(Hint: Not What You Think)
Most parents assume their kid’s college essay needs to sound impressive. Important. Dramatic.
It doesn’t.
In fact, some of the most successful essays we’ve seen over the years sound… well, kind of silly on the surface.
Take Caleb. A straight-B student with no major awards or leadership roles. His parents were thrilled—but shocked—when he got a $180,000 scholarship to Case Western Reserve University, a school that turns away 77% of early applicants.
So what did Caleb write about?
Singing “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield with his cousins.
That’s it.
No heroic personal struggle. No career-defining epiphany. Just a joyful, reflective memory written with voice, warmth, and heart.
And that’s exactly why it worked.
The best college essays aren’t lists of achievements. They don’t have to focus on overcoming adversity. They don’t have to virtue-signal.
What a Great College Essay should do is:
- Offer a glimpse into who your kid is that no transcript ever could.
- Show what they value. What lights them up? What matters to them?
- Connect with readers on a human level, rather than performing
Some winning topics we’ve seen:
🍦 Getting ice cream with dad every Sunday
🥡 Searching for the perfect dumplings
🪜 Visiting the Met on an art history field trip—as a STEM student
None of these sound conventionally impressive.
But all of them left an impression.
The real challenge?
Most kids don’t know where to begin.
They assume their ideas are too small, too random, or not “serious” enough. Meanwhile, most parents have their own idea of what a “good” essay should sound like—often unintentionally shutting down great ideas before they get off the ground.
That’s where we come in.
With the right guidance, any student has a stick-to-your-bones good essay in them. They just need help finding it, and shaping it into something unforgettable.
Because when a student finally sees their story as enough, that’s when the real magic happens.
Want a look inside our process?
Get the replay of this free masterclass:
In this free expert panel discussion, you’ll learn:
✔ The wrong ways to stand-out (that everyone’s doing)
✔ How kids with mundane lives write epic essays
✔ What goes into finding your kid’s standout story
Because a winning college essay doesn’t try to impress.
It connects.
Let’s make sure your kid writes that essay.
