The 1 Thing You Should Never Write In a College Essay, From an Admissions Expert

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The 1 Thing You Should Never Write In a College Essay, From an Admissions Expert

One admissions expert argues that what you leave out of your college essay matters more than what you put in.

Oct. 16, 2025, 9:23 AM CDT

Rachel Paula Abrahamson, Today

In the high-stakes world of college admissions, there’s one lesson every hopeful applicant should learn early: sometimes, what you leave out of your essay matters more than what you put in.

As Sophie Smith, co-founder of College Contact, explained in a recent TikTok video, “If you were sitting in a job interview and you wouldn’t tell that story out loud, you shouldn’t be writing it in your college essay.”

Smith’s rule is simple: skip anything you wouldn’t comfortably share with an adult in person, stories that are overly personal, graphic, illegal or simply unflattering.

“Let’s keep the essays PG,” she said in the clip. The college essay, she reminded viewers, isn’t an unfiltered confession; it’s a professional introduction, one that should reveal growth and judgment, not regret.

Graphic or overly personal topics, Smith warns, can quickly turn off an admissions reader.

“We typically advise students not to write about anything involving blood, drugs, or illegal activity,” she tells TODAY.com, noting that you’d be surprised by how many try.

She adds that essays centered on death, divorce, or family trauma often risk sounding heavy rather than reflective. Instead, Smith urges students to focus on stories that reveal their character, curiosity and growth — “something you’d be proud to share out loud,” as she puts it.

Essays about learning to ride a bike, discovering the meaning of your name, or finding a new way to read a football play, she says, can be far more powerful than tales of tragedy.

“The best essays,” Smith tells her clients, “are ones you’d want to frame on your wall.”

She also shared a list of other “no fly zone” topics — essays that might seem meaningful at first but rarely land well with admissions officers.

Family members or celebrities:

Writing about parents, siblings, or famous figures often results in essays that are more about someone else than about you, Smith says. Admissions officers want to hear your voice and how you think, not how much you admire someone else.

Politics or religion

These subjects can alienate readers or veer into persuasive essays rather than personal reflections.

Sports injuries or competition cliches

Common stories that fail to reveal something distinctive about the writer unless approached from an unexpected angle.

Smith, a University of Virginia graduate, launched her company to address what she saw as a growing gap in access to counseling, pointing out that in some school districts, a single advisor can serve hundreds of students. Today, College Contact partners with schools across the country to offer on-demand coaching in college essays, applications, and alternative pathways like trades or the military.

“The goal,” Smith tells TODAY, “is to democratize access to this information and make sure every student, no matter their background, feels they have real options.”