College Essay Idea Generator

Get only the best writing ideas with our topic generator.

🎓 How to Use the Tool?
👌 Generating an Essay Idea
💡 Bad & Better Examples
❓ FAQ
🔗 References

🎓 Essay Idea Generator: How to Use the Tool?

Most students have no problems with creativity. They can brainstorm multiple topics in no time. But none of them seems appropriate. Some are too funny; other ones are too gloomy.

Have already found the right direction of thought?

Try entering it into our essay idea generator. You’ll get dozens of related titles and topic ideas.

The user interface is more than simple:

Add the topic or research sphere (it can be more or less specific, depending on your needs).
Press “Generate Ideas.”
Find the right title among the prompts in the list below.

👌 Generating an Essay Idea: Useful Tips

Did you know that choosing an essay idea is not only a random and creative activity? The process has its rules. The following checklist will keep you away from the wrong topic.

The topic suits the paper’s expected length	You won’t cover a broad topic in a five-paragraph essay. “The Effects of Artificial Feeding in Infants” could take dozens if not hundreds of pages to describe. But narrowing it down to “Death from Diarrhea as a Result of Artificial Feeding in Infants” makes the topic more manageable. As one can see, broad titles result in overgeneralization. Meanwhile, narrow topics can also become an issue since they lead to close observation.
The topic is researchable	This rule applies not just to research papers. Choose an idea you can develop in sufficient detail. The advice is critical when your academic paper has to include a bibliography. Does the selected topic have enough credible sources to cite?
The topic is inspiring	Many students fall into the trap of information availability (the one we mentioned in the previous tip). While searching for a well-researched topic, stay away from those that raise no emotion in you. If writing about diabetes mellitus sounds like a daunting task, choose the sphere of your interest, even if it provides less source information.
The topic encourages you to analyze	A descriptive essay on medicine is either your case study or a retelling of previous research. And if the former is a good choice, the latter will lack creativity and freshness of ideas. That’s why contrasting the symptoms of poisoning with various substances is better than merely describing them in a narrative essay.
The topic leaves freedom for a change	Sometimes the sphere that seemed researchable and exciting turns out to be a disaster. But by that moment, you’ll already have done a large share of work. So, starting from scratch would be a discouraging waste of time. Some topics can be easily generalized or narrowed without much editing. For example, you can change the last letter X to Z or Y in “The Tendencies in Seeking Medical Care by Generation X” if you discover more information in that direction.

💡 Bad & Better Ideas for Various Essay Genres (with Examples)

Although the tips above apply to any academic writing, genre-specific requirements exist. Look how well or poorly you can formulate the same topic.

Argumentative Essay Ideas

The primary criterion of an argumentative essay topic is its debatability. You’ll have three ways of arguing.

The classical model is the most standard and easy to write. The topic describes the debate, and the thesis statement presents your opinion in it. The main body lists your arguments, and the conclusion restates your initial claim.
The Rogerian model describes all the opinions with equal diligence. Then you draw the line and conclude which is more viable.
The Toulmin model also explores both sides of a debate, but counterarguments serve to explain why one of the two is wrong.

Thus, a weak argumentative essay topic does not have any intrinsic controversy.

❌ Weak examples	✅ Stronger examples
Antibiotics can cause allergic reactions.	Is an allergic reaction a sufficient cause to change the prescribed antibiotic?
Fast food is never healthy.	Can fast food be healthy?
Homosexuality is a physiological norm.	Can we approach homosexuality as a physiological norm?

Narrative Essay Ideas

A narrative essay leaves more freedom for creativity. Still, it has its rules.

It Tells a Story

Everybody likes stories and particularly relatable ones. Share your experience or skills with the reader.

❌ Weak examples	✅ Stronger examples
Fear of blood as a problem for nurses.	How I overcame my fear of blood during practice?

It Is Exciting to Read

❌ Weak examples	✅ Stronger examples
A personal trip to the doctor’s career.	Obstacles on my way to becoming a doctor.

It Teaches a Lesson

An argumentative essay explains why one opinion is better than the other. A compare and contrast essay shows the differences. And a narrative essay teaches a lesson.

❌ Weak examples	✅ Stronger examples
The principles of ethical nursing.	How I learned the principles of ethical nursing.

Compare & Contrast Essay Ideas

Who would compare a hedgehog to a refrigerator and why? As you may have guessed, the core of a compare and contrast essay is the right choice of juxtaposed objects. And the best way to find such things is to draw a Venn diagram. It consists of two partially overlapping circles. The shared section contains the similarities, and the individual ones show the differences.

❌ Weak examples	✅ Stronger examples
Comparison of headache and diarrhea symptoms.	Comparison of fracture and dislocation in a limb.

Thank you for reading this article! Note that if you need to quickly summarize a piece of text, you are welcome to use our summarizing tool.

❓ Essay Idea Generator FAQ

❓ What Is the Main Idea of an Essay?

The main idea of an essay is the message you wish the readers to understand in the course of reading. Its nature depends on the essay genre. In an argumentative essay, the main idea explains why one of the opinions is more worthwhile. In the narrative, the main idea lies in morale.

❓ How to Find the Main Idea of an Essay?

The main idea of an essay is usually condensed in the last sentence of the introduction. It is also called a thesis statement. Still, you can use the topic sentences of each main body paragraph as the components of the main idea.

❓ How to Introduce a New Idea in an Essay?

Introduce a new idea in a new paragraph. Write a topic sentence and develop it in the subsequent phrases. Don’t forget to provide evidence or supportive reasoning. And never use the conclusion as a place to introduce new ideas.

❓ How to Come Up with College Essay Ideas?

You can use various brainstorming techniques to come up with essay ideas. But we recommend you a quicker method. The essay idea generator will provide plenty of essay titles and prompts on any topic or area of knowledge. Enter the keyword, press the button, and select your best variant from the list.

Updated: Sep 13th, 2024