CGT95
Oct 17, 2012
Undergraduate / 'Commitment, patience and hard work' - Common App Short Essay Extracurricular [NEW]
Hi,
I have 2 differnent possible responses to the common app short answer - I would apreciate any advice I am not sure if I should focus more on a more academic activity - i am more of a sports person as far as my activites have been focused.
Prompt
Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences in the space below (1000 character maximum).
Going around the first red ball on the slalom course I got too far forward and flipped over the front of my ski. I landed on my face and got the wind knocked out of me. My eyes stung because they were open when I hit the water. I felt like crying and giving up. I was the youngest skier and the only girl in the boat. I felt I needed to be strong and tough like everyone else. I got back up and made a full pass again. This time I nailed it. Afterwards I realized that I didn't get back up just to look tough. I did it because I had worked hard to get to the red ball level and I knew I could do it. I believe that perseverance is an attribute that sets me apart. Perseverance also helps me in rowing where it is all about practice and conditioning for weeks and then pushing myself for those few minutes we are actually on the water. Perservance is defined as diligence, hard work, endurance. I believe these attributes will serve me well in college.
OR
Sunday afternoon's during my junior year of high school I volunteered at a soup kitchen. The Cafe serves hot meals to about 50 people of all ages five nights a week. When I first started the patrons were kind of stand offish and Diane, the manager was bossy. She would assign me all the fun jobs like cleaning out the refrigerators, peeling and chopping huge mounds of onions and mopping floors that would never get clean again. For the first few weeks I felt like quitting but I stuck with it. Over time as the patrons and Diane saw that I was a good worker they started to open up to me. We talked about the Patriots, favorite movies, their children, etc. I saw that even though many of the patrons were going through tough times they were like me a many ways. They had a sense of humor and lots to say. I learned not to judge people or situations on first impressions. I also learned that what you invest in a situation or activity is what you will get back. Commitment, patience and hard work are rewarding and this experience will carry through in other areas of my life.
Hi,
I have 2 differnent possible responses to the common app short answer - I would apreciate any advice I am not sure if I should focus more on a more academic activity - i am more of a sports person as far as my activites have been focused.
Prompt
Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences in the space below (1000 character maximum).
Going around the first red ball on the slalom course I got too far forward and flipped over the front of my ski. I landed on my face and got the wind knocked out of me. My eyes stung because they were open when I hit the water. I felt like crying and giving up. I was the youngest skier and the only girl in the boat. I felt I needed to be strong and tough like everyone else. I got back up and made a full pass again. This time I nailed it. Afterwards I realized that I didn't get back up just to look tough. I did it because I had worked hard to get to the red ball level and I knew I could do it. I believe that perseverance is an attribute that sets me apart. Perseverance also helps me in rowing where it is all about practice and conditioning for weeks and then pushing myself for those few minutes we are actually on the water. Perservance is defined as diligence, hard work, endurance. I believe these attributes will serve me well in college.
OR
Sunday afternoon's during my junior year of high school I volunteered at a soup kitchen. The Cafe serves hot meals to about 50 people of all ages five nights a week. When I first started the patrons were kind of stand offish and Diane, the manager was bossy. She would assign me all the fun jobs like cleaning out the refrigerators, peeling and chopping huge mounds of onions and mopping floors that would never get clean again. For the first few weeks I felt like quitting but I stuck with it. Over time as the patrons and Diane saw that I was a good worker they started to open up to me. We talked about the Patriots, favorite movies, their children, etc. I saw that even though many of the patrons were going through tough times they were like me a many ways. They had a sense of humor and lots to say. I learned not to judge people or situations on first impressions. I also learned that what you invest in a situation or activity is what you will get back. Commitment, patience and hard work are rewarding and this experience will carry through in other areas of my life.