Truth: Actually, your college admissions essay is your chance to write about anything you wish. What’s more, you don't even have to write an essay! You could submit a dramatic screenplay about your first summer job and how you saved the day when the ice cream shop you worked at ran out of ice. You could communicate your passion for student government through a poem. Subject and format aren’t set in stone (though you should make sure to stay within the word count). Most applications have very open-ended essay questions and as long as you answer them, feel free to get creative. In fact, you may get bonus points for presenting your essay in an interesting way.

How many times would you be able to read an essay about what someone learned in high school?  Imagine reading about the same topics in the same format 300 times! That's the position most admissions officers are in. Make your essay stand out among the hundreds of others that sound the same. Here are some tips on how to write an essay that ‘wows’ the admissions committee:

Write from a different perspective. Some successful essays throw the personal narrative out the window. For example, instead of talking about how you helped an elderly person in their time of need, write your essay from the elderly person’s point-of-view.

Avoid listing. Many prospective college applicants think that making a list of all of their accomplishments will place their essay on the top of the pile. However, to create an essay that interests the admissions department, you should actually tell a story and have a clear, direct focus. Lists are boring and redundant since these achievements are likely listed elsewhere in your application.

Write with a hook. What’s a hook? It’s what makes your essay stand out in the crowd. What’s different about your essay? How will others remember you? If there is something that makes you unique, tap into that. Are you known at school for being great with people? Do you have a knack for baseball and help coach a little league team? What is it that makes you stand out and how will it make you stand out while you’re in college?

Still have writer’s block? Check out the following:

• Take a look at Essays That Worked for College Applications, a helpful book which features 50 excellent examples of essays written by students accepted at some of the country's top universities.
• If you want your essay to stand out, refer to this unusual, yet effective example called Eating Eyeballs.
• See what Tufts University is currently asking its applicants.
• Want to try your hand at a provocative essay question? Check out the University of Chicago admissions website for examples.
• Stay up-to-date with all things related to finding the right college for you with the MyCollegeOptions blog.

If you're in high school, your parents and guidance counselors are likely pushing you to do some sort of community service work. They've probably told you the following a million times: "It will look great on your resume!" "You will be helping people in need!" "It will make you look well-rounded!"  However, community service doesn't just look good on a college application. Nowadays, volunteering for free can literally pay off in the form of scholarships and even full rides, reports USA Today.

Sure, star athletes and geniuses are still first in line for the annual $29 billion in institutional grants given out by colleges, but there is a growing trend in what are called service scholarships. Schools such as The College of New Jersey, Tufts University, and Drew University have implemented major service scholarship programs to help those who give back.  

The USA Today article discusses a young woman from Rochester, New York, who was always very active in community service. She thought that would make colleges more likely to accept her, but she was shocked when she opened up an envelope and found that Drew University was offering her a service scholarship that would cover her entire tuition (which is about $36,000 a year).

While these service scholarships award students for helping the community while in high school, once they get a service scholarship to a college, the hard work doesn't end there. In order to attend, most of the schools require you to fulfill a certain number of community service hours (sometimes up to 300 hours per year). However, the community service activities are frequently related to classroom learning.   

Schools and organizations that are beginning to add more service scholarship programs hope this will help take away a little emphasis on grades and put more on giving back to the community.