<p>The topic is:
Describe any personal circumstances or academic experiences (positive or negative) that you feel are important for us to know about you.</p>
<p>Could I write about my "losing" cross country season this year.(I am a senior)
or is that off topic?</p>
<p>would my cross country season(for school) be considered as "personal circumstances or academic experiences" </p>
<p>the reason I ask is because I already have the essay written but I am just not sure if it fits...btw I have not used the essay for any school</p>
<p>The thing about these essay prompts is that how you interpret the question is just as important as how you write the answer. If you genuinely feel like the essay is a fit, then use it. If, however, you have the slightest doubt as to your intentions for using an already complete essay on what will probably be the most important application you fill out during your undergraduate career then do not use the essay.</p>
<p>In any case, if you decide to use it I would recommend editing it. This is purely because your paradigm changes over time, so you could potentially make your essay much more sincere due to a new perspective on the issues of the past.</p>
<p>Out of curiosity, why did you write the essay in the first place?</p>
<p>It was actually for another college with a similar topic but in the topic there was the word "extracurricular" so it would fit for sure but I ended up deciding not to apply</p>
<p>I felt the essay was good though...it was sincere and honest, kind of a reflection of my whole season which didn't go as well as I hoped...</p>
<p>I am not sure what academic experience or personal circumstance can really be interpreted...I mean obviously academic things like school subjects, traveling, academic interests but I am just not sure if a school sport is an academic experience...although in my essay I do say how much it taught/influenced me, etc</p>
<p>I would go with it then. Just slide it in under "personal circumstances", it would be harder to pull it through under "academic experiences". It might be a bit of a stretch, but if it is a stretch that you feel works, then go with it.</p>
<p>There is no magic here or correct response- if the cross country season disappointment was "meaningful" to you, then go with it. If it is already written, all the more reason to put your energy elsewhere.</p>
<p>"Personal circumstances or academic experiences" in this context usually means major obstacles you've overcome (health, family, full-time job, learning disability, disruptive event or environment), accomplishments you haven't mentioned already, or other unusual circumstances that, if known, would cause someone to view the objective parts of your application in a different light.</p>
<p>I don't think an essay about having a bad cross country season fits this topic, unless there's something I'm missing here. Maybe if it prompted a nervous breakdown or an injury that set you back in school or something -- but if this is just an essay about manning up after an athletic disappointment, I wouldn't use it in response to a "personal circumstances" prompt.</p>
<p>Well my essay starts off saying how I never ran cross country before...it was my first season btw...then how I struggled through practice...then how I lost a spot to go to State by 1.2 seconds(this was at sectionals)...then some positive things about motivation, the team and things I learned through the experience.</p>
<p>Just a simple breakdown of my essay...I would love to have somebody proofread and tell me if it is okay(grammatically and topic wise)</p>
<p>I actually have an essay about my internship at an engineering firm (im planning to major in Computer Science) so do you think I should just send that one in??</p>
<p>The reason I want to use the sport essay is because I was sincere in my essay...I just like my own essay, I think it's good...I think...btw im not the best writer either.</p>