Tennis=Hard work (not genius) - Common App Extracurricular Activity

Einstein once said that"Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% Hard work". I came to acknowledge this phrase for the first time while playing Tennis, last year . Even though I was an amateur in the sport, I felt countless times the urge to quit, especially when on my first game I got hit on my balls, and when while I practicing I overextended my calves muscles, and with My Finals nearing. I had to find a good reason to continue, which i did. Playing tennis (and losing several games) I was introduced to this phenomenon called Hard work, I may have lacked that 1 % talent, but somewhere inside me, there was this urge to Play Tennis for fun, moreover play it to win. This awakening led me to practice Tennis every morning ( embarrassing, cause I would be the only one) in school gym, which led me to respect myself and even win the Coaches Award that season.

[i am not sure if this is good enough for colleges, pls advice needed]

You should really show more of your passion for tennis. Maybe you can talk about that feeling you get when you hit an ace. You could talk about that feeling when you reach up, bend your knees and bring the racquet down on the ball-how exhilarating it is when you serve. Haha, I play tennis too. :)


You should change phrase to something like aphorism.


That might be funny when you're talking to your friends, but it seems inappropriate. (the "balls" part)

You also have random words you have capitalized that shouldn't be capitalized like:




You mentioned 1% talent, but the Einstein quote says 1% inspiration. I'm not sure what you mean there.


Practicing tennis every morning shouldn't be embarrassing. That's part of the 99% hard work. Maybe you could expand on that, like: I got up every morning at 5:00 and took the metro to school to practice my serves. I was the only one on the courts. All I could hear was my heavy breathing, the ball bouncing and the birds chirping.

Your idea is really good, just work on clarity and your passion for the sport. :)

Good luck!

I think your idea is really good. However, i think your essay has lost focus. You need to answer these questions: Why do you play tennis? How does it make you feel? Why are you so passionate about it?

What have you learned from playing it?
I understand that you only have 150 words ( I'm writing these essays and know the crucial word counts :) ) but I think that is what the admissions officers are looking for.

Please take my comments as friendly suggestions!

Good Luck!

The essay is a bit too short. You do convey your message clearly, but the whole prose could definitely be improved. You are capitalizing words that do not need to be capitalized. Second, show your passion for tennis and be more eloquent yet precise in your writing. Overall, this is a good essay.