So for the common app failure prompt, I wrote about tennis. I specifically wrote about how when I first started, I never wanted to serve and how my lack of a serve made me lose a bunch of games at a tennis camp, causing my self confidence to dwindle. I then talked about my practice routine to improve my serve and how I learned to love the times of struggle and hardship.
Does this sound like a cliche sports essay? (i.e. winning the big championship or not making the football varsity team, etc)
It’s not particularyunique, but admission officers could see that as conveying our passion of tennis, if written appropriately.
Yep cliche. Also not a good essay because it comes off too into yourself and your subject is trivial.
Can you guys read it?
@bomerr @neonerudite
I can read it; i’m like 98% sure it’ll be cliche tho.
start off with some novel-like description.
abruptly shift into an autobiography style explanation
end with “my bad life experience is actually really great because i learned so much and i’m glad it happened.”
Well I mean, that’s the format of ALL failure essays… I sent it too you anyway. Failure essays are inherently thematically cliche.
Your limit when writing an essay is your own imagination. I would say writing a failure essay is one of the more difficult prompts–IMO prompt 5 is the best–but it’s still no excuse. At the end of the day the reader will judge you based on what you wrote.
Your essay makes those exact same mistakes I wrote above.
Beyond that you make a few other common essay mistakes.
You don’t talk about the qualities that would make you a compelling applicant. e.g. helping the community or having good morals/character or passion for learning and personal growth.
Most importantly by writing only about yourself you end up coming off too into yourself; too selfish or vain. Which doesn’t make you come off likable to a reader. In short it’s a self-centered essay.
@bomerr What do you mean? I talk about how I embrace the times of hardship because they help me learn ways to improve and grow.
You talk about growing in terms of skill instead of in terms of character.
Also your motives aren’t pure; you are trying to improve for your own (selfish) gain.
I’d give the essay a 6/10. You don’t say anything that will hurt your chances of admissions like some of the truly scary essays I have seen. But it’s cliche and doesn’t help you at all either.
I don’t understand… how am I supposed to show that getting better at tennis or something similar gives something to others?
idk, it’s your life, your own experience, you have to figure out how to elaborate. Or chose a different topic.
@bomerr I used it for Duke, Penn, and some other Ivies and top schools. So it won’t hurt/help me either way?
hey OP could I read yours too, I wanted to write mine about swimming, want to know if I wouldve been in trouble
@bomerr Where do you go to college btw?
dude DONT stress if you already sent them in. there is absolutely NO benefit discussing it, unless your a masochist and you enjoy being depressed lol (im not bashing you, just saying)
i myself have taken a vow of silence amonst my friends regarding the apps until ALL the letters are in
blahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh 
are you a senior too? and what did you think of the essay? ._.
As someone who teaches college writing, I think you will be fine. It’s not your topic that matters, it’s what you do with it. If your essay creates a picture that helps the admissions committee understand who you are, then it is doing its job.