<p>I was looking at the new Common App topics for this year, and the one about experiencing failure really stood out. However, I was wondering if this would be a good subject to write about, since it might make the applicant look like... well, a failure. </p>
<p>The subject I had in mind was how I didn't get elected as an officer in a debate-y club I'm really really involved in and I was initially upset. But in the end, I realized that having a leadership position in the club didn't matter because I had already influenced so many people in the club, and being good at what I loved was more important. Something like that.</p>
<p>Would that be suitable, or would colleges not like it because it shows that I failed at trying to secure a leadership position? Any opinions are welcome! :)</p>
<p>Failure is an excellent theme because it can reveal honesty, humility, courage, resilience, growth, reflection, maturity, willingness to take risks.</p>
<p>You are correct though in suggesting that there should be revelation not just of failure but also of something positive to come out of it or to be revealed by it. </p>
<p>I don’t think I would say that the leadership position “didn’t matter”. Your pain, your sense of loss matter; the position does matter and it isn’t credible to my ears to say that it doesn’t. However, the realization that you can contribute in other ways, that you can provide leadership in other ways, and your willingness to do so are all important. They also allow for revelation of your passion, humility, maturity, and sense of purpose.</p>
<p>It can work, but I see two issues in what you’ve described</p>
<p>1) What exactly do you mean by ‘influenced’? Did you take up a leadership role anyways? Did you mentor younger, less experienced students? And what did that actually produce in terms of tangible results? If things are as amazing as you make them sound, the reader would then ask themselves why you weren’t elected in the first place. You see the problem here.</p>
<p>2) The subject you’ve chosen is not particularly compelling. Failure in an out-of-school context, or in something that more resembles a personal goal, would be better. You understand that ‘not getting a certain officer position’ doesn’t translate into an optimal brand of failure that resonates with people, especially an adult reader. </p>
<p>If you need some more ideas for thinking out of the box, you can check out my guide here - [The</a> App Style - A College Application Guide](<a href=“http://www.theappstyle.com%5DThe”>http://www.theappstyle.com)</p>
<p>Well I don’t wanna give too much away here, but I’ll elaborate on my situation a bit more. I first joined [club] in my freshman year, when I knew absolutely no one. [Club] helped me transform from a shy kid to an outgoing, informed individual.</p>
<p>By the end of junior year, I had spent more than 650 hours on [club]. I had 16 awards from various conferences and was considered one of the top people in our program. I was the go-to person when a friend needed help with [club]. I consistently won awards at every conference, whereas most people did not.</p>
<p>Therefore, I decided to run for the second highest position in my club. There were four people running; my best friend was also running. She told me that I would lose because I wasn’t “popular” enough, basically. I talked to that year’s president and he encouraged me to run, so I did it-- and I made it into the top 2. It was against me and this slightly less qualified, but more known girl. </p>
<p>There was sort of complications with the election because only 1/2 the club voted, but I lost anyway. I was really angry and upset because I wouldn’t be an officer. But eventually I realized that it didn’t make me less good at what I do. [Club] shaped my entire life and I could still continue helping others with it.</p>
<p>Does that sound alright or too braggy? Would that stick with admissions people, or should I change it/ not use it?</p>
<p>If you like creative writing, I think you could spin it into a love story. (fell in love, took a chance, but in the end, the girl/boy (the club) rejected me) Adding humor might make your story more endearing and less whiny</p>
<p>I would recommend that you look for another topic. All the positive aspects will be covered in your activities description. Nothing that remains is any good to you. It’s just a bunch of high school drama, and talking about it will give your reader the impression that you never got over the messy outcome. </p>
<p>By the way, it’s not braggy at all - it’s actually the opposite. It shows that a bunch of hard work and hundreds of hours of involvement culminated in a petty popularity contest that didn’t end up well for you. This is certainly not your intended message.</p>
<p>If you really want to talk about debate, I’m sure you have other memories that can make for a better story. Single events are fine and usually better than a long, chronological sequence. At the planning phase, you should be thinking about positive, not negative things. This is true even if you’re tackling the topic of ‘failure’.</p>
<p>@girlincross: LOL. that sounds pretty cool, I might try it if I end up doing failure. @Splashofscience: Yeah, I agree with what you’re saying. Would a story about, for example, how I got best delegate (after 3 years of trying) by helping a new delegate be better? It kind of feels like the “I scored the winning goal for my soccer team” type essay that’s sort of annoying. lol. </p>
<p>I don’t really know. All of what I have to say sort of revolves around that club… sad D:</p>