<p>So basically, I've written my common app essay about my jump rope coach and her influence on me. But, I completely forgot about the "elaborate on an extracurricular" portion when I did this. Would it be bad to write my extracurricular short essay about jump rope as well? I've been doing it for eleven years so it's a big deal to me, but I don't want to seem on sided or anything. Any thought?</p>
<p>thanks for reading this!</p>
<p>I would avoid restating the jump rope angle–colleges want a complete portrait of you, and while a glance at your “chance” threads indicates you are stellar at jump rope, admissions officers need to see more of you. That is, unless you have done something such as teach jump rope to inner city kids or something such as that…in that case, you could indirectly write about jump rope.</p>
<p>I agree with Brownford. You want to showcase more aspects of your personality, talents and what you have to offer the school. Find something else to write about.</p>
<p>Thanks for the comments! But, now might I ask for a bit of help?</p>
<p>So, in my common app essay, I really focus on my coach and hardly mention jump rope except to acknowledge what exactly she coaches. So, if I were required to write about a different EC for the “elaboration” section, I feel like I would loose the opportunity to explain how jump rope, rather than my coach has shaped my life and how jump rope is so stereotyped. </p>
<p>A few options I’m thinking of now. Just tell me what you think</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Write a new common app essay about a different subject and write about jump rope for my EC instead</p></li>
<li><p>Use the same common app essay but talk about a different EC</p></li>
<li><p>Change my common app essay to be less about my coach and more about jump rope and elaborate on a different EC</p></li>
</ol>
<p>And thank you very much!</p>
<p>M’s Mom can you clear out your inbox and message me</p>
<p>From what I know about you, I suggest you write about your jump roping for your main essay, and choose something else for the EC essay. It just seems as if jump roping comprises a significant portion of your life, and you could make the essay very unique and quirky–give the colleges a picture of the person behind the ropes, so to speak. Let me know if you would like me to look over anything!</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Would it be weird if I were to write an essay with a combination of talking about my coach as well as jump rope itself? That kinda seems like I’m trying to squeeze two categories into one essay…</p>
<p>And then for the EC elaboration, I have a passion for languages and learning new ones, but I’ve played piano for 9 years and love that. Would it be too much of a stretch combining those two and talking about music itself being a foreign language to me?</p>
<p>“a picture of the person behind the ropes”</p>
<p>Isn’t it more like, the person between the ropes? </p>
<p>Anyways, I think the coach and the sport go hand in hand. To be honest, it’s very difficult to write about just a sport without embellishing on your accomplishments. You already have other places to write about the awards you’ve won and that type of thing, and the essay allows you to write about the more personable aspects of your jump roping. So I think you’re not really combining anything, but instead you’re elaborating on an important aspect of your jump rope development.</p>
<p>For the “EC elaboration” I actually have a short anecdote. I’m in the IB program and we have to take TOK, which is theory of knowledge. In that class, one of the major assignments was “What does my language meant to me?”, and one of my best friends, who is a wonderful cellist and composer, decided to write on just that topic. SO, I again think it makes for an interesting and nice idea for an essay. The only issue I see is that there is a short word limit. 1000 characters is around 250 words. Our word limit for the TOK essay was 1000 words, so there’s a slight difference there.</p>
<p>But good luck, I like your ideas.</p>
<p>“'a picture of the person behind the ropes”'</p>
<p>Isn’t it more like, the person between the ropes?"</p>
<p>My bad, I was imagining one rope jump roping 
I’m not very well versed in the game.</p>
<p>I disagree with moonman’s assertion that “it is hard to write about just a sport without embellishing on your accomplishments.” I wrote about my photography, and I was able to explain why I began photography and elaborate upon the decisions that led to my accomplishments. You could easily do that with jump rope! Also, last Friday I was in the vicinity of a former Stanford admissions officer, who told me that he preferred not seeing essays talking about the most influential person in one’s life, for many students reveal more about that person than themselves.</p>
<p>I think the piano/language essay could be interesting, if executed properly. However, the word limit might impede your ability to connect the two clearly and well. My response was actually cut off at 1,000 characters, too…</p>
<p>Be careful about a common app essay that focuses on your coach. He or she isn’t the one applying to college. The essay needs to be about you - what you learned from your experience as an athlete, what role models inspired you (including the coach), what challenges you had to overcome, what defeat - as well as victory- has taught you about yourself, about the trade-offs that you’ve made to be an athlete and whether it has been worth it, about where these experiences will take you next and importantly…how they impact your future plans as a student, an athlete, a professional and a person.</p>
<p>Agree with Brownford to put something else in the EC short- you can allude to jump rope being the primary, but make something charming about another activity. (I have concerns about piano/langs or any lone pursuits, unless you can convert them to something with impact on others.)</p>
<p>And, I second and third: *Be careful about a common app essay that focuses on your coach. He or she isn’t the one applying to college. * Everything M’sMom says- and even some humor, if poss.</p>