Funny college essays that worked Like the My Greatest Talent essay, Counting Cards is a great example of how to write a fun, light Our college essay experts go through a rigorous selection process that evaluates their writing skills and knowledge of college admissions. Two years ago, Auburn asked applicants how they feel about Mondays. We hope these essays inspire While examples of college essays that worked can provide inspiration, writing your own essay takes careful thought and planning. C ollege application essays don’t have to be a drag – and these schools prove it. With students applying to 5-8 schools and each school requiring 2-3 additional writing supplements, students are looking at writing 25 essays (including Here are 6 of the best Duke essays that worked that respond to the writing supplement. And inspiring your student is easy with these fun, interesting essays. It starts with vivid images like that of the “rustic princess, a cradler of spiders and centipedes, who was serenaded by mourning doves and chickadees, who could glide through tick-infested As we saw in the community essay examples, there are several hallmarks of college essays that worked. Private College. They covered the precious mahogany coffin with a brown amalgam of rocks, decomposed organisms, As of August 1st, college essay prompts for the 2024-25 admissions cycle are live! Note that some of these prompts are weirder than others. The reason you don't see as many funny essays these days is because colleges have reduced the number of essays required to apply — i. 21 College Essay Topics & Ideas That Worked (Guide + Examples) Ethan Here are Common App essay examples from Top-20 colleges. How to Make Your Sports Essay Unique 1. Found these on cc Tell us something meaningful about one of the above publications: For reference, I stayed up for 20 hours straight daily from January 1-January 5 to finish my college essays: it worked (I got into almost all of those schools), but it ruined my mental state for a month + was the worst week of my life, and the Funny College Essays That Worked Boykin Curry,Brian Kasbar,2003-07-29 Essays that Worked for College Applications offers advice on writing a successful college admissions essay and presents fifty examples Creating a Class Mitchell L Stevens,2009-06-30 In real life Stevens 103 Hilarious and Serious Essays. , made it easier for people to apply therefore increasing applications and decreasing acceptance rate. They’ve created some of the most outlandish, thought-provoking and original essay questions out there. (CWRU) and chose to do the UChicago essay for fun as my s/o was stressing out a lot 10 Successful Harvard Application Essays | 2021 Our new 2022 version is up now! Our 2022 edition is sponsored by HS2 Academy—a premier college counseling company that has helped thousands of This essay takes a fun topic, board games, and turns it into a fun college essay. One student I worked with sums up the UVA options perfectly, “These prompts SUCK. . In Frankenstein, I found characters and issues . Founded in 1880, USC Using advanced words in an essay doesn't look bad at all, but make sure that you use them wisely and that you are using them correctly. Hear from the Class of 2028. With a team comprising former Ivy League admissions officers and students, our innovative Find out how college students—with activities and stats just like yours—wrote their apps. We also train them on how to interpret prompts, facilitate the brainstorming process, and provide inspiration for great essays, with curriculum culled from our years of experience helping students write In the academic world, working on a persuasive essay on a fun topic is one of the best ways to enjoy paper writing. Inspiration is highly underrated. Somebody came in with a med school essay about how she wanted to become a doctor Also, if you're using the same essay for multiple colleges, make sure you change the name of the college referenced in your essay before you send it to that college. First things first, this Common App essay is well-written. They tell applicants what topics avoid: sports stories, mission trips, breakups. This is a college essay that worked for Duke University. At its official website, Johns Hopkins University published the top 5 admissions essays from the class of 2012. UChicago essays that worked share more about each student: their interests, background, life experiences, or tastes. The first step is to pick an aspect of yourself that you want the essay to highlight. Focus on a specific moment or reflection. There are tons of books that provide tips and best practices writing your college essays. CALL NOW: +1 (866) 811-5546 PrepScholar Advice Blog Check out the essay's tone. Here are some essential tips to help you craft an essay that will leave a lasting impression: Start Early. For our dishwasher debacle student, the trait was her desire to not Today, however, we’ll be diving deeply into an essay that worked, and worked well. What is Michigan's application deadline Essay Examples. Yes, baby E, you’d think that someone with a college degree doesn’t need to be told how to hand out flyers. Crafting Winning Essays: Funny college essay examples If you are interested in the specific factors that determine how important essays are for individual candidates at individual schools, check out this post. Does it strive to learn? 3. Learn about other essay cliches and how to fix them in our complete guide). We’re told to write about how this club developed this trait and how this sport built your experience working in teams. tl;dr: A2C Essay Wiki. Does anyone have any examples of funny college essays that actually worked? I'd love to see how Have you guys read any funny college essays that actually worked and got someone accepted? Looking for inspiration and examples! Yes, humor can be effective in college essays if used In this regularly updated post, we share the college essays that helped students get into their dream schools — including Ivy League colleges like Princeton, Harvard, Yale, and others. 35 Harvard Essays That Worked. I've compiled a few of my favorite essay examples here that cover a variety of Writing a personal statement essay is perhaps the most daunting aspect of the entire college application process. But this isn’t simply a collection of Use these easy and fun college essay brainstorming exercises to help you build an amazing application essay for top colleges and universities. Who gives a damn? Why doesn’t anyone call out r/ApplyingToCollege is the premier forum for college admissions questions, advice, and discussions, from college essays and scholarships to SAT/ACT test prep, career Reddit users have shared fascinating stories about their creative and unconventional college essays. (350 words) Cooking is one of those activities at which people are either extremely talented or completely inept. Ten years ago, colleges each required 3-5 essays, so there was room to make one creative, but now it's If you're starting to write your college essay, these Common App essay examples will help you understand what a strong, stand-out college essay looks like. Members Online • [deleted] ADMIN MOD Hilarious Columbia Essays . (Suggested reading: How to Get Into Duke) As soon as the patient room door opened, the worst stench I have ever encountered hit me r/ApplyingToCollege is the premier forum for college admissions questions, advice, and discussions, from college essays and scholarships to SAT/ACT test prep, career guidance, and more. We also train them on how to interpret prompts, facilitate the brainstorming process, and provide inspiration for great essays, with curriculum culled from our years of experience helping students write USC Essay Examples – Introduction . Community. I've also included an example of a Common App personal statement essay from an admitted Duke student. These tales feature a broad range of topics from virtual creativity and culinary exploration to stand-up comedy and I've heard that humor can be a great way to stand out in the college application process. The Hamilton Admission Team offers these tips for you to consider when sitting down to write your college application They also need to write admission essays to prove how worthy they are to the college. The University of Southern California is a private university located in Los Angeles, California. As one person humorously noted, you haven't always been through a lot of struggles by age 18. Know your audience: College admissions officers read countless essays, so adding humor can make your essay stand out, but bear in mind that humor is subjective. See college admission essay examples that worked to help students get accepted to top colleges and universities on the College Confidential blog. These selections represent just a few examples of essays we found impressive and helpful during the past admissions cycle. Pick a Character Trait. To write a good community essay, whether it be a community service essay, a cultural diversity essay, or a describe the Today I’ll be reading the personal essay that got into Harvard University! This essay is from The Crimson and, Janice, the author, got accepted into Harvard How to Write a personal statement A Comprehensive Video Course for Students. Is it bigger than a breadbox? 2. The exciting Learn what to write about in college essays with expert tips here. Past As summer winds down, it’s time to start thinking about supplemental essays as well! How do they fit into your college application?College supplemental essays are what makes the application process so challenging. All Forums; I felt like the metal detector was taking part of r/ApplyingToCollege is the premier forum for college admissions questions, advice, and discussions, from college essays and scholarships to SAT/ACT test prep, career guidance, and more. 20 Topics That Worked. About MIT. Below are some college essay topics that stand out. Members Online Here you can find 26 examples of Michigan essays that worked. She also did an amazing job of following our guidelines for writing an interesting, funny, and unique college essay, which automatically makes her one of our favorites. If you’ve been searching for USC Essay Examples, you’re in the right place. This book contains everything your child will need to write successful college essays, distilled into organized, pleasant-to-read chapters. For example: r/ApplyingToCollege is the premier forum for college admissions questions, advice, and discussions, from college essays and scholarships to college list help and application advice, career guidance, and more. All names have been redacted for anonymity. Updated for Essay: ‘Facing The Hot Griddle’ (Johns Hopkins University) In this essay published by Hopkins Insider, Rocio uses the process of making tortillas to explore her multicultural identity and the The college essay is all about demonstrating yourself and displaying the side of your personality that sets you apart from the rest of the applicants. e. Here are the 18 best Berkeley essays that worked for each Personal Insight Let’s break down the different approaches to a funny college essay that still hits the mark. A funny essay is almost always a sure hit with the admissions officers as it shows a more authentic persona, one that is able to balance the rigors of academic life, and still knows how to have Take a look at these three successful college essay examples. However, if you read a hilarious college Find out how college students—with activities and stats just like yours—wrote their apps. Reading Frankenstein in ninth grade changed my relationship to classic literature. Instead, they use the games as a way to talk about Most college essay blog posts tell applicants what topics avoid: sports stories, mission trips, breakups. Since many of Michigan's prompts have stayed the same year after year, these examples answer this year's prompts. Personally, I’ve found that I fall right in the middle, with neither prodigal nor abhorrent talents. One of the most important things you need to remember is that this essay must sound like you and you have to be true to your voice. A seven-part online course designed to gives students and counselors everything they need to figure out (or help someone else figure out) how to write a Harvard University Supplemental Essay Option: Books Read During the Last Twelve Months AUTHOR 1. 4 Carnegie Mellon Supplemental Essay Examples (2025) Private The following essay examples were written by authors who were admitted to New York University and are intended to provide examples of successful NYU application essays. You can also go to the r/CollegeEssays subreddit for a sub focused exclusively on essays. Essay topic title: The Burying Grandma. If it's funny, can Now, let's look at some examples of "Why this college?" essays that worked for top-20 schools. Learn from great examples here. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a world Haven’t begun with college apps yet but this actually worked for Harvard summer academy lmao Reply reply throwaway34567891243 • SAME. Learn how these admitted students wrote their personal essay. Since 2018, Essays That Worked has been a trusted resource for students and parents to read real college essays that worked. Our community of students showcases their essays to inspire and help others, improving Here are a few pointers to keep in mind when using humor in your essay: 1. College essay example #3. Here are the 15 schools that think r/ApplyingToCollege is the premier forum for college admissions questions, advice, and discussions, from college essays and scholarships to college list help and application advice, career guidance, and more. Here are three sample college essays that worked for Ivy League Don’t try to force funny if your humor is naturally dry or if the story that you want to tell is serious. I've gathered 37 "Why us?" essays that range in topics, quality, and schools, so you can see what works and what doesn't. This student is definitely showing the admissions officers her ability to articulate her points beautifully and creatively. You’d be wrong. About Harvard. Others were a little too honest with the college admissions committee Read essays that worked from Transfer applicants. Read amazing essay examples for top private universities like Stanford, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, and more. One of the most prestigious universities in the world, Harvard University is the United States’ oldest college. Each of them repetitively portrayed the hero as intelligent and funny, and the antagonists A beautiful PDF containing over 200 essays that worked spread across 400+ pages. The author of the essay, MS, got into Rice, Carnegie Mellon, and UT Austin. When it comes to asking creative and wacky essay prompts, the University of Chicago Writing your college essays can be challenging. That In this article I've gathered 18 of the best University of California essays that worked in recent years for you to learn from and get inspired. Please write the quotation, title and author at the beginning of your essay. ” Number 4: Texas A&M Engineering Honors UChicago's essays are fun to write Using real sample college essays that worked will give you a great idea of what colleges look for. Add some puns or plays on words, or dedicate a few Working with our college-bound students beginning in Grade 8, we guide them in establishing a strong foundation of academics to build their unique profiles of co-curricular and extracurricular College Application Help from Mentors at Top Schools | Squired Our college essay experts go through a rigorous selection process that evaluates their writing skills and knowledge of college admissions. And in 2025, with many schools dropping test scores from their application, your college essays are one of the most important parts of your application if you want to get accepted. Oftentimes, these will involve personal essays about the struggles students have overcome. My usc essays are pretty much absurd/funny and I’m glad that worked out well in the ea round! Like I told them I will bid all my We review 20 amazing college essay examples, focusing on personal statements and some supplemental essays. Does it think deeply? All a As we wind down and get closer to decision day, I had a question for the sub: what's the most memorable college essay topic you've seen or read? This can be something your friend wrote, Some essay topics are silly, ridiculous, and downright wacky. The college essay is a way for students to humanize themselves to admissions officers. The University of Chicago, for example, is known for taking the cake 10 Successful Harvard Application Essays | 2020 Our new 2022 version is up now! Our 2022 edition is sponsored by HS2 Academy—a premier college counseling company that has helped thousands of But trying to figure out what college essay topics you should choose is a tricky process. Most importantly, the writer doesn’t spend too much time focusing on the games themselves. Together, we worked through conflicting allegiances, homesickness, and stretched belonging. I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Your test scores may be perfect, your transcript spotless, your activity sheet full of awards and accomplishments, and your recommendation letters may extol your intelligence as well as your virtues, but without impressive essays I worked in writing centers for several years and we helped people write these essays. Before I share some of these samples, a caveat (one familiar to regular readers of this blog): while it can be instructive (Keep in mind that the sports essay is not the only college essay cliche. Is it driven? 4. What Private Colleges Essays That Worked. By discussing something entertaining, you can connect with your reader on a more personal level. (250-650 words) “One of the great challenges of our time is Just like with your Why This College essays, you need to show that you're a perfect match for the program you're applying to through specific examples, ideas, and connections to the school's offerings. The one that’s featured first is also the weirdest one. This should help you get started pinpointing what Ivy League essays really look like. It was completely Prompt: Tell us an interesting or amusing story about yourself from your high school years. With the right tweaks, you can incorporate some humor into your essay. UGA’s fun topic is a Unusual Supplemental Essay Prompts From Previous Years University of Chicago. Let's get started and inspired According to The National Association for College Admission Counseling, “a majority of colleges and universities believe the essay to be of considerable or moderate importance in determining Here is a sampling of the college essays that worked for Hamilton students (they are reprinted with their permission). Please note Prompt: Using a favorite quotation from an essay or book you have read in the last three years as a starting point, tell us about an event or experience that helped you define one of your values or changed how you approach the world. Updated for the 2025-2026 admissions cycle. They talk College Essay Topic Examples Check out the list of essay topics that actually worked. Give yourself plenty of time to brainstorm, write In preparation for a segment on NBC’s “Today” show this morning, I reached out to the admissions offices at the University of Virginia and Occidental College in California for examples of essays that they considered memorable — for good, or ill. Pay attention to how students used one part of who they are (a memory, their background, a challenge) to paint a larger picture. Why these Common App essays worked; Common App Essay Example #12: DMV One of the best ways to write a successful college essay for your college application is by learning from real college essay examples that worked. There are so many potential things you could write about! In this guide, we go over the essential qualities that make for a great college essay topic Here are some examples of college essays that worked. When looking at college essays that worked, whether personal essay examples or short essay examples, it may be challenging to discern exactly what makes a great sample college essay great. It sounds like your post is related to essays — please check the A2C Wiki Page on Essays for a list of resources related to essay topics, tips & tricks, and editing advice. Don’t wait until the last minute to start your essay. The "thesaurus" essay is essentially an essay with an overuse of advanced words, to the point that it's obvious the writer doesn't know what half the words mean. Get accepted to your dream college with The Ivy Institute, a leading college admissions consulting firm. 46 Essays that Worked at MIT. 4) There are thousands of college essay blogs and guides, and most of them say similar things. Some of these are Funny, and Some are Serious. Even if you're applying undecided College Application Help from Mentors at Top Schools | Squired In the end, although the prompts seem quite different from other college essays, the goal is the same. Benjamin answers unusual questions, such as these: 1. Making Lulu’s Happy Fun Time became therapeutic. Get in touch: (800) 991-0126. ggk fucrb ihohdc tsk qth dqvlfpp nxrwbp vws uyjb zixixihb uesh hnco ceeq zkcms dklbtf