One girl traveled to Uganda to help fight world hunger. Another guy made it to an Olympic robotics team.

These are examples of college essay topics written by extraordinary students.

Something I am not.

I started writing my college essay in September, by looking at example essays. I was shocked to find how many students wrote about extravagant accomplishments and achievements.

I have good grades and a good ACT score, but they aren’t perfect. I participate in extracurriculars, but I don’t compete on an Olympic level. I volunteer and participate in clubs, but I haven’t solved world hunger or climate change.

How was I supposed to write a college essay that stood out against these extravagant essays, when I’m “normal.”

To get accepted into colleges, college essays need to “stand out” and “be unique.” But I know plenty of students just like me who work hard and get good grades, but haven’t been this extreme person.

Lost, I turned to my tutor. She helped guide me through the stigma of unique essays and explained that my essay has to show who I am. It should show my personality and writing style in 600 words. She first had me find objects that represent myself or my personality. After that, I found a core value with a couple of different exercises she showed me. The two that stood out the most to her were ‘tap shoes’ and ‘growth.’

I wrote my essay about finding rhythm in life, and how I got through difficult situations or experiences by making/discovering a rhythm. Dance is a big part of my life, so we incorporated that with the tap shoes teaching me rhythm, and how I took that lesson and applied it to everyday things. I ended my piece with a narrative of how I now teach young girls to find rhythm with their tap shoes.

College essays don’t have to be crazy; they just have to show the best parts of yourself, while also hinting at some of your achievements.

It’s okay to be ordinary. Don’t be afraid to write about yourself, even if you haven’t changed the world.