I’m currently writing a supplement for this college and the prompt is “describe the significance of a school/summer activity.” For this college’s main essay, I wrote about my service trip and a problem that I’d like to solve at the place I volunteered. I’m considering writing about that same service trip for my supplement essay, but via a different lens-more in terms of how teaching the kids there impacted me (e.g. being a teacher made me develop my confidence etc.) However, I’m worried that if I write about the same activity twice, the admissions officers might think I’m not well-rounded enough. So I’m wondering, is it okay for me to do this?
I have other activities I could write about, such as my experience on the XC team, but I know sports is such a cliche topic. As for other ECs, I don’t think I could really express myself genuinely if I wrote about them. So right now, I’m kind of stuck-write about XC and probably come out with a cliche essay (and tbh I’m not even part of the team anymore) , or write about an activity I already wrote about, and not come off as well-rounded.
Thank you to anyone who responds!
My kid wrote a different common app essay for that school when she felt there was too much overlap between the supplemental and her common app topic. It is extra work, but your real estate in the app is valuable and limited.
Ugh. It depends. On how important the experience on the service trip was.
@RebeccaJay : The trip did make quite an impact on me, and not just in the typical “I saw poor kids and realized how lucky I am” cliche. That trip was the first time I served in a leadership role, and I think it really did make me realize that I am not as incompetent as I always thought I was. Which I guess is the main difference between my supplement and main essay? As in for my main essay I’m focusing on a problem I’d like to solve and the steps I’d take to solve it, while for this supplement I’m more focusing on personal development, even though both essays are about the same activity.
Tough choice then. I must say I don’t have experience with the US and the perticulars of what is going on in there. I can only say what I would do - I would write about the trip then, because it feels important and genuine. But either choice is a bet.
Do you have a chance to just mention the sports elsewhere?
use EACH essay to tell the admissions committee something DIFFERENT.
repeating the essence of an experience, however meaning full it was to you, will NOT make a positive impression.
@RebeccaJay: Thanks for the advice. I listed the sport as an EC but I don’t have a chance to write about it.
@menloparkmom: Thank you, I’ll keep your words in mind. If I do end up writing about a different topic such as my experience on the cross country team, do you have any tips to keep it non-cliche? I feel like if I do write about XC, it’ll be the same old “running was so hard but I learned not to give up…” etc.
@intparent: Thank you for the advice. I think I’d rather write a supplement on a different topic than write a new common app essay because I think my current common app essay is a good reflection of who I am as a person.
My kid sort of ported that Common App essay to her supplement, so she didn’t lose her good work on it. Just for that one school.
@shuangdreams Don’t write about the same experience. You have another opportunity to showcase something else about yourself in the supplemental. Don’t waste it.
Can you write about your personal development using the trip as one of several examples from your life? Or maybe touch on the trip but focus on what you do now that you’re back that you didn’t do before?