts to narrow your choices down to the one topic idea that you will use for your college essay.

Brainstorming Technique 1: Think About Defining Moments in Your Life

• What is your happiest memory? Why? What was good about it? Who and what was around you then? What did it mean to you?
• What is your saddest memory? Would you change the thing that happened or did you learn something crucial from the experience?
• What is the most important decision you've had to make? What was hard about the choice? What was easy? Were the consequences of your decision what you had imagined before making it? Did you plan and game out your choices, or did you follow gut instinct?
• What decision did you not have any say in, but would have wanted to? Why were you powerless to participate in this decision? How did the choice made affect you? What do you think would have happened if a different choice had been made?
• What the most dangerous or scary thing that you've lived through? What was threatened? What were the stakes? How did you survive/overcome it? How did you cope emotionally with the fallout?
• When did you first feel like you were no longer a child? Who and what was around you then? What had you just done or seen? What was the difference between your childhood self and your more adult self?
• What are you most proud of about yourself? Is it a talent or skill? A personality trait or quality? An accomplishment? Why is this the thing that makes you proud?

Brainstorming Technique 2: Remember Influential People

• Which of your parents (or parental figures) are you most like in personality and character? Which of their traits do you see in yourself? Which do you not? Do you wish you were more like this parent or less?
• Which of your grandparents, great-grandparents, or other older relatives has had the most influence on your life? Is it a positive influence, where you want to follow in their footsteps in some way? A negative influence, where you want to avoid becoming like them in some way? How is the world they come from like your world? How is it different?
• Which teacher has challenged you the most? What has that challenge been? How did you respond?
• What is something that someone once said to you that has stuck with you? When and where did they say it? Why do you think it's lodged in your memory?
• Which of your friends would you trade places with for a day? Why?
• If you could intern for a week or a month with anyone—living or dead, historical or fictional—who would it be? What would you want that person to teach you? How did you first encounter this person or character? How do you think this person would react to you?
• Of the people you know personally, whose life is harder than yours? What makes it that way—their external circumstances? Their inner state? Have you ever tried to help this person? If yes, did it work? If no, how would you help them if you could?
• Of the people you know personally, whose life is easier than yours? Are you jealous? Why or why not?

Brainstorming Technique 3: Recreate Important Times or Places

• When is the last time you felt so immersed in what you were doing that you lost all track of time or anything else from the outside world? What were you doing? Why do you think this activity got you into this near-zen state?
• Where do you most often tend to daydream? Why do you think this place has this effect on you? Do you seek it out? Avoid it? Why?
• What is the best time of day? The worst? Why?
• What is your favorite corner of, or space in, the place where you live? What do you like about it? When do you go there, and what do you use it for?
• What is your least favorite corner of, or space in, the place where you live? Why do you dislike it? What do you associate it with?
• If you had to repeat a day over and over, like the movie Groundhog Day , what day would it be? If you'd pick a day from your life that has already happened, why would you want to be stuck it in? To relive something great? To fix mistakes? If you'd pick a day that hasn't yet occurred, what would the day you were stuck in be like?
• If you could go back in time to give yourself advice, when would you go back to? What advice would you give? Why? What effect would you want your advice to have?

Brainstorming Technique 4: Answer Thought-Provoking Questions

• If you could take a Mulligan and do over one thing in your life, what would it be? Would you change what you did the first time around? Why?
• Or, if you could take another crack at doing something again, what would you pick? Something positive—having another shot at repeating a good experience? Something negative—getting the chance to try another tactic to avoid a bad experience?
• Which piece of yourself could you never change while remaining the same person? Your race? Ethnicity? Intellect? Height? Freckles? Loyalty? Sense of humor? Why is that the thing that you'd cling to as the thing that makes you who you are?
• Which of your beliefs, ideas, or tastes puts you in the minority? Why do you think/believe/like this thing when no one else seems to?
• What are you most frightened of? What are you not frightened enough of? Why?
• What is your most treasured possession? What would you grab before running out of the house during a fire? What is this object's story and why is it so valuable to you?
• What skill or talent that you don't have now would you most like to have? Is it an extension of something you already do? Something you've never had the guts to try doing? Something you plan on learning in the future?
• Which traditions that you grew up with will you pass on? Which will you ignore? Why?

Brainstorming Technique 5: Find a Trait or Characteristic and Trace It Back

• What are three adjectives you'd use to describe yourself? Why these three? Which of these is the one you're most proud of? Least proud of? When did you last exhibit this trait? What were you doing?
• How would your best friend describe you? What about your parents? How are the adjectives they'd come up with different from the ones you'd use? When have they seen this quality or trait in you?
• What everyday thing are you the world's greatest at? Who taught you how to do it? What memories do you have associated with this activity? Which aspects of it have you perfected?
• Imagine that it's the future and that you've become well known. What will you become famous for? Is it for something creative or a performance? For the way you will have helped others? For your business accomplishments? For your athletic prowess? When you make a speech about this fame, whom will you thank for putting you where you are?
• What do you most like about yourself? This is different from the thing you're most proud of—this is the thing that you know about yourself that makes you smile. Can you describe a time when this thing was useful or effective in some way?

How to Turn Your Brainstorming List Into an Essay Topic

Now that you have a cornucopia of daydreams, memories, thoughts, and ambitions, it's time to thin the herd, prune the dead branches, and whatever other mixed metaphors about separating the wheat from the chaff you can think of.

So how do you narrow down your many ideas into one?

Use the magic power of time. One of the best things you can do with your stack of college essay topics is to forget about them. Put them away for a couple of days so that you create a little mental space. When you come back to everything you wrote after a day or two, you will get the chance to read it with fresh eyes.

Let the cream rise to the top. When you reread your topics after having let them sit, do two things:

• Cross out any ideas that don't speak to you in some way. If something doesn't ring true, if it doesn't spark your interest, or if it doesn't connect with an emotion, then consider reject it.
• Circle or highlight any topics that pop out at you. If it feels engaging, if you get excited at the prospect of talking about it, if it resonates with a feeling, then put it at the top of the idea pile.

Rinse and repeat. Go through the process of letting a few days pass and then rereading your ideas at least one more time. This time, don't bother looking at the topics you've already rejected. Instead, concentrate on those you highlighted earlier and maybe some of the ones that were neither circled nor thrown away.

Trust your gut instinct (but verify). Now that you've gone through and culled your ideas several times based on whether or not they really truly appeal to you, you should have a list of your top choices—all the ones you've circled or highlighted along the way. Now is the moment of truth. Imagine yourself telling the story of each of these experiences to someone who wants to get to know you. Rank your possible topics in order of how excited you are to share this story. Really listen to your intuition here. If you're squeamish, shy, unexcited, or otherwise not happy at the thought of having to tell someone about the experience, it will make a terrible essay topic.

Develop your top two to four choices to see which is best. Unless you feel very strongly about one of your top choices, the only way to really know which of your best ideas is the perfect one is to try actually making them into essays. For each one, go through the steps listed in the next section of the article under "Find Your Idea's Narrative." Then, use your best judgment (and maybe that of your parents, teachers, or school counselor) to figure out which one to draft into your personal statement.

How to Make Your Idea Into a College Essay

Now, let's talk about what to do in order to flesh out your topic concept into a great college essay. First, I'll give you some pointers on expanding your idea into an essay-worthy story, and then talk a bit about how to draft and polish your personal statement.

Find Your Topic's Narrative

All great college essays have the same foundation as good short stories or enjoyable movies—an involving story. Let's go through what features make for a story that you don't want to put down:

A compelling character with an arc. Think about the experience that you want to write about. What were you like before it happened? What did you learn, feel, or think about during it? What happened afterwards? What do you now know about yourself that you didn't before?

Sensory details that create a "you are there!" experience for the reader. When you're writing about your experience, focus on trying to really make the situation come alive. Where were you? Who else was there? What did it look like? What did it sound like? Were there memorable textures, smells, tastes? Does it compare to anything else? When you're writing about the people you interacted with, give them a small snippet of dialog to say so the reader can "hear" that person's voice. When you are writing about yourself, make sure to include words that explain the emotions you are feeling at different parts of the story.

An insightful ending. Your essay should end with an uplifting, personal, and interesting revelation about the kind of person you are today, and how the story you have just described has made and shaped you.

Draft and Revise

The key to great writing is rewriting. So work out a draft, and then put it aside and give yourself a few days to forget what you've written. When you come back to look at it again look for places where you slow down your reading, where something seems out of place or awkward. Can you fix this by changing around the order of your essay? By explaining further? By adding details? Experiment.

Get advice. Colleges expect your essay to be your work, but most recommend having someone else cast a fresh eye over it. A good way to get a teacher or a parent involved is to ask them whether your story is clear and specific, and whether your insight about yourself flows logically from the story you tell.

Execute flawlessly. Dot every i, cross every t, delicately place every comma where it needs to go. Grammar mistakes, misspellings, and awkward sentence structure don't just make your writing look bad—they take the reader out of the story you're telling. And that makes you memorable, but in a bad way.

The Bottom Line

• Your college essay topic needs to come from the fact that essays are a way for colleges to get to know the real you , a you that is separate from your grades and scores.
• A great way to come up with topics is to wholeheartedly dive into a brainstorming exercise. The more ideas about your life that tumble out of your memory and onto the page, the better chance you have of finding the perfect college essay topic.
• Answer my brainstorming questions without editing yourself at first. Instead, simply write down as many things that pop into your head as you can—even if you end up going off topic.
• After you've generated a list of possible topics, leave it alone for a few days and then come back to pick out the ones that seem the most promising.
• Flesh out your top few ideas into full-blown narratives , to understand which reveals the most interesting thing about you as a person.
• Don't shy away from asking for help. At each stage of the writing process get a parent or teacher to look over what you're working on, not to do your work for you but to hopefully gently steer you in a better direction if you're running into trouble.

What's Next?

Ready to start working on your essay? Check out our explanation of the point of the personal essay and the role it plays on your applications .

For more detailed advice on writing a great college essay, read our guide to the Common Application essay prompts and get advice on how to pick the Common App prompt that's right for you .

Thinking of taking the SAT again before submitting your applications? We have put together the ultimate guide to studying for the SAT to give you the ins and outs of the best ways to study.

Anna scored in the 99th percentile on her SATs in high school, and went on to major in English at Princeton and to get her doctorate in English Literature at Columbia. She is passionate about improving student access to higher education.

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How to Write the University of California Essays 2023-2024

The University of California (UC) school system is the most prestigious state university system in the United States and includes nine undergraduate universities: UC Berkeley, UC San Diego, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz, UC Davis, UC Riverside, UC Merced, and UC Irvine.

The University of California system has its own application portal, as well as its own deadline of November 30th—a full month before the Common Application is due. All nine universities use one application, so it is easy to apply to multiple UCs at the same time. 

The application requires you to answer four of eight personal insight questions, with a 350-word limit on each prompt. This may seem daunting at first, but we provide this guide to make the prompts more approachable and to help you effectively tackle them! 

University of California Application Essay Prompts

Note: There is only one application for all the UC schools, so your responses will be sent to every University of California school that you apply to. You should avoid making essays school-specific (unless you are applying to only one school).

You might want to start by deciding which four of the eight prompts you plan on answering. The eight prompts are:

1. Describe an example of your leadership experience in which you have positively influenced others, helped resolve disputes, or contributed to group efforts over time.

2. every person has a creative side, and it can be expressed in many ways: problem-solving, original and innovative thinking, and artistically, to name a few. describe how you express your creative side., 3. what would you say is your greatest talent or skill how have you developed and demonstrated that talent over time, 4. describe how you have taken advantage of a significant educational opportunity or worked to overcome an educational barrier you have faced., 5. describe the most significant challenge you have faced and the steps you have taken to overcome this challenge. how has this challenge affected your academic achievement, 6. think about an academic subject that inspires you. describe how you have furthered this interest inside and/or outside of the classroom., 7. what have you done to make your school or your community a better place, 8. beyond what has already been shared in your application, what do you believe makes you stand out as a strong candidate for admissions to the university of california.

As you begin selecting prompts, keep the purpose of college essays at the forefront of your mind. College essays are the place to humanize yourself and transform your test scores, GPA, and extracurriculars into a living, breathing human with values, ambitions, and a backstory. If a specific prompt will allow you to show a part of who you are that is not showcased in the rest of your application, start there. 

If nothing immediately jumps out at you, try dividing the prompts into three categories: “definites,” “possibilities,” and “avoids at all costs.” “Definites” will be prompts that quickly spark up a specific idea in you. “Possibilities” might elicit a few loose concepts, anecdotes, or structures. And “avoids” are prompts where you honestly cannot see yourself writing a convincing essay. Next, take your “definites” and “possibilities” and jot down your initial thoughts about them. Finally, look at all of your ideas together and decide which combination would produce the most well-rounded essay profile that shows who you are as an individual.

Of course, this is just one way to approach choosing prompts if you are stuck. Some students might prefer writing out a list of their values, identifying the most important ones in their life, then figuring out how to showcase those through the prompts. Other students select prompts based on what they are excited by or through freewriting on every prompt first. Do not feel constrained by any one method. Just remember:

• Do not rush into prompts at first glance (though trial writing can be very valuable!).
• Make sure that you consider potential ideas for many prompts before making final decisions, and ultimately write about the one with the most substance.
• The prompts you select should allow you to highlight what is most important to you.

Check out our video to learn more about how to write the UC essays!

The 8 UC Personal Insight Questions

“Leadership Experience” is often a subheading on student resumes, but that is not what admissions officers are asking about here. They are asking for you to tell them a specific story of a time when your leadership truly mattered. This could include discussing the policies you enacted as president of a school club or the social ties you helped establish as captain of a sports team, but this prompt also gives you the freedom to go past that.

Leaders are individuals with strong values, who mentor, inspire, correct, and assist those around them. If you don’t feel like you’ve ever been a leader, consider the following questions:

• Have you ever mentored anyone? Is there anyone younger than you who would not be the person they are today without you?
• Have you ever taken the initiative? When and why did it matter?
• Have you ever been fundamental to positive change in the world—whether it be on the small scale of positively impacting a family member’s life or on the large scale of trying to change the status of specific communities/identities in this world?
• Have you ever stood up for what’s right or what you believe in?

Leadership is a concept that can be stretched, bent, and played with, but at the end of the day, the central theme of your essay must be leadership. Keeping this in mind, after your first draft, it can be helpful to identify the definition of leadership that you are working with, to keep your essay cohesive. This definition doesn’t need to appear within the essay (though, if you take on a more reflective structure, it might). Some examples of this include “being a positive role model as leadership,” “encouraging others to take risks as leadership,” and “embracing my identities as leadership.”

Here are some examples of how a leadership essay might look:

• You’ve always loved learning and challenging yourself, but when you got to high school it was clear that only a certain type of student was recommended to take AP classes and you didn’t fit into that type. You presented a strong case to the school counselors that you were just as prepared for AP classes as anyone else, enrolled in your desired classes, and excelled. Since then, AP classes have become more diversified at your school and there has even been a new inclusion training introduced for your district’s school counselors. 
• When you were working as a camp counselor, the art teacher brought you two of your campers who were refusing to get along. To mediate the conflict, you spent long hours before bed talking to them individually, learning about their personal lives and family situation. By understanding where each camper came from, you were better equipped to help them reach a compromise and became a role model for both campers.
• As a member of your school’s Chinese organization, you were driven by your ethnic heritage to devote your lunch breaks to ensuring the smooth presentation of the Chinese culture show. You coordinated the performers, prepared refreshments, and collected tickets. You got through a great performance, even though a performer didn’t show and some of the food was delivered late. You weren’t on the leadership board or anything, but exhibited serious leadership, as both nights of the culture show sold out and hundreds of both Chinese and non-Chinese people were able to come together and celebrate your culture.

Like the last prompt, this prompt asks about a specific topic—creativity—but gives you wiggle room to expand your definition of that topic. By defining creativity as problem-solving, novel thinking, and artistic expression, this prompt basically says “get creative in how you define creativity!” 

Additionally, this broad conception of creativity lets you choose if you want to write about your personal life or your academic life. A robotics student could write about their love of baking on the weekends or their quick thinking during a technical interview. A dance student could write about their love of adapting choreography from famous ballets or their innovative solution to their dance team’s lack of funds for their showcase. You have space to do what you want!

That said, because this prompt is so open, it is important to establish a focus early on. Try thinking about what is missing from your application. If you are worried that your application makes you seem hyper-academic, use this prompt to show how you have fun. If you are worried that you might be appearing like one of those students who just gets good grades because they have a good memory, use this prompt to show off your problem-solving skills.

Also, keep in mind that you don’t have to describe any skill in creative pursuits as you answer this prompt. The prompt asks you how you express your “creative side,” alluding to creative instinct, not creative talent. You could write about how you use painting to let out your emotions—but your paintings aren’t very good. You could write about dancing in the shower to get excited for your day—but one time you slipped and fell and hurt your elbow. Experiences like these could make for a great reflective essay, where you explore the human drive towards creative expression and your acceptance that you personally don’t have to be creatively inclined to let out creative energy.

Some examples:

• A math student writing about a time they devised a non-textbook method to proving theorems 
• A creative writer describing how they close-read the ups-and-downs of classical music as an attempt to combat writers’ block and think of emotional trajectories for new stories
• An engineering student writing about cooking as a creative release where numbers don’t matter and intuition supersedes reason
• A psychology student writing about the limitations of quantitative data and describing a future approach to psychology that merges humanism and empiricism.

This is the kind of prompt where an answer either pops into your head or it doesn’t. The good news is that you can write a convincing essay either way. We all have great talents and skills—you just might have to dig a bit to identify the name of the talent/skill and figure out how to best describe it.

Some students have more obvious talents and skills than others. For example, if you are intending to be a college athlete, it makes sense to see your skill at your sport as your greatest talent or skill. Similarly, if you are being accepted into a highly-selective fine arts program, painting might feel like your greatest talent. These are completely reasonable to write about because, while obvious, they are also authentic! 

The key to writing a convincing essay about an obvious skill is to use that skill to explore your personality, values, motivations, and ambitions. Start by considering what first drew you to your specialization. Was there a specific person? Something your life was missing that painting, hockey, or film satisfied? Were you brought up playing your sport or doing your craft because your parents wanted you to and you had to learn to love it? Or choose to love it? What was that process like? What do these experiences say about you? Next, consider how your relationship with your talent has evolved. Have you doubted your devotion at times? Have you wondered if you are good enough? Why do you keep going? On the other hand, is your talent your solace? The stable element in your life? Why do you need that?

The key is to elucidate why this activity is worth putting all your time into, and how your personality strengths are exhibited through your relationship to the activity. 

Do not be put off by this prompt if you have not won any big awards or shown immense talent in something specific. All the prompt asks for is what you think is your greatest talent or skill. Some avenues of consideration for other students include:

• Think about aspects of your personality that might be considered a talent or skill. This might include being a peacemaker, being able to make people laugh during hard times, or having organization skills.
• Think about unique skills that you have developed through unique situations. These would be things like being really good at reading out loud because you spend summers with your grandfather who can no longer read, knowing traffic patterns because you volunteer as a crossing guard at the elementary school across the street that starts 45 minutes before the high school, or making really good pierogi because your babysitter as a child was Polish.
• Think about lessons you have learned through life experiences. A military baby might have a great skill for making new friends at new schools, a child of divorce might reflect on their ability to establish boundaries in what they are willing to communicate about with different people, and a student who has had to have multiple jobs in high school might be talented at multitasking and scheduling. 

Make sure to also address how you have developed and demonstrated your selected talent. Do you put in small amounts of practice every day, or strenuous hours for a couple of short periods each year? Did a specific period of your life lead to the development of your talent or are you still developing it daily? 

The purpose of college essays is to show your values and personality to admissions officers, which often includes exploring your past and how it informs your present and future. With a bit of creativity in how you define a “talent or skill,” this prompt can provide a great avenue for that exploration. 

This prompt offers you two potential paths—discussing an educational opportunity or barrier. It is important that you limit yourself to one of these paths of exploration to keep your essay focused and cohesive. 

Starting with the first option, you should think of an educational opportunity as anything that has added value to your educational experience and better prepared you for life and your career. Some examples could include:

• participation in an honors program
• enrollment in an academy geared toward your future profession
• a particularly enlightening conversation with a professional or teacher
• joining a cultural- or interest-based student coalition
• plenty of other opportunities

The phrasing “taken advantage of” implies the admissions committee’s desire for students who take the initiative. Admissions officers are more interested in students who sought out opportunities and who fought to engage with opportunities than students who were handed things. For example, a student who joined a career-advancement afterschool program in middle school could write about why they were initially interested in the program—perhaps they were struggling in a specific subject and didn’t want to fall behind because they had their sights set on getting into National Junior Honor Society, or their friend mentioned that the program facilitated internship opportunities and they thought they wanted to explore therapy as a potential career path.

On the other hand, if an opportunity was handed to you through family connections or a fortuitous introduction, explore what you did with that opportunity. For example, if a family member introduced you to an important producer because they knew you were interested in film, you could write about the notes you took during that meeting and how you have revisited the producer’s advice and used it since the meeting to find cheap equipment rentals and practice your craft.

If you choose to write about educational barriers you have faced, consider the personal characteristics and skills you called upon to overcome the challenge. How did the process of overcoming your educational barrier shape you as a person? What did you learn about yourself or the world? An added plus would be talking about passing it forward and helping those in your purview obtain the knowledge you did from your experiences.

Some examples of educational barriers could include:

• limited access to resources, materials, technology, or classes
• lacking educational role models
• struggles with deciding on a passion or career path
• financial struggles

One example of an interesting essay about educational barriers:

As a student at a school that did not offer any honors classes, you enrolled in online lectures to learn the subject you were passionate about — Human Geography. Afterward, you spoke to your school administrators about high-achieving students needing higher-level courses, and they agreed to talk to the local community college to start a pipeline for students like you.

Either way that you take this prompt, it can be used to position yourself as motivated and driven—exactly the type of student admissions officers are looking for!

This prompt is three-pronged. You must 1) identify a challenge 2) describe the steps you have taken to overcome the challenge and 3) connect the challenge to your academic achievement.

When approaching this prompt, it is best to consider these first and third aspects together so that you identify a challenge that connects to your academic life. If you simply pick any challenge you have experienced, when you get to the third part of the prompt, you may have to stretch your essay in ways that are unconvincing or feel inauthentic.

That said, remember that “academic achievement” reaches far beyond grades and exams. It can include things like:

• Deciding your career goals
• Balancing homework, jobs, and social/familial relationships
• Having enough time to devote to self-care
• Figuring out how you study/learn best
• Feeling comfortable asking for help when you need it

You should begin brainstorming challenges and hardships that you have experienced and overcome. These could include financial hardships, familial circumstances, personal illness, or learning disabilities. Challenges could also be less structural—things like feeling like you are living in a sibling’s shadow, struggles with body image, or insecurity. While it is important that your challenge was significant, it matters much more that you discuss your challenge with thoughtful reflection and maturity.

Some ways to take this prompt include:

• Writing about how overcoming a challenge taught you a skill that led to academic success — for example, a high-achieving student who struggles with anxiety was forced to take time off from school after an anxiety attack and learned the importance of giving oneself a break
• Writing about a challenge that temporarily hindered your academic success and reflecting on it — for example, a student who experienced a death in the family could have had a semester where they almost failed English because reading led to negative thought spirals instead of plot retention
• Writing about how a challenge humbled you and gave you a new perspective on your academics — for example, a student with a part-time job who helps support her family missed a shift because she was studying for a test and realized that she needed to ask her teachers for help and explain her home situation

As you describe the steps you have taken to overcome your selected challenge, you will want to include both tangible and intangible steps. This means that you will need to discuss your emotions, growth, and development, as well as what you learned through overcoming the challenge. Was your challenge easy to overcome or did it take a few tries? Do you feel you have fully overcome your challenge or is it a work in progress? If you have fully overcome the challenge, what do you do differently now? Or do you just see things differently now? If you were to experience the same challenge again, what would you have learned from before?

Here are some detailed examples:

• Your parents underwent a bitter, drawn-out divorce that deeply scarred you and your siblings, especially your little brother who was attending elementary school at the time. He was constantly distraught and melancholy and seemed to be falling further and further behind in his schoolwork. You took care of him, but at the cost of your grades plummeting. However, through this trial, you committed yourself to protecting your family at all costs. You focused on computer science in high school, hoping to major in it and save up enough money for his college tuition by the time he applies. Through this mission, your resolve strengthened and reflected in your more efficient and excellent performance in class later on.
• Your race was the most significant challenge you faced growing up. In school, teachers did not value your opinion nor did they believe in you, as evidenced by their preferential treatment of students of other races. To fight back against this discrimination, you talked to other students of the same race and established an association, pooling together resources and providing a supportive network of people to others in need of counseling regarding this issue.

The first step for approaching this prompt is fun and easy—think about an academic subject that inspires you. This part of the essay is about emotional resonance, so go with your gut and don’t overthink it. What is your favorite subject? What subject do you engage with in the media in your free time? What subject seeps into your conversations with friends and family on the weekends?

Keep in mind that high school subjects are often rather limited. The span of “academic subjects” at the university level is much less limited. Some examples of academic subjects include eighteenth-century literature, political diplomacy, astronomy, Italian film and television, botany, Jewish culture and history, mobile robotics, musical theater, race and class in urban environments, gender and sexuality, and much more.

Once you’ve decided what subject you are most interested in and inspired by, think about a tangible example of how you have furthered your interest in the subject. Some common ways students further their interests include:

• Reading about your interest
• Engaging with media (television, film, social media) about your interest
• Volunteering with organizations related to your interest
• Founding organizations related to your interest
• Reaching out to professionals with your academic interest
• Using your interest in interdisciplinary ways
• Research in your field of interest
• Internships in your field of interest

While you should include these kinds of tangible examples, do not forget to explain how your love for the subject drives the work you do, because, with an essay like this, the why can easily get lost in describing the what . Admissions officers need both.

A few examples:

• You found your US government class fascinatingly complex, so you decided to campaign for a Congressional candidate who was challenging the incumbent in your district. You canvassed in your local community, worked at the campaign headquarters, and gathered voter data whilst performing various administrative duties. Though the work was difficult, you enjoyed a sense of fulfillment that came from being part of history.
• Last year you fell in love with the play Suddenly Last Summer and decided to see what career paths were available for dramatic writing. You reached out to the contact on your local theater’s website, were invited to start attending their guest lecturer series, and introduced yourself to a lecturer one week who ended up helping you score a spot in a Young Dramatic Writers group downtown.
• The regenerative power of cells amazed you, so you decided to take AP Biology to learn more. Eventually, you mustered up the courage to email a cohort of biology professors at your local university. One professor responded, and agreed to let you assist his research for the next few months on the microorganism C. Elegans.
• You continued to develop apps and games even after AP Computer Science concluded for the year. Eventually, you became good enough to land an internship at a local startup due to your self-taught knowledge of various programming languages.

With regards to structure, you might try thinking about this essay in a past/present/future manner where you consider your past engagement with your interest and how it will affect your future at a UC school or as an adult in society. This essay could also become an anecdotal/narrative essay that centers around the story of you discovering your academic interest, or a reflective essay that dives deep into the details of why you are drawn to your particular academic subject.

Whatever way you take it, try to make your essay unique—either through your subject matter, your structure, or your writing style!

College essay prompts often engage with the word “community.” As an essay writer, it is important to recognize that your community can be as large, small, formal, or informal as you want it to be. Your school is obviously a community you belong to, but your local grocery store, the nearby pet adoption center you volunteer at, your apartment building, or an internet group can also be communities. Even larger social groups that you are a part of, like your country or your ethnicity, can be a community. 

The important part of your response here is not the community you identify with but rather the way you describe your role in that community. What do you bring to your community that is special? What would be missing without you?

Some responses could include describing how you serve as a role model in your community, how you advocate for change in your community, how you are a support system for other community members, or how you correct the community when it is veering away from its values and principles.

Here are some fleshed-out examples of how this essay could take shape, using the earlier referenced communities:

• A student writes about the local grocery store in his neighborhood. Each Sunday, he picks up his family’s groceries and then goes to the pharmacy in the back to get his grandmother’s medication. The pharmacist was a close friend of his grandmother’s when she was young, so the student routinely gives the pharmacist a detailed update about his grandmother’s life. The student recognizes the value in his serving as a link to connect these two individuals who, due to aging, cannot be together physically.
• An animal-loving student volunteers one Saturday each month at the pet adoption center in their city’s downtown district. They have always been an extremely compassionate person and view the young kittens as a community that deserves to be cared for. This caring instinct also contributes to their interactions with their peers and their desire to make large-scale positive social change in the world.

Your response to this prompt will be convincing if you discuss your underlying motives for the service you have done, and in turn, demonstrate the positive influence you have made. That said, do not be afraid to talk about your actions even if they did not produce a sweeping change; as long as the effort was genuine, change is change, no matter the scale. This essay is more about values and reflection than it is about the effects of your efforts.

Lastly, if you are discussing a specific service you did for your community, you might want to touch on what you learned through your service action or initiative, and how you will continue to learn in the future. Here are a few examples:

• Passionate about classical music, you created a club that taught classical and instrumental music at local elementary schools. You knew that the kids did not have access to such resources, so you wanted to broaden their exposure as a high school senior had done for you when you were in middle school. You encouraged these elementary schoolers to fiddle with the instruments and lobbied for a music program to be implemented at the school. Whether the proposal gets approved or not, the kids have now known something they might never have known otherwise.
• Working at your local library was mundane at times, but in the long run, you realized that you were facilitating the exchange of knowledge and protecting the intellectual property of eminent scholars. Over time, you found ways to liven up the spirit of the library by leading arts and crafts time and booking puppet shows for little kids whose parents were still at work. The deep relationships you forged with the kids eventually blossomed into a bond of mentorship and mutual respect.

Be authentic and humble in your response to this essay! Make sure it feels like you made your community a better place because community is a value of yours, not just so that you could write about it in a college essay.

This is the most open-ended any question can get. You have the freedom to write about anything you want! That said, make sure that, no matter what you do with this prompt, your focus can be summarized into two sentences that describe the uniqueness of your candidacy.

The process we recommend for responding to open-ended prompts with clarity involves the following steps:

1. On a blank piece of paper, jot down any and every idea — feelings, phrases, and keywords — that pop into your head after reading this prompt. Why are you unique?

2. Narrow your ideas down to one topic. The two examples we will use are a student writing about how her habit of pausing at least five seconds before she responds to someone else’s opinion is emblematic of her thoughtfulness and a student whose interest in researching the history of colonialism in the Caribbean is emblematic of their commitment to justice.

3. Outline the structure of your essay, and plan out content for an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

4. Before you start writing your essay, write one or two sentences that summarize how you would like the admissions officers to perceive you based on this essay. These sentences will not be in your final product, but will help you to maintain a focus. For our examples, this would be something like “Natalie’s habit of gathering her thoughts before responding to other people’s opinions allows her to avoid undesired complications and miscommunications in her social interactions. This has not only helped her maintain strong relationships with all the staff members of the clubs she leads, but will also help her navigate the social environments that she will face in the professional world.” A summary for the student writing about their interest in the history of colonialism could be “Jonathan has always been highly compassionate and sympathetic by nature. When they found out about the historical injustices of colonialism in the Caribbean through the book The Black Jacobins , they realized that compassion is what is missing from politics. Now, they are inspired to pursue a political science degree to ultimately have a political career guided by compassion.”

5. Finally, write an essay dedicated to constructing the image you devised in step 4. This can be achieved through a number of different structures! For example, Natalie could use an anecdote of a time when she spoke too soon and caused someone else pain, then could reflect on how she learned the lesson to take at least five seconds before responding and how that decision has affected her life. Jonathan could create an image of the future where they are enacting local policies based on compassion. It is important to keep in mind that you do not want to be repetitive, but you must stay on topic so that admissions officers do not get distracted and forget the image that you are attempting to convey.

As exemplified by the examples we provided, a good way to approach this prompt is to think of a quality, value, or personality trait of yours that is fundamental to who you are and appealing to admissions officers, then connect it to a specific activity, habit, pet peeve, anecdote, or another tangible example that you can use to ground your essay in reality. Use the tangible to describe the abstract, and convince admissions officers that you would be a valuable asset to their UC school!

Where to Get Your UC Essays Edited

With hundreds of thousands of applicants each year, many receiving top scores and grades, getting into top UC schools is no small feat. This is why excelling in the personal-insight questions is key to presenting yourself as a worthwhile candidate. Answering these prompts can be difficult, but ultimately very rewarding, and CollegeVine is committed to helping you along that journey. Check out these UC essay examples for more writing inspiration.

If you want to get your essays edited, we also have free peer essay review , where you can get feedback from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by editing other students’ essays.

You can also receive expert essay review by advisors who have helped students get into their dream schools. You can book a review with an expert to receive notes on your topic, grammar, and essay structure to make your essay stand out to admissions officers. Haven’t started writing your essay yet? Advisors on CollegeVine also offer  expert college counseling packages . You can purchase a package to get one-on-one guidance on any aspect of the college application process, including brainstorming and writing essays.

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How to Brainstorm your College App Essay (and why that step is so important)

It can be tempting to rush right into writing an essay. Ideas are swimming around your mind and you want to get a draft done. While the enthusiasm is welcomed, beginning the writing process by writing is actually leaving out a major step vital for creativity.  Instead, start writing your essays by spending time brainstorming.

Brainstorming is an exciting step in the writing process. It’s one where you have no bounds or expectations.  You can allow yourself to think about all possible ideas and their outcomes, to then assess which topic will ultimately be the best for your writing.  This step is key in ensuring you are choosing a topic that feels authentically you and that you are covering what you desire within the topic. For this article, I’ll guide you through useful steps of brainstorming to arrive at your topic. This can be used for a Common Application essay or any other piece of writing you might find yourself working on.

When I begin brainstorming for a writing topic,  I always do so on a physical page, or ultimately pages of paper . Not only does this give you some time away from the screen, it also allows you to write out of order, to draw arrows or circle important details. It frees your mind from linear thinking so you can explore all the ideas rising in your mind.  Brainstorming isn’t about finding the logic and narrative and writing it into something cohesive —   it’s about seeing what you have in mind that you can take with you into the writing stage.

For the Common Application essay, take the time to consider each prompt. For further guidance on how to approach them, you can check out my other previous posts. Do not feel as though you  have  to respond to each. If you truly don’t have something that resonates with a topic, move onto the next. Similarly, if a prompt opens itself to multiple responses, such as a background, interest, or talent and you have three different ways to answer it, spend time brainstorming into each response.

To start, write down the main ideas for a topic. It can be as simply as a key word or phrase. Allow the list to be as expansive or brief as it naturally is.  Don’t filter yourself  too much at this point and simply let your ideas come to the page.

As you are writing down a topic, you might have a train of ideas that follows it. Since you’re brainstorming, follow that train!  Write down any and all of your thoughts.  Collect details and anecdotes, points to make, etc. Your brainstorming can be as streamlined or chaotic as it desires. All the information you write down you can come back to when you’re assessing your potential topics.

Whether the thought-trains come to you the moment you write down the topic or later as you review the list, take the time to visit with each topic and develop more ideas on where it might go.  When you’re brainstorming, you consider:

Why is this topic important?What is there to know about this topic?What are specific anecdotes that illustrate it?What are details to include?How does this topic represent you?Can you pull together ideas into an outline or narrative, or do they still feel abstract?

In general,  asking yourself “how” and “why” can help you to get to a more substantial response beyond the surface level story,  which helps your essay to delve into your complexities of a person. Keep this in mind as you are brainstorming ideas.

Take note of how you are feeling and responding to certain topics.  Do you feel bored or at a lack for what to say on certain topics? Are there others that make you feel energized or excited? You’ll likely notice this. It can be important to take this into account; it’s your gut instinct talking to you. It’s likely that the topic(s) that are getting you more energized are more meaningful to you. Focus on these and exploring the potentials of each prompt.

Once you’ve done the brainstorming, go back and assess the outcome. You might have an obvious candidate already, but you might still feel unsure. If you have an obvious candidate, pursue it. Write an outline if you find it helpful, or do freewriting to see what else the topic has to tell you. When you feel ready, embark to writing.

If you’re still unsure about the topic, that’s okay! It’s a major essay and can take people some time to land on the idea that is right for them. Maybe you have several that feel like good options, but no shining star. Regardless of what you’re feeling about them, return to what you’ve written in the brainstorming.  To narrow down ideas:

Ask yourself, do any of the ideas feel more personally resonant? Or help to explain a key part of who you are?

Consider it on your application as a whole. What role is it serving?

Write down why you would choose each topic, what it would showcase.

Circle anecdotes or details that feel important. This can help you to see the weight of each topic and where a narrative might be developing more naturally.

Ask someone else! Maybe you are too close to the process. Ask a few people what they think about your topics. Talking it out can give you perspective of how someone else will approach it. They can help you see which topic might illuminate your best qualities.

Freewrite! It you have a few ideas that you are trying to decide between, take time to do freewriting into each. Set a timer for five minutes. Choose one of your ideas and write down everything and anything that comes to mind. You might be telling a story or you might be expressing to yourself why the topic is important. By doing this, you are engaging more deeply with the topic without commitment of writing an essay. It can help show you which topic actually has more substance when you set out to write it, versus which is more surface level.

After you spend time brainstorming topics, you can pursue your writing with confidence. You’ve explore all your options and landed on one that feels the most enthusiastically you.

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Brainstorming

Ai generator.

Often, great ideas are the product of great efforts pushed by multiple people under the same group. Brainstorming is a great way to create a team of individuals that can push and create ideas with one another.

What Is a Brainstorming?

Brainstorming is the act of creating or ideating ideas and concepts of a specific topic or with a group of people. This method is a group problem-solving method that creates a conducive environment for the creation of ideas. If you need Brainstorming templates or need a brainstorming checklist you may use any of the links on the list above.

Brainstorming Examples for Students

• Theme Development: Students brainstorm themes for an upcoming school festival, including activities, decorations, and promotional strategies.
• Project Ideas: Brainstorm potential topics for a science fair, considering interests, available resources, and innovative approaches.
• Group Assignments: Generate ideas for a group project in history class, focusing on less-known historical events or figures.
• Essay Writing: Come up with different thesis statements for an English assignment on contemporary social issues.
• Study Techniques: Brainstorm various study methods that cater to different learning styles to improve understanding and retention.
• Club Activities: Develop a list of possible events or activities for a school club, aiming to boost membership and engagement.
• Fundraising Ideas: Generate creative fundraising ideas for a school trip or charity event, considering budget and impact.

Brainstorming Examples for Writing

• Character Development: Brainstorm unique traits, backgrounds, and motivations for a protagonist in a novel.
• Plot Twists: Generate surprising plot twists for a short story to keep readers engaged.
• Setting Exploration: Explore different settings for a fantasy world, including the physical environment, culture, and laws.
• Dialogue Scenarios: Create engaging dialogue exchanges for key scenes in a screenplay.
• Conflict Resolution: Brainstorm various resolutions to a central conflict in a narrative essay.
• Opening Lines: Develop intriguing opening lines that immediately capture the reader’s interest.
• Title Ideas: Generate catchy titles for a series of blog posts related to personal development.

Brainstorming Examples in Business

• Product Innovation: Brainstorm ideas for new products that meet emerging market needs.
• Marketing Strategies: Develop unique marketing strategies for launching a new service.
• Customer Engagement: Generate ideas to increase customer engagement through social media.
• Operational Efficiency: Explore ways to improve operational efficiency in manufacturing.
• Brand Expansion: Discuss potential markets for brand expansion and the strategies to enter them.
• Employee Wellness: Create initiatives to enhance employee wellness and work-life balance.
• Sustainability Practices: Brainstorm sustainable business practices that could be implemented to reduce environmental impact.

Brainstorming Examples for in School

• Interactive Learning: Develop interactive learning activities that can be integrated into various subjects.
• Peer Teaching: Brainstorm methods for implementing peer teaching sessions in math classes.
• Technology Use: Explore innovative ways to incorporate technology in classroom lessons.
• Field Trips: Generate ideas for educational field trips that complement the curriculum.
• Classroom Layout: Discuss different classroom layouts that facilitate active learning.
• Learning Games: Create educational games that can be used to teach complex subjects like chemistry.
• Student Feedback: Brainstorm methods for collecting and using student feedback to improve teaching practices.

Brainstorming Examples for in Real Life

• Home Organization: Brainstorm ways to maximize space and organize a small living area.
• Travel Plans: Generate ideas for budget-friendly travel itineraries.
• Meal Prep: Discuss various meal preparation strategies for busy weekdays.
• Community Events: Brainstorm community event ideas that encourage local participation.
• Personal Goals: Generate a list of achievable personal goals for the year with steps to accomplish them.
• Fitness Routines: Develop fitness routines that can be done at home with minimal equipment.
• Budgeting Techniques: Explore different budgeting techniques to manage personal finances more effectively.

Brainstorming Examples for in Healthcare

• Patient Education: Brainstorm methods to improve patient education on chronic diseases.
• Health Campaigns: Generate ideas for public health campaigns that promote vaccinations.
• Wellness Programs: Discuss wellness program ideas for hospital staff to reduce stress and burnout.
• Technology Integration: Explore ways to integrate new technologies into patient care for better outcomes.
• Community Health: Brainstorm strategies to address health disparities in underserved communities.
• Preventive Measures: Develop preventive measures to reduce the incidence of hospital-acquired infections.
• Mental Health: Generate initiatives to enhance mental health services within the community.

How to Brainstorm?

• Define the Problem : Clearly define the problem or challenge at hand. Make sure everyone understands the main focus and the objectives of the brainstorming session.
• Set the Rules : Before starting, establish ground rules. Common rules include withholding criticism, welcoming unusual ideas, combining and improving ideas, and aiming for quantity over quality during the brainstorming phase.
• Warm-Up Session : Conduct a short warm-up exercise to get the creative juices flowing. This can be a simple game or a fun question unrelated to the main topic.
• Idea Generation : Begin the session. Use techniques like mind mapping or free writing to generate ideas. Encourage participants to build on or combine ideas from others.
• Record Ideas : Make sure to capture all ideas without evaluation. Use whiteboards, sticky notes, or digital tools to record everything.
• Encourage Everyone to Participate : Ensure that all participants have the opportunity to contribute. The facilitator should encourage quieter members to share their ideas too.
• Time Management : Keep the session timed to maintain focus and energy. Typical brainstorming sessions last from 15 minutes to an hour.
• Review and Analyze Ideas : Once the brainstorming is complete, group similar ideas, eliminate duplicates, and evaluate the ideas based on the criteria set for the solution.
• Follow-Up : Decide on the next steps. This could involve taking some ideas to a more detailed evaluation phase or assigning tasks for further research.

Tools and Techniques

• Mind Mapping : This involves creating a visual diagram of ideas around a central concept. It helps in visualizing the relationships between ideas.
• Brainwriting : Participants write down their ideas on paper or sticky notes before sharing them with the group. This method can reduce the influence of louder voices and gives time for individual thinking.
• Role Storming : Participants take on different roles or personas and generate ideas from these perspectives. This can unlock new viewpoints and solutions.
• Online Collaboration Tools : Use digital platforms like Miro, Google Jamboard, or Trello for virtual brainstorming sessions. These tools allow remote teams to contribute and visualize ideas synchronously or asynchronously.

Brainstorming Ideas

• Photo Documentary : Start a photo documentary on a local interest, like the evolution of a neighborhood or a community project.
• Short Film : Write and direct a short film based on a local legend or personal story.
• Art Installation : Create an interactive art installation that involves community participation.
• Pop-Up Shop : Launch a pop-up shop to test a business idea, such as eco-friendly products or handmade crafts.
• Subscription Box Service : Start a subscription box service focused on a niche interest, like local artisan foods or DIY craft kits.
• Mobile App : Develop a mobile app that solves a local problem, like finding available parking spots or connecting local freelancers.
• Skill Swap : Organize a community skill swap where people can trade skills like cooking, photography, or coding.
• Meditation Retreat : Plan a weekend meditation retreat that focuses on mindfulness and mental health.
• Language Exchange : Set up a language exchange meet-up to help people learn new languages through conversation.
• Community Garden : Start a community garden to encourage local food production and provide a space for community gathering.
• Recycling Drive : Organize a recycling drive to help educate the community about environmental sustainability.
• Mentoring Program : Establish a mentoring program linking professionals with local students to foster career development.
• Tech Workshops : Conduct workshops on new technologies like blockchain or artificial intelligence for beginners.
• Maker Faire : Host a local maker faire to showcase inventions and DIY projects from the community.
• Hackathon : Organize a hackathon to address local issues like traffic management or public health.
• Fitness Challenge : Start a community fitness challenge to promote health and wellness, with activities suited for all ages.
• Healthy Eating Workshop : Conduct workshops on healthy eating, including cooking demonstrations and nutritional education.
• Yoga in the Park : Organize free yoga sessions in a local park, encouraging physical activity in a peaceful setting.
• Outdoor Movie Nights : Set up a series of outdoor movie nights that feature classic films or local filmmakers.
• Board Game Café : Open a board game café where people can socialize and play a variety of board games.

Why do we Use Brainstorming?

• Idea Generation: Brainstorming encourages the free flow of ideas from all participants, fostering creativity and innovation.
• Problem Solving: It helps groups identify and solve complex problems by leveraging diverse perspectives and approaches.
• Team Building: The collaborative nature of brainstorming can strengthen team cohesion and improve communication among members.
• Overcoming Biases: Brainstorming can help reduce individual biases as ideas are freely shared and collectively refined.
• Flexibility: It adapts to various contexts, whether for business strategy, product development, or academic research.
• Encourages Participation: It ensures everyone has a voice, promoting equal participation among team members.
• Stimulates Critical Thinking: By evaluating and building on ideas, participants enhance their analytical and critical thinking skills.

How does Brainstorming Work?

Brainstorming is a creative group activity designed to generate a broad range of ideas or solutions around a specific problem or topic. During a brainstorming session, participants are encouraged to freely express their thoughts and ideas, no matter how unconventional, without fear of criticism or judgment. This open and inclusive atmosphere helps to foster creativity and can lead to a diverse set of solutions. Typically, the session is guided by a facilitator who ensures that the conversation stays on track and that all participants have an opportunity to contribute. The goal is to collect a wide variety of ideas, which can later be refined and analyzed to determine the most viable solutions.

Types of Brainstorming

Traditional brainstorming.

Traditional brainstorming involves generating ideas freely in a group setting without criticism. Participants are encouraged to think broadly and contribute as many ideas as possible, often building on each other’s suggestions.

Silent Brainstorming

Silent brainstorming, also known as brainwriting, involves participants writing their ideas down privately before sharing them with the group. This method helps to avoid the influence of dominant personalities and encourages contributions from all participants.

Online Brainstorming

Online brainstorming uses digital tools to gather ideas from participants who may be in different locations. This method is particularly useful for remote teams and can include tools like shared documents, specialized brainstorming software, or online whiteboards.

Round Robin Brainstorming

In round robin brainstorming, participants take turns sharing ideas one at a time in a circular fashion. This systematic approach ensures that everyone has a chance to contribute.

Starbursting

Starbursting focuses on generating questions rather than answers. Participants brainstorm questions about the topic, which helps to explore different aspects and ensures a thorough understanding before seeking solutions.

Reverse Brainstorming

Reverse brainstorming involves thinking about the opposite of what you want to solve or improve. For example, instead of brainstorming ways to improve customer satisfaction, you would brainstorm ways to make customer experience worse, and then reverse those ideas to find positive solutions.

Stepladder Technique

The stepladder technique starts with a core group discussing ideas, then gradually introduces additional members one at a time. Each new member adds their ideas before hearing the group’s previously discussed points, allowing fresh perspectives to enter the conversation.

Strategies for Brainstorming

This is the classic approach where all participants gather and share ideas spontaneously. The key principles include:

• No Criticism : All ideas are welcomed without immediate judgment to encourage open communication.
• Quantity Over Quality : The goal is to generate as many ideas as possible, refining them later.
• Freewheeling is Welcome : The wilder the idea, the better; it can lead to more creative and innovative solutions.
• Combination and Improvement : Building on others’ ideas can lead to unique and refined solutions.

Brainwriting

Brainwriting involves writing ideas down on paper instead of speaking them out loud. This can be particularly useful for introverted team members. Here’s how it typically works:

• Each participant writes down their ideas on paper.
• Papers are exchanged among the group, and others can build upon or modify the ideas presented.
• After several rounds, the papers are reviewed, and the best ideas are chosen for further discussion.

With the rise of remote work, online brainstorming has become more prevalent. It uses digital tools to mimic traditional brainstorming sessions:

• Digital Whiteboards : Tools like Miro or Microsoft Whiteboard allow participants to post and manipulate ideas visually.
• Collaboration Platforms : Platforms like Slack or Microsoft Teams can facilitate brainstorming sessions with features like polls, threads, and shared documents.

In a round-robin session, participants share ideas in a sequential order, ensuring everyone has a chance to contribute:

• Each person in the circle contributes one idea at a time.
• The process continues until ideas are exhausted or time runs out.
• This method ensures that all voices are heard, especially in groups where some members may dominate the conversation.

Starbursting focuses on generating questions rather than answers. This method helps in thoroughly understanding the problem before jumping to solutions:

• The central idea or challenge is placed at the center of a star diagram.
• Each point of the star represents a question about the “what”, “who”, “when”, “where”, “why”, or “how” of the idea.
• This method helps in uncovering aspects of the problem that might not have been considered earlier.

This method involves thinking about what could cause the project or idea to fail, rather than how to make it succeed:

• Participants identify potential problems or failures.
• Solutions are then developed to avoid these pitfalls, effectively strengthening the overall plan.

SCAMPER is an acronym that stands for Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, and Reverse. It is a checklist tool that helps think about a problem or product in different ways:

• Each letter prompts users to think about how they could improve a product, service, or process.
• This method encourages looking at existing elements in new ways.

How to Conduct a Brainstorming Session

A good brainstorming session will brainstorm ideas and have various brainstorming techniques used in the whole session. These sessions can be divided into a couple of days spanning one topic or subject.

1.) Choose a Topic for the Brainstorming Session

Begin by selecting the topic the brainstorming session will tackle. This topic should be a relevant subject, problem, or issue the group needs to discuss. The more complex the topic, the greater the need for a brainstorming session.

2.) Set the Date for the Brainstorming Session and Invite the Right People

After you have selected the topic of the brainstorming session, you will need to set the date when the brainstorming session will occur. You must make sure that the right people are accounted for and will be present during the brainstorming session. This means that you will need to find the best time for the brainstorming session. You may use any brainstorming software or tools to help with the brainstorming method.

3.) Select a Facilitator for the Brainstorming Session

The facilitator may not be the same person who will schedule and start the brainstorming session. If you do not want to be the facilitator and have someone else in mind, ask if they can be the facilitator of the brainstorming session. Just be sure that before the day of the brainstorming session, you have assigned a facilitator to the brainstorming session.

4.) Conduct the Brainstorming Session

When the set day has started, begin the brainstorming session with the group you have invited. Be sure to conduct brainstorming activities and ideation exercises within the brainstorming session. While sharing your ideas, be sure to properly document all the ideas and thoughts brought about by the brainstorming session through a brainstorming report .

5.) Close or Conclude the Brainstorming Session

Finish the brainstorming session and have the facilitator conclude the whole session with a concluding statement. Be sure to wrap up the session and create a call to action based on what was discussed.

What is a Brainstorming Tool?

A brainstorming tool refers to any instrument, software, or methodology that facilitates the brainstorming process. The primary goal of these tools is to enhance creativity, generate ideas, encourage participation, and organize thoughts in a collaborative environment. They can be used in various contexts, such as business planning, educational activities, problem-solving sessions, and creative projects.

Types of Brainstorming Tools

• Mind Mapping Tools : Applications like MindMeister or XMind help users visually organize information, connecting thoughts and ideas around a central concept.
• Idea Management Software : Tools like Miro and Trello allow teams to generate, categorize, and prioritize ideas. They often include features for voting and commenting to facilitate collaborative decision-making.
• Real-time Collaboration Platforms : Software like Microsoft Teams or Zoom can be used for live brainstorming sessions, integrating video conferencing with real-time document editing.
• Whiteboards and Sticky Notes : Traditional tools where participants write ideas on sticky notes and place them on a whiteboard. This method is excellent for visualizing and grouping concepts.
• Flip Charts or Paper Sheets : Often used in face-to-face settings, these tools provide a space for drawing and noting ideas as they are discussed.
• Brainwriting : In this approach, participants write down their ideas on paper or cards before discussing them with the group, reducing the influence of dominant personalities.
• Round Robin : A structured method where each participant contributes one idea at a time in a circular fashion, ensuring everyone has a chance to participate.

Four Rules of Brainstorming

1. withhold criticism.

One of the foundational rules of brainstorming is to withhold any form of criticism. During the brainstorming phase, the goal is to generate as many ideas as possible, regardless of their feasibility or practicality. This rule helps participants feel open to suggesting any and all ideas without fear of judgment or immediate rejection.

2. Welcome Wild Ideas

Encouraging wild and unusual ideas can lead to creative and innovative solutions. By allowing the imagination to run free, participants might stumble upon genius ideas that a conventional approach would never yield. This rule supports the creation of a creative environment where anything is possible.

3. Aim for Quantity

The principle of aiming for quantity over quality in the initial stages of brainstorming is vital. The more ideas generated, the greater the chances of finding a truly effective solution. High volume thinking pushes boundaries and uncovers unexpected solutions.

4. Combine and Improve Ideas

Brainstorming is also about collaboration and building on existing ideas. Participants are encouraged to combine, refine, and improve upon the ideas of others. This not only increases the quality of ideas but also promotes a collaborative team spirit.

What is the golden rule of brainstorming?

There are a couple of golden rules that we should monitor when we are a participant in a brainstorming session. The first rule that should be at the forefront of brainstorming is that all ideas matter and should be considered even if said ideas are bad or small. Everyone participating in the brainstorming session should be open to sharing their ideas and have enough space to create said ideas. The second rule of brainstorming sessions is to find new ways to ideate and create ideas in a specific amount of time. This could include different brainstorming exercises and programs used to refine the ideation process and give space for the person to ideate. The third rule should be to document all the ideas generated by the brainstorming session, even if the idea is shot or brought down. This is because some good ideas may be skimmed or skipped, doing this will ensure that the missed ideas are properly documented and tracked.

Benefits of Brainstorming

• Encourages creative thinking and idea generation.
• Fosters collaboration and team building.
• Helps identify multiple solutions to a problem.
• Promotes open communication and diverse perspectives.
• Reduces the risk of groupthink.
• Enhances problem-solving skills.
• Increases engagement and participation.
• Facilitates a deeper understanding of the topic.
• Provides a platform for all voices to be heard.
• Can lead to innovative and unconventional solutions.

Alternatives to Brainstorming

• Mind Mapping : Visualizing ideas and their connections in a diagram.
• Brainwriting : Writing ideas on paper and then sharing with the group.
• Reverse Brainstorming : Focusing on negatives or opposites of the desired outcome.
• Rapid Ideation : Setting a time limit to generate as many ideas as possible.
• Starbursting : Developing questions instead of answers about the topic.
• The Stepladder Technique : Adding team members to the discussion one at a time.
• Role Storming : Adopting different personas to generate ideas.
• Six Thinking Hats : Using different perspectives, symbolized by colored hats, to explore ideas.

Tips for brainstorming activities

• Set Clear Objectives : Before starting, clearly define the goals and objectives of the brainstorming session.
• Choose the Right Environment : Select a comfortable, distraction-free environment that encourages creativity.
• Establish Ground Rules : Set rules like “no idea is a bad idea” to create a safe space for sharing.
• Encourage Open Communication : Make sure everyone feels comfortable and encourage participants to build on each other’s ideas.
• Use Visual Aids : Utilize whiteboards, sticky notes, or digital tools to visually map out ideas.
• Limit Time : Set a time limit to keep the session focused and productive.
• Diversify the Group : Include participants from various backgrounds to enhance creativity.
• Assign Roles : Designate a moderator to guide the session and a scribe to take notes.
• Warm-Up Activities : Start with a simple exercise to get creative juices flowing.
• Review and Follow Up : Summarize the session’s outcomes and plan steps for implementing the best ideas.

Why is brainstorming important?

Brainstorming encourages diverse ideas, promotes creative solutions, and involves team members in problem-solving.

How do you prepare for a brainstorming session?

Prepare by defining the problem clearly, choosing a diverse group, setting rules, and arranging a conducive environment.

What are the main rules of brainstorming?

Key rules include withholding criticism, welcoming unusual ideas, aiming for quantity over quality, and combining ideas.

What are the best techniques for effective brainstorming?

Techniques include brainwriting, round-robin, starbursting, and the stepladder technique to enhance idea generation.

How long should a brainstorming session last?

Optimal sessions last between 15 to 60 minutes, depending on the complexity of the issue.

Can brainstorming be done individually?

Yes, solo brainstorming allows for flexibility and uninterrupted idea flow but may lack diverse perspectives.

What tools can enhance a brainstorming session?

Use whiteboards, sticky notes, online collaboration tools, and mind mapping software to boost creativity.

How do you evaluate ideas from a brainstorming session?

Evaluate ideas based on relevance, feasibility, and potential impact, often through follow-up sessions.

What are common mistakes to avoid in brainstorming?

Avoid dominating participants, rushing the process, and overlooking the implementation of feasible ideas.

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How Much Time Should You Spend on Each Component of Your College Application?

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What is the importance of balanced time management, what components are involved in the college application timeline.

Applying to college can be difficult because there are so many considerations. Standardized test scores, personal essays, and other parts of your application demand careful attention and significant time. Effective time management is compulsory for submitting a strong application. Sufficient time for each component is vital to improving your academic and personal achievements. 

You can ensure a polished and competitive application by devoting the right amount of time to each aspect. A well-planned approach helps you highlight your strengths and demonstrate your passions and potential. By prioritizing your time wisely, you can confidently present your best self to potential colleges and universities, increasing your chances of acceptance.

The college application process is varied, with each component playing an important role in representing a well-rounded and capable candidate. Effective time management is essential to ensure no part of your application is neglected. According to a 2023 survey by the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), 78% of college admissions officers consider time management skills an important quality in applicants.

Understanding how much time to allocate to each component allows you to maximize efficiency and present a strong application. This balanced approach allows you to show your academic achievements, personal growth, and extracurricular activities, ultimately increasing your chances of standing out in a competitive applicant pool.

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By understanding each component's specific requirements and deadlines, students can create a personalized timeline to stay organized and on track. The college application timeline typically includes various components that require careful planning and time management to ensure a successful application submission. 

Standardized Test Preparation

Standardized tests, such as the SAT or ACT, often hold significant weight in college admissions. While the exact time commitment can vary based on individual needs and goals, it's generally recommended to begin preparing well in advance. SAT Tutoring can help you improve your scores efficiently through test preparation, making it an essential aspect of the college application. 

Many students benefit from enrolling in SAT Tutoring programs several months to a year before their desired test date. Consistent practice and familiarity with the test format are key to achieving optimal scores. Additionally, if necessary, students should factor in time for retakes, as many colleges consider the highest score obtained.

Preparing Your Essay

The personal essay demonstrates your personality, experiences, and aspirations to the admissions committee. Allocate 1-2 weeks for brainstorming topics, 3-4 weeks for drafting, and 2-3 weeks for revisions. Seek teacher, mentor, or editor feedback to ensure a clear, compelling, and error-free essay highlighting your strengths.

Gathering Letters of Recommendation

Letters of recommendation provide valuable insight into your academic abilities and character. Request them from teachers and mentors 2-3 months in advance. Spend 1-2 weeks identifying and approaching recommenders, then allocate 1-2 weeks for follow-up and timely submission. Effective communication and much time are essential for securing strong letters.

Completing the Application Form

The application form requires attention to detail and accuracy. Spend 1-2 weeks filling out basic information and compiling a list of activities and achievements. Then, review and edit for accuracy and completeness, ensuring all sections are filled out correctly and reflect your accomplishments.

Preparing for Interviews

Preparation is key to making a positive impression in interviews. Spend 2-3 weeks researching common questions and practicing responses. Then, allot time for fake interviews with teachers, mentors, or friends to build confidence and improve presentation skills . This preparation will help you stand out and leave a lasting impression.

Final Review and Submission

Before submitting your application, conduct a thorough final review to prevent mistakes and ensure a polished application. Allocate 1-2 weeks to proofread every component, use a checklist to ensure completeness, and submit the application a few days before the deadline to avoid last-minute technical issues.

How far in advance should I start my college application process?

It's advisable to start the college application process at least six months to a year before the application deadlines. This timeline allows ample time for test preparation, writing essays, gathering recommendations, and completing all necessary forms.

Can SAT tutoring significantly improve my test scores?

Yes, SAT Tutoring can provide personalized guidance, strategies, and practice to help improve your test scores. Tutors can identify your weaknesses and tailor their teaching methods to address your specific needs, leading to better performance on test day.

What should I do if I don’t have enough time for all the application components?

If you’re short on time, prioritize the components that carry the most weight in the admissions process, such as standardized test scores, personal essays, and letters of recommendation. Desire help from teachers, mentors, or professional services to manage your workload effectively.

Guiding the college application process requires careful planning and time management. By understanding how much time to devote to each component, you can ensure that every aspect of your application is given the attention it deserves. From standardized test preparation and personal essays to letters of recommendation and interviews, each part plays a vital role in your overall application.

Start early, stay organized, and desire help when needed to present a compelling and well-rounded application. Remember, the effort you invest in each component can significantly impact your chances of admission to your dream college.

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4 Things to Know About AI’s ‘Murky’ Ethics

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Overworked teachers and stressed-out high schoolers are turning to artificial intelligence to lighten their workloads.

But they aren’t sure just how much they can trust the technology—and they see plenty of ethical gray areas and potential for long-term problems with AI.

How are both groups navigating the ethics of this new technology—and what can school districts to do to help them make the most of it, responsibly?

That’s what Jennifer Rubin, a senior researcher at foundry10, an organization focused on improving learning, set to find out last year. She and her team conducted small focus groups on AI ethics with a total of 15 teachers nationwide as well as 33 high-school students.

Rubin’s research is scheduled to be presented at the International Society for Technology in Education’s annual conference later this month in Denver.

Here are four big takeaways from her team’s extensive interviews with students and teachers:

1. Teachers see potential for generative AI tools to lighten their workload, but they also see big problems

Teachers said they dabble with using AI tools like ChatGPT to help with tasks such as lesson planning or creating quizzes . But many educators aren’t sure how much they can trust the information AI generates , or were unhappy with the quality of the responses they received, Rubin said.

The teachers “raised a lot of concerns [about] information credibility,” Rubin said. “They also found that some of the information from ChatGPT was really antiquated, or wasn’t aligned with learning standards,” and therefore wasn’t particularly useful.

Teachers are also worried that students might become overly reliant on AI tools to complete their writing assignments and would “therefore not develop the critical thinking skills that will be important” in their future careers, Rubin said.

2. Teachers and students need to understand the technology’s strengths and weaknesses

There’s a perception that adults understand how AI works and know how to use the tech responsibly.

But that’s “not the case,” Rubin said. That’s why school and district leaders “should also think about ethical-use guidelines for teachers” as well as students.

Teachers have big ethical questions about which tasks can be outsourced to AI, Rubin added. For instance, most teachers interviewed by the researcher saw using AI to grade student work or even offer feedback as an “ethically murky area because of the importance of human connection in how we deliver feedback to students in regards to their written work,” Rubin said.

And some teachers reverted to using pen and paper rather than digital technologies so that students couldn’t use AI tools to cheat. That frustrated students who are accustomed to taking notes on a digital device— and goes contrary to what many experts recommend.

“AI might have this unintended backlash where some teachers within our focus groups were actually taking away the use of technology within the classroom altogether, in order to get around the potential for academic dishonesty,” Rubin said.

3. Students have a more nuanced perspective on AI than you might expect

The high schoolers Rubin and her team talked to don’t see AI as the technological equivalent of a classmate who can write their papers for them.

Instead, they use AI tools for the same reason adults do: To cope with a stressful, overwhelming workload.

Teenagers talked about “having an extremely busy schedule with schoolwork, extracurriculars, working after school,” Rubin said. Any conversation about student use of AI needs to be grounded in how students use these tools to “help alleviate some of that pressure,” she said.

For the most part, high schoolers use AI for help in research and writing for their humanities classes, as opposed to math and science, Rubin said. They might use it to brainstorm essay topics, to get feedback on a thesis statement for a paper, or to help smooth out grammar and word choices. Most said they were not using it for whole-sale plagiarism.

Students were more likely to rely on AI if they felt that they were doing the same assignment over and over and had already “mastered that skill or have done it enough repeatedly,” Rubin said.

4. Students need to be part of the process in crafting ethical use guidelines for their schools

Students have their own ethical concerns about AI, Rubin said. For instance, “they’re really worried about the murkiness and unfairness that some students are using it and others aren’t and they’re receiving grades on something that can impact their future,” Rubin said.

Students told researchers they wanted guidance on how to use AI ethically and responsibly but weren’t getting that advice from their teachers or schools.

“There’s a lot of policing” for plagiarism, Rubin said, “but not a lot of productive conversation in classrooms with teachers and adults.”

Students “want to understand what the ethical boundaries of using ChatGPT and other generative AI tools are,” Rubin said. “They want to have guidelines and policies around what this could look like for them. And yet they were not, at the time these focus groups [happened], receiving that from their teachers or their districts, and even their parents.”

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Is the Partisan Divide Too Big to Be Bridged?

From the urban and rural divide to the partisan gulf, from religious groups to warring factions on campuses, organizations and funders are cropping up with hope for common ground.

A recent weekend retreat of the Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange in Campbellsville, Ky. Credit...

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By Jonathan Weisman

Photographs by Jon Cherry For The New York Times

Jonathan Weisman reported from Campbellsville, Ky., Kalamazoo, Mich., and Chicago.

• June 16, 2024

Bernard Clay , a Black, middle-aged data analyst and poet from Louisville, Ky., was leery when he was thrown together with Shaelyn Bishop, a shy, white, young biologist who grew up on a family farm in rural Green County, Ky., 15 minutes from the closest town.

But over a structured brainstorming session in 2022, amid a weekend retreat with the Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange, something clicked. Mr. Clay, 47, had a side project chronicling Kentucky’s Black Civil War veterans. Ms. Bishop, 34, during quiet hours alone studying the ecology of the Clay Hill Memorial Forest in Taylor County, Ky., had pondered the old stones that almost certainly marked the burial grounds of the once-enslaved, a forgotten memorial to a hidden past.

An effort was born — the Enslaved People of Clay Hill , or EPOCH, Legacy Project — to officially recognize the burial ground. And a connection was made across the gulfs of race, age and geography.

The nation’s poisonous divisions, exacerbated by politicians, cable news and social media, and collectively known as the outrage industrial complex, have been much lamented. Less noticed is the counterweight, a constellation of nonprofits and other organizations like the Kentucky Rural Urban Exchange devoted to bridging divides — urban and rural, Black and white, L.G.B.T.Q. and straight, left and right. Call it the kumbaya industrial complex.

The problem: The starkest divide — Trump-branded conservatism versus the rising political left — may be the one where no one is interested in reconciliation.

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