If the extracurricular activity does not contribute to the overall theme/point of my essay, is it ok not to include it? For example, I will have 4 years of varsity tennis- but will not put this in my essay. Is it bad to just list it and not talk about it?
Also, is it taboo to talk about divorces (because a lot of people have them) if they havent impacted your mentality, but has impacted your lifestyle?(no childcare because father is in another country, but divorced early enough to not have any emotional ties)
No, you aren’t expected to talk about all your extracurriculars. It’s probably better that you aren’t since sports essays can easily turn cliche.
With divorce, you can certainly talk about it. However, keep in mind that YOU should be the focus of the essay, not your parents. Definitely talk about the circumstances of the divorce, but really try to focus on how this has shaped you as a person.
The essay is not an opportunity to recap your ECs – that is not the point of the essay at all. It is to show admissions something they can’t see from looking at the rest of your application. They will read the app and see your ECs. Don’t waste your essay space telling things they can already see someplace else.
Regarding the divorce, you have to consider whether an essay talking about that makes them want you on campus. How does it move them toward saying, “We really want YellowTiger to come to our school!”? If you need to describe family circumstances that have affected your grades or ability to do ECs, ask your GC to mention it in their recommendation. Use the real estate in your essay to put forward a story that makes them want to accept you.
While it’s ok to use divorce as the focus of your essay, it is a very common and sometimes over used topic that can become cliche to admissions officers. If you mention divorce, make sure what you say about it goes against the grain of a typical response.