commonapp essay- cliches (and topic ideas)

all for cliches

I got a C on my last essay assignment which, if you ask me, was fairly well written. When I asked my teacher to reconsider her judgment, she had the following to say about my paper.

Dull; boring; one dimensional; platitudinal; newspaperese; filled with clichés. She talked about clichés a lot.

By definition, a cliché is a saying, expression, or idea that has been overused to the point of loosing its intended force or novelty. These are generally frowned upon and omitted from creative writings. They are taught in schools as the enemy, an incorrect, nonsensical string of words, that it is the maverick thing to do to run them down. Students are told to avoid them at all costs and watch out for them; to guard their papers with all of their (mental) strength against these hackneyed phrases. We were even handed a list.

Top ten clichés to avoid-

1) at the end of the day 2) fairly unique 3) I personally 4) at this moment in time 5) with all due respect 6) absolutely 7) it's a nightmare 8) shouldn't of 9) 24/7 10) It's not rocket science.

I however, disagree with my mentors.

I say clichés are beautiful. They are the true keys to any reader's heart. They appear everywhere. We read them in novels and see them in newspapers, yet we are forbidden to throw them into our essay in a formal setting. Ridiculous.

I know that I am not the only one who feels a tinge of emptiness after reading something without phrases such as a "I personally" or "with all due respect". In fact, such writings do not exist.

And we shun clichés why? Clichés became clichés in the first place because they express sentiments or reality continually. They are made of the same characters as every other word so why set them apart? Why introduce them to the world as evil in a brainwashing event to slowly kill them off? Language has given us the ability to use these clichés in fascinating ways or in contexts they are not used often. Let's use that ability.

Clichés are admirable. They allow us mediums to relate to our fellow beings and feel exactly as they feel. Nearly every magazine article and newspaper article can capture clichés at their best. It's what keeps the average Joe reading so why are they discouraged?

In this world of extreme individualism, it is difficult to resist the temptation to be unique. Everyone tries to be stand out, whether it is through acting different, dressing different or more recently, writing different. What is truly difficult is to be commonplace.

So let's use clichés. Let's be common. Lets' not take part in the fad to make ourselves noticed.

I personally feel at the end of the day you cannot be fairly 24/7 unique. It's a nightmare absolutely and at this moment in time it is not rocket science.

All for clichés all the way.

So what do you people think?? I had a hard time deciding if this essay had enough "I" in it

Dull; boring; one dimensional; platitudinal (platitudinous) ; newspaperese; filled with clichés. She talked about clichés a lot.
Why introduce them to the world as evil in a brainwashing event to slowly kill them off? (do U Think this sentence is quite rude?)

haha, reading essay makes me think about a campaign speech, lol, and I really follow your essay until I realize that it is a essay ^^ (I thought it was your problem :)

hahaha i know its more of a propaganda than an essay

are propagandas bad??

uhm, it's hard to say. in my opinion, people prefer that you express yourself, or reveal more about yourself than you are teaching or persuading them to do anything.

It's just my opinion.
best of luck!

I don't necessarily think that clichés are bad, but I am not your teacher. The thing that I have learned in the education process from middle school all through college is that you have to read your teachers. You have to find out what is and is not acceptable to them. Each teacher is a bit different. For this teacher, just play his or her game! Even in school, politics exist. Your next teacher may love clichés or may think they are stupid. Who knows?

Unfortunately, you cannot always write what you want to write. That is a part of life. I have been in courses where I had to write papers on topics that I did not agree with, but had to write my paper like I did because my professor was that weird. There are some professors that believe that their way is the only way...unfortunately....just a game to play.

This part is great! (above)

You know, that list of cliche's exposes some errors of understanding. Did your judgmental teacher make that list? "Shouldn't of" is not a cliche; it is an error. It should be "shouldn't have," but people often use "of" instead. It is a common mistake, not a cliche!

Also, write out twenty-four seven instead of 24/7. That will make it even funnier at the end, when you break the rules and use those words.

This essay is brilliant, and it does something that is rare for an admissions essay: it really challenges people's ideas. What is the difference between a cliche and an old favorite? A matter of opinion, really. Some of my favorites are "as it were" and "so to speak." Some cliches got accepted and congealed, like "inasmuch." What a weird word...

I made that list up hehe. But the fact about the C was true

For a person whose native tongue ain't even english, my english teacher nags a lot

Top ten clichés to avoid-

1) at the end of the day 2) fairly unique 3) I personally 4) at this moment in time 5) with all due respect 6) absolutely 7) it's a nightmare 8) shouldn't of 9) 24/7 10) It's not rocket science.

Just wondering... is there a better way of presenting this part?

I think the idea is interesting though. :)

what are some cliche essay topics?

writing about moving experience bad?

You need to be more clear of what you are asking im confused

"Experience that affected your life" is a cliche essay.

Depending on how you approach the topic of a "moving experience", it may or may not be considered cliche.

Hope I was able to help!

It doesn't matter what you choose to write about really. What matters is that your essay be personal, detailed, honest and revealing about you. So just pick a topic that you think you can really relate to and is personal and go from there.