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- Clichés are usually not acceptable in academic writing, although some may be effective in daily conversation and less formal writing. Evaluate the context of your writing and be aware that you’re making a choice when you use them. Clichés make you seem boring.
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Why shouldn’t you use clichés? Clichés are usually not acceptable in academic writing, although some may be effective in daily conversation and less formal writing. Evaluate the context of your writing and be aware that you’re making a choice when you use them. Clichés make you seem boring.
- Handout on Application Essays
Graduate Admissions Essays: Write Your Way Into the Graduate...
- Introductions
The professor or teaching assistant wrote your question and...
- Conclusions
Hamilton College. n.d. “Conclusions.” Writing Center....
- Handout on Application Essays
4 days ago · Clichés are stock phrases that you read so commonly they’re almost meaningless, like “clear as a bell” or “the fact of the matter.” Such phrases bore attentive readers and can suggest laziness or even a lack of originality.
Aug 31, 2022 · Learn When to Use Clichés in Writing, and 20 Common Clichés All Writers Should Avoid. “All that glitters is not gold.”. If you’ve heard an expression like this a thousand times, it is probably a cliché. A cliché is a phrase or idea that has been used to the extent that it has lost its original meaning—and its allure.
- Résumé of Your Life and Achievements
- Sports Injury, Challenge, Or Success
- Immigrant Story
- Tragedy – Death, Divorce, Abuse
- Working Hard in A Challenging Class
- Someone You Admire
- Volunteer Trip
- Moving to A Different Part of The Country
- Your Religious Institution Or Faith
- Romantic Relationships and Breakups
Résumés are an effective method to demonstrate achievements, but they’re boring to read. This is why, in the professional world, résumés are often accompanied by a cover letter. A college application is essentially a student’s résumé—it contains their grades, test scores, and extracurricular activities—which makes an essay listing achievements redu...
Coaches on every level are known for telling their athletes about how the lessons learned on the field/court/ice translate to life. Unfortunately, these lessons and stories have been told in numerous movies and books, along with countless college essays To successfully write a college essay about sports, it’s important to steer clear of the common ...
The U.S. is a nation of immigrants and while not every student has an immigrant story, a lot of them do. Consequently, these immigrant themes are ones that every admissions officer has read before: 1. Learning a new language 2. Adapting to new customs 3. Adjusting to a new lifestyle 4. Struggling to fit in Asian students, in particular, should avoi...
Tragedies are formative experiences, which in theory make them a natural theme for a college essay; however, tragedies are often a universal experience. Furthermore, essays on this topic are too often centered on the tragedy itself, rather than the applicant. It is possible to write a college essay about a tragedy that isn’t cliche, however. The ke...
Working hard in a challenging class doesn’t work as an essay topic for a handful of reasons. If you’re applying to a highly ranked institution, it’s likely that most of their applicants took tough classes and worked hard. They also likely faced challenging classes, struggled, and ultimately succeeded. Another reason to avoid this topic? The traits ...
The primary pitfall of writing about an admired person is that the essay is often focused more on the other person than the applicant. Even if students steer the essay toward themselves, they usually find themselves covering familiar themes: 1. Learning something about themselves 2. Learning something about life 3. Learning something about the worl...
Building a winning essay about a volunteer trip is tricky—at best, these essays come off as cliché; at their worst, they can make an applicant seem pretentious, condescending, and privileged. Like other topics, the key is for the writer to focus on themself, not the group they volunteered for or the place they went. One way to avoid the cliché volu...
Similar to the immigrant story, writing about moving to a new place is also an overly-done topic. Countless students move or switch schools each year. Many have trouble fitting in or adjusting to a new place, but eventually make new friends. If moving was really integral to your high school experience and identity, think about why that is. Did it p...
Religion is generally a very tricky topic, and it’s difficult to cover it in an original way in your essay. Writing about your faith and reflecting on it critically can work, but basic religious essays about why your faith is important to you are a little more cliché. It’s important to also remember your audience. If you’re applying to a religious ...
Your college essays should be personal, but romantic relationships and breakups are a little too personal. Remember that applying to college is kind of like applying to a job, and you want to present yourself in a professional light. This means that writing about your romantic life is a bad idea in general. Unlike the other clichétopics, there are ...
If you want to ensure that your essay falls into the large pile of essay topics they’ve seen before, include a cliché or two while you’re trying too hard to impress. The best way to make an essay unique is to tell your story in a way nobody else can.
- Matt Musico
Crafting a unique and engaging college essay requires the avoidance of common clichés that can undermine your efforts. Focus on providing personal insights, sharing meaningful experiences, and conveying the narrative that defines who you are.
Follow our expert strategies to avoid college essay clichés and turn overused topics into unique stories that will help increase your chances of admission.
