<p>athletes? i am a baller and can really spin some tales of a particular basketball player or my person experience in terms of dedication and stuff. But would my example be appropriate? I know it's better to use literary/history examples but still...</p>
<p>I used two sports-related examples on the March SAT and got a ten, so it worked out ok. Sports examples work fine IMO.</p>
<p>wombatsoup, can you tell me what the prompt was and the two sports examples you used? please, i just want to get a feel of what aspects to talk about.</p>
<p>you can talk about a variety of things as long is its genuine, relavent, and really supports the stance you made.</p>
<p>on the jan '09 test, i used van gogh’s starry night and the revolutionary war as my two examples and i got a 12.</p>
<p>the examples themselves aren’t as important as how you utilize them in your essay and show why you used the examples.</p>
<p>As a rule of thumb, literature and events in history impress the most. Books in particular because you get to underline the titles- which brings attention to it So when the grader notices Hamlet (for example) in your essay he/she says, “Wow this kid has read and understood Hamlet, Impressive!”
Besides, any classic piece of literature can fit into ANY SAT prompt. Just walk in with a few good books in mind. Don’t use books that every high school student has read- Romeo and Juliet, Catcher in the rye, ect… because the graders are English teachers and so they wont be impressed by those books. Some books that I have ALWAYS been able to use are The Great Gatsby, 1984, Macbeth, and Wuthering Heights.</p>
<p>In the BB they have an example of a 6 essay and the person wrote all about acting and experiences in theater auditions. (To me, that sounds a lot like writing about sports). I’m sure that if you can eloquently express yourself in terms of athletics, they will give you credit. Literature may impress, but if you’re faking it, don’t write about it. Chances are, if you write about something that really interests you, it will come out a lot better than trying to show off about subjects less important to you. I hate it when kids in discussions in English class start quoting Nietzsche and what not. Most of the time they look really stupid because they’re totally bs-ing.</p>
<p>On the other hand, my high school counselor told me that college admissions hate to read “sports stories” about how you won the big important game. I guess it’s way too common. In terms of college essays, if you write about sports, make sure it REALLY stands out.</p>