11 College Essay Clichés to Avoid (and What to Write Instead)
The college essay clichés admissions readers are exhausted by — the overused openers, topics, and phrases — plus what to do instead to actually stand out.
Admissions officers read thousands of essays a season. The fastest way to blend into that pile is to write something they've already read a hundred times this week. Here are the clichés that make readers' eyes glaze — and what to do instead.
Cliché openers to cut
- "Ever since I was young…" — Almost always filler. Start in the middle of a moment instead.
- "Webster's Dictionary defines…" — Never. Just never.
- "As I sat staring at the blank page…" — Writing about not knowing what to write is not the move.
- The fake-deep rhetorical question: "What does it truly mean to be human?" Open on something concrete.
Overused topics (write-able, but hard)
These aren't banned — they're just crowded, so the bar is higher:
- The sports injury that taught resilience
- The mission trip where you "found yourself" (especially abroad — easy to sound like a tourist)
- The big game / the big competition (the score isn't the story; you are)
- Grandparent's passing → I learned to cherish life (real grief is powerful; the generic version isn't)
If you write one of these, the only way through is radical specificity and an unexpected angle. The growth has to be smaller and stranger than "I learned not to give up."
Phrases that flatten your voice
- "Make a difference / impact the world / give back" — Vague virtue. Show the specific thing you actually did for specific people.
- "I have a passion for…" — Telling, not showing. Demonstrate the passion through a scene; don't announce it.
- Thesaurus words — "plethora," "myriad," "utilize," "leverage." They make you sound like you're trying to sound smart, which reads as the opposite.
What to do instead
- Start in a scene. A specific moment, with sensory detail, in motion. "The cardamom always burned my fingers" beats any abstract opener.
- Be the subject. The topic (a culture, a hobby, a loss) is the setting. You are the essay.
- Show one small true thing. Admissions readers don't want a hero. They want a real person they'd want in a seminar.
- Read it out loud. Anything you'd never say to a friend, cut.
The test for all 11: if a sentence could appear in someone else's essay unchanged, it's not yours yet. Read every line and ask — could anyone else have written this? If yes, make it specific, make it true, make it you.
Frequently asked questions
What topics should I avoid in a college essay?
No topic is truly banned, but crowded ones — the sports injury, the mission trip, the big game, generic grief — make the bar much higher because readers see them constantly. If you write one, you need radical specificity and an unexpected angle. Often a smaller, more personal topic stands out more.
Why is “Ever since I was young” a bad opener?
It's one of the most overused first lines in college essays and almost always filler that delays the real story. Start in the middle of a specific moment instead — a scene with action and sensory detail pulls readers in far faster.
Are big words good in college essays?
No. Words like “plethora,” “myriad,” “utilize,” and “leverage” make you sound like you're trying to sound smart, which reads as the opposite. Write the way you actually talk to a thoughtful adult — clear, specific, and human.