Common App Activities Essay -- First time joining debate team

Joining the debate team was something I'd always been interested in doing, but could never as there wasn't one established at my school. Well, junior year that problem was solved, and I finally got to try out something new.

In the beginning it was excruciating. Although I was talented at writing out cases, I wasn't too great at thinking on my feet. I could always present a wonderful position and it would fool my opponents until crossfire rolled around, in which they would greatly defeat my teammate and I.

Not succeeding killed me. Failure was, and still continues to be, one of my biggest fears, so it took so much of me not to walk out and just quit. I did end up sticking with it throughout the rest of the school year, and although I wasn't as great as my competitors, I'm glad I forced myself to step out of my comfort zone and experience something different

.... I introduced a few changes to this : )


I suggest;
However, during my junior year this problem was solved and I finally had what I longed for, joining the debating team


... say this differently;
My failure broke my heart severely.

The opening sentence is a bit awkward. Try to rephrase it. Also, most importantly, make sure you make it clear that failure doesn't define you as a person. Don't be negative, and make sure you highlight the idea that you're not afraid to step outside of your comfort zone to overcome failure.