Hardship

• If you suffered a personal hardship that affected you deeply at some point in your life, draw on that experience as your essay inspiration. Describe the event and the ways in which it affected you and your family, but be careful not to get lost in the tragedy of the situation. Instead, demonstrate the ways that the experience brought positive personal change to your life, like how it made you a stronger person or inspired you to turn a bad situation into a good one. Highlighting these personal changes gives the essay reader more insight into your life, and it also demonstrates that you possess strong, resilient character traits.
  
  

Personal Achievements

• Describe a personal achievement that you are particularly proud of for your college application essay. For instance, if you founded a club or organization, discuss your inspiration for that as well as the ways you were able to overcome struggles or setbacks you may have encountered along the way. Even if you haven't had a leadership position, draw from personal experiences where you felt you went above and beyond the call of duty. Whatever you choose as your inspiration, don't get caught up in writing a list of your activities and achievements; keep your focus narrow and specific so the essay doesn't read like a resume.
  
  

Diversity

• Many colleges and universities want to increase diversity to produce a well-rounded campus community, so you may want to incorporate your own diversity into your college essay if you feel it has made a significant impact on your life. While you don't necessarily have to have faced adversity to write an essay about your experience as a diverse individual, you should be able to say something that will catch the reader's attention. For instance, if you were embraced by your community in light of your diversity, talk about how that affected you personally and how you plan to bring that kind of attitude of acceptance to the college or university campus in question.
  
  

Goals

• Talking about your future goals can demonstrate that you are a focused, determined individual with a plan, which could be enticing to the college or university you are applying to. Think about your goals carefully before writing your essay, and keep your aspirations fairly narrow to be realistic. Once you've selected a particular goal or aspiration you hope to work towards, discuss how you plan to get there. In other words, highlight the steps you plan to take at the institution in question, and emphasize your personal qualities that you feel will help you to accomplish your goals.