Nine-hundred students from across the United States submitted their personal college essays to The New York Times. Unsurprisingly, the most common themes were about the coronavirus pandemic and the racial justice movement. Although a reflection of what a difficult and challenging year this has been, at IvyWay, we encourage our students to think outside the box and avoid broad topics such as natural events, wars, death, and more. Students should use their personal essays as an opportunity to stand out among the pool of applicants!
