<p>I am applying to Gettysburg for Fall 2009 (RD) as an international student and I have a problem with the additonal essay. Thing is, I have a lot of activities and all, but I have no idea what to concentrate on. "Makng a difference in school"... Can it be an academic risk I've taken, or one of my ECs, or community service?...</p>
<p>Guys, what did YOU write on "how you have made a difference in your school or community and what you learned from that experience"?
Of course, I am not about stealing your ideas or anything, I just need help in figuring out what I need to write about.</p>
<p>I'd just pick one extracurricular activity that I was involved in which I felt made a difference. Examples from my own volunteer record that I would probably use would be volunteering as an ESL tutor/interpreter, founding a youth tennis camp, or tutoring kids in math and science. In each situation, my role was well defined, and there was a clear before and after (getting a program up and running, improving kids test scores, etc) to demonstrate that my efforts were actually helping. </p>
<p>Maybe if you listed a couple of the ECs you were thinking of writing about, I could better help you parse out the best one for your application essay.</p>
<p>You don't have to embelish. They're not looking for a Nobel Prize winner (unless, of course, you have one). My son wrote about a project he did for the school. It was an accompishment that he is proud of but not a major event. I think if you can write passionately about something you were involved in at your school: sports, academics, service, etc that is enough, IMO.
Good luck.</p>