Writing Toolbox
Writing Tools
Place4PapersBlogTopic Ideas100+ College Essay Topics for All Situations

100+ College Essay Topics for All Situations

by Place4Papers
6 min
100+ College Essay Topics for All Situations

It often seems like forever to pick the proper essay subject. The time goes on and on, the deadline is approaching, and your stress kills all roots of creativity.

Have you ever gotten into a rut with college essay topics? Then this handy guide is for you.

🎓 Top 15 Topics to Write about in College

  1. The difficulty of getting into college.
  2. The role of gender in military service.
  3. What is your favorite T.V. show?
  4. Listen to a lecture with pleasure.
  5. Exam results and intelligence.
  6. Reasons for increased early pregnancy.
  7. Notes in the classroom.
  8. Private vs. public school.
  9. Pros and cons of blended education.
  10. Education for gifted students.
  11. Increased student concentration.
  12. U.S. and British high schools.
  13. The use of gadgets during lectures.
  14. How will 3D printing change medicine?
  15. Methods to increase attendance.

✨ 100 College Essay Topics that Stand Out

Choosing a good topic for your essay is the first step to writing success. You’ll feel how easy it is to select arguments and evidence for the point that complies with your opinion and focuses on the learning material. Still, the muse doesn’t come when it’s expected. So, if you are in a creative crisis, use our list of 100 best topics suitable for many subjects and academic areas.

Descriptive Essay Topics for College

  1. A stranger I met on a trip.
  2. The ugliest lesson life taught me.
  3. Childhood obesity: digital world vs. weight.
  4. Summer vacation I will never forget.
  5. Abortion as a violation of human rights.
  6. The lesson I learned from envying a friend.
  7. From good to great: my day regime experiment.
  8. A spooky place I always avoid.
  10. The dream job I want to pursue.

Definition Essay Topics for College Students

  1. What does being a businesswoman mean to you?
  2. Social reactions to fashion styles.
  3. The modern definition of spirituality.
  4. The changing meaning of hunger across the world.
  6. Varying definitions of evil: philosophy, psychology, politics.
  7. A complete definition of happiness.
  8. Social media effects on self-esteem.
  9. Different meanings of optimism.
  10. Defining a lie: friendship vs. law.

Informative Essay Topics for College

  1. Gender-based violence against women and girls.
  2. Hidden signs of anorexia.
  3. Reasons for chronic work-related stress.
  4. Methods of addressing college pregnancy.
  5. Top methods against procrastination.
  6. American immigration history and racism.
  7. How are calories and child obesity related?
  9. The impact of regular exercise on human health.
  10. Introduction of nanotechnology in everyday human life.

College Level Compare and Contrast Essay Topics

  1. Figurative language versus literal language: the comparison.
  2. Main differences between Buddhism and Christianity.
  3. Hotel vs. camping tourism – what is a better way to relax?
  5. The benefits of saving money compared to luxurious living.
  6. Private versus public education.
  7. Freelance or office job – the impact on life-work balance.
  8. Is private healthcare better in quality than free healthcare?
  10. Mandatory vaccination vs. freedom of choice: COVID-19 as the new variable in the equation.

Best Argumentative Essay Topics for College

  1. Gender stereotypes about emotionality are wrong; men are as emotional as women.
  2. Parents are the primary cause of their children’s obesity.
  3. Vegetarianism will not save the world.
  4. Poverty in developing countries.
  5. Humanitarian aid cripples the economies of developing countries.
  6. Beauty standards: “The Body Myth” by Rebecca Johnson.
  7. Body positivity ignores objective health issues.
  8. Child marriage should be stopped worldwide.
  9. GMOs are not as harmful to human health as mass media present them.
  10. Violence in mass communication and behavior.

Narrative Essay Topics for College Students

  1. Childhood abuse and adult depression.
  2. The most embarrassing lesson life taught me.
  3. Hurricane Katrina history.
  4. The first day in a new school.
  5. A memorable story from my childhood.
  6. The first time I lost a friend.
  7. The hard lesson of refusing something.
  8. Global air pollution.
  9. The hardship of keeping a dark secret.
  10. My life-changing meeting with Steve Jobs.

Personal Essay Topics for College Students

  1. My methods of dealing with depression.
  3. The hard lesson of parting with a beloved relative.
  4. Humanities or STEM? The hard choice.
  5. My love for hip-hop music.
  6. Media promotion of cosmetic surgery in women.
  7. The art of adopting the habit of mindfulness.
  8. How I dealt with racial prejudice.
  9. Getting lost in a strange city: a life lesson of open-mindedness.

Expository Essay Topics for College Students

  1. Stem cell research: definition and purpose.
  3. The animal I would wish to be.
  4. A cartoon character’s trait I wish I had.
  5. Renewable energy generation, application, impacts.
  6. My journey to resilience.
  7. The importance of addressing the opioid epidemic in the USA.
  8. Doing homework can be exciting.
  9. Women’s liberation movement evolution in the U.S.
  10. The many faces of human ethics.

Unique College Essay Topics

  1. Therapeutic effects of music.
  2. Optimism and distress in women with breast cancer.
  3. Structural inequality in access to healthcare services.
  4. Is there any cure for cancer today?
  5. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on global mental health.
  6. Various ways of committing two types of errors.
  7. The actual magnitude of climate change.
  8. Surveillance on permission: how smartphone users allow the government to spy on them.
  10. Double legal standards and police brutality.

Creative College Essay Topics

  1. Climate change as the most significant environmental issue
  2. The impact of drug addiction on the person’s morality.
  3. We are all addicted to the Internet.
  4. The correlation between race and HIV/AIDS.
  5. The reasons for addiction to video games.
  7. Evolution of sports tourism.
  8. The most common causes of depression in adulthood.
  9. A path to greatness: one celebrity’s case study.

🛑 Сollege Essay Topics to Avoid

Some college essay titles should be avoided, resulting in a bad essay in most cases. Here are some unsuccessful topic examples to guide you.

Cliche College Essay Topics

Cliches are always dull. It’s hard to invent anything original or memorable on these topics, so we recommend skipping them. Here are some topic examples to avoid:

  1. A narrative about a sad or happy event (marriage, funeral, etc.).
  2. My memorable sports victory.
  3. A story of your life.
  4. A spiritual challenge you’ve overcome.
  5. A tale of immigration.
  6. Traits that helped you address an academic challenge.
  7. Essay about volunteering.
  8. A trip to a different country as an exchange student.
  9. An encounter with a representative of a different culture.
  10. A discussion of religious differences.

Worst College Essay Topics

Some topics just shouldn’t be touched on in academic pieces. It’s a question of ethics, privacy, or political correctness. Here are some examples of what to avoid.

  1. A talk about myself.
  2. My sexual adventures.
  3. The time I had to cheat on an exam.
  4. The first time I tried alcohol.
  5. A victory (in sports, a bet, a challenge).
  6. A tragedy I experienced.
  7. Missing home.
  8. My idol (a celebrity or political leader) – especially if you want to talk about an unpopular, dubious figure.
  9. Moving to a new apartment (nothing could be more boring to read).
  10. Breaking up with my ex.

đź’ˇ College Essay Writing Tips

How to produce a great essay with ease? How to format a college essay correctly? Now that you have a huge set of workable topics, it’s time to cover the writing mechanics in detail. Here are the top recommendations from our experts working on essay projects daily.

College Essay Structure

Millions of students get stuck on the question, “what is the right essay structure?” We share the standard structure that meets all academic writing conventions to make things simple for you.

Think of the essay as a hamburger: you’ll need two pieces of bread (your introduction and a wrap-up) and some ingredients (meat, lettuce, veggies) that add to your meal its unique taste and flavor. This metaphor is perfect for essay structure:

  • In the introduction, you set the context for the discussion and explain what you’ll be talking about. The beginning of your paper should familiarize the readers with your research area and articulate the problem. End your intro with a thesis statement to give the readers a roadmap through the content.
  • The body of your paper is a unique mix of arguments and supporting evidence that aligns with the main idea and proves the thesis statement. An ideal formula for a paragraph is a topic sentence followed by evidence from external sources and a concluding statement.
  • The college essay conclusion wraps things up and doesn’t introduce any new information. It should be more than a summary of the main points, communicating the study’s implications and significance.

How to Start a College Essay

College essay starters are the most challenging part for many. You are staring at an empty page, clueless about what to say. Yet, with our simple hacks, you will manage introductions without a problem:

  • Reserve the introduction for the end of the writing process. Compose the body first, see how it aligns with your main idea, and write a suitable intro.
  • Include attention-grabbing hooks: a question, a quote, or a shocking statistical fact. You should capture the readers’ attention, and that’s the best way to do it.
  • Don’t forget about a thesis statement. It should come at the end of your introduction sentence, encapsulating the essay’s main idea.
  • Tell about your subject in simple words. Imagine that the readers are new to the topic.

College Essay Hooks

Now, a couple more words about hooks. They play an essential role in making your introduction catchy and memorable. Thus, by using attention-grabbing sentences, you raise the readers’ interest and ensure that your piece will be read to the end. Here are some popular suggestions:

  • A rhetorical question. People are psychologically apt to look for answers and will read to see how you have answered yours.
  • An interesting fact. There is always a richness of exciting, original facts about the dullest things and phenomena. So, finding such data can prevent a boring topic from an unusual side.
  • An inspiring quote. Many great people spoke about social and political phenomena and human character traits. You can pick a fabulous quotation to give your essay a persuasive feel.
  • Shocking statistics. The best way to attract people’s attention to the magnitude of some problems is to show some figures. For example, when talking about poverty, you can say that over 1 billion people live for less than $1 a day. That fact will leave no space for doubts about this problem’s severity.

How to End a College Essay

The concluding part seems easy, as most of the work is already done. But don’t haste to put a couple of trivial lines at the end of the essay and leave the desk. A wrap-up gives the final impression with which the readers will leave. So, you should do an excellent job in conclusion to create a long-lasting effect.

We recommend summarizing your covered points to add a broader perspective in the final sentences. Show what you learned from research, why this topic matters, and what the readers can do with that data. Give them a call to action, further research directions, or practical change guidelines.

Proper Heading for College Essay

Titles also play a role in the essay’s effect and quality. To make your title outstanding, you only need to follow a couple of simple writing prompts:

  • Try to describe your idea in 5-7 words.
  • Use questions and reformat them into statements if needed.
  • Make the title believable.
  • Keep it short and easy to read.
  • Don’t make confusing titles; ensure they correspond to the essay content.
  • Use active voice.
  • Strengthen the effect by starting the title with “on” or an “-ing” word.
  • Revisit the title after writing the essay.
  • Make the title’s style and tone consistent with the text.

Now you know everything about writing essays and have a handy guide for college students’ 100+ good and bad essay topics. Still, even if this richness of data doesn’t inspire you, we have a good alternative. You can always turn to our experts for help! Contact our support managers, share your academic troubles, and wait for your stellar essay. We can relieve the academic load and make your college years comfortable and enjoyable again.

❔️ FAQ

What makes a great college essay?

Writing a stellar piece involves much creative insight and knowledge of academic writing conventions. Your paper should be readable and exciting. It should comply with the structural standards – an introduction, a body with solid arguments, and a conclusion. Start with an interesting fact and include an attention-grabbing hook to keep the readers on their toes. If you rely on trustworthy sources, keeping to the proper flow and logic, your piece will be a pleasure to read.

What do you write about in a college essay?

Topics for a college essay are varied and diverse. You can write about anything as long as it follows your professor’s instructions and fits the academic standard. Personal essays can cover your life experiences, reflections, and observations. Expository and argumentative pieces, in their turn, should be based on reliable external sources. When structuring an essay and presenting your arguments in a specific order, don’t forget about coherence, cohesion, and logic.

What should you not write about in a college essay?

Try to avoid trivial and sensitive subjects. By trivial, we mean talking about your life experience of a breakup, a volunteering activity, or overcoming a challenge in sport or education. Though everyone lives through those experiences individually, in the end, these stories are very alike and don’t cause a wow effect on the readers. It’s also critical to avoid sensitive subjects like race, religion, and gender. Hold your views to yourself if you are an ardent supporter of an unpopular position. Debating men’s rights or claiming that the LGBTQ+ community has no right to equality can cause you much trouble in the class.

đź”— References