From the New York Times College Admissions Blog:

Q.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my college essay. I feel like all of the topics I can think of to write about are interesting and entertaining to me, but I’m worried that colleges may feel differently.

In other words, my essay choice may be meaningful to me, but colleges may find it boring. How do I make sure this doesn’t happen?

—Sara

A.

Before I answer your specific question, let me give some general advice about writing essays. First, never try to figure out what college admissions officers are looking for, at least in terms of the right topic. The reason is that they are not looking for anything in particular, and if you try to write an essay based on a presumed right topic, you are almost destined to write a mediocre — and boring — essay. So I cannot tell you what to write about.

I can tell you, however, what not to write about.

Avoid the “jock” essay, which typically reads something along the lines of “I learned the value of hard work, determination, perseverance, and [insert generic characteristic here] by winning the championship (or playing through an injury or riding the bench).”

This advice is applicable outside of sports, by the way, and can be said of all sorts of other extracurricular activities, such as student government, theater, music, etc. Another topic to avoid is the travel essay, which usually concludes in some sort of bland platitude like, “Despite our cultural differences, my host family and I came to realize that, as human beings, we shared so many values and goals.”

Also, d don't write about something that is already apparent from the rest of your application. It is quite obvious to an admissions officer what it means to be captain of the wrestling team or editor of the newspaper or first-chair violinist in the orchestra. The essay is your opportunity to round out your application, to discuss some aspect of yourself that does not appear elsewhere.

Finally, Ernest Hemingway gave a piece of advice about good writing that would instantly improve most college admissions essays: “Show, don’t tell.” Don’t tell your reader that you compete in triathlons; instead, let her feel the rush of wind as you pedal; let her heels ache from the pounding as you run; let her shrink from the chill of the water as you dive in.

In the same vein, be specific. Don’t write about the entire itinerary of the two weeks you spent on a mission trip in the Appalachians; instead write about one particular moment — a game you played with one young child or a conversation you had with one senior citizen. (By the way, community service can trend into the category of topics to avoid; let your numerous community service hours speak for themselves.)

Now, to answer your specific question, try reading your essay as if it were not your own. The subject may interest you, but does the essay itself interest you? Also, show it to others — but not your mom or your best friend or maybe not even your favorite teacher. They will be too inclined to be complimentary. Think of a person whose critical-thinking skills and honesty you admire. That person would be a better choice.

Also, the topic itself does not need to be meaningful to the person reading it. The best college essay I ever read was about diagramming sentences in English class — not a topic that interests most people. But a well-written (and by that, I don’t mean grammatically correct) essay will make any topic enjoyable and interesting.

Lastly, if you find yourself uninspired, the problem might be the topic. Too often, the essay prompts on college applications are generic. That is why the Common Application offers “Topic of your choice .” Look at the supplements of colleges you are not applying to. You might very well find the topic you’ve been looking for all along.

Oh, and be sure to proofread!