I’ve met many high school seniors who enter the college application process predisposed to write their essay about a particular experience. But when you become attached to the idea that one experience should earn a spot in your essay, you’re losing your objectivity in evaluating the story.
Topics discussed in your college essays should always share new information that a college can’t learn from the application alone. Sometimes that means writing about something that hasn’t been mentioned yet. Other times, that means sharing new information about something that’s already been mentioned. It’s possible for an experience to have been quite valuable, but not fit either one of those criteria. If that’s the case, mention it on the application, but leave it out of the essay.
Essays should discuss topics that were important to you. But not everything that’s been important to you necessarily makes a good topic. Use the criteria above to test your stories. And if one doesn’t quite work, don’t take it personally. Move on and pick a different experience that will be new to the reader.