<p>I was planning to write about how, after 10 years of practice, I stopped teaching and competing in Judo due to the environment and how the coaches required you to make it your priority; if you didn't teach for at least three hours a day from M-F and then another 8 every Saturday morning, they would simply ignore you and just halfheartedly give you a 'nice job' rather than actual advice. From the age of 12 I had fallen into this routine which meant that I could not join and find many service and leadership opportunities because most events would fall under times of practice, I had to drop my sport because they didn't approve and because it conflicted with class time, and although I was seeing results competitively on a national level, I was not happy because my life was school and practice. There was no time to hang out with friends or join clubs or to do anything else for three years of high school. So the summer of my senior year I dropped it and I am now happier than I ever have been the past three years. </p>
<p>Now the dilemma for me is, should I even use this topic for my essay? I don't want to reflect how, after 12 years of dedication to something, I dropped it after being passionate about it for so long. But at the same time I want to reflect why I had not been involved in many clubs my earlier years of high school, why I dropped a sport that I was doing well in, and how I valued my own happiness over the expectations of others. So should I write about this? Which common app essay would it fall under? Here are the topics:</p>
<p>Some students have a background or story that is so central to their identity that they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. </p>
<p>Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what lessons did you learn?</p>
<p>Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again?</p>
<p>Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content. What do you do or experience there, and why is it meaningful to you?</p>
<p>Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.</p>
<p>I would say the third one is a better choice. The problem is that you had been living in that routines for three years. Three years is quite a long time. If you want to write this topic, I would suggest that focus on why you insist to drop out and why it took you three years. You have to be careful because you said that you didn’t have time to be with your friends and join clubs. If your reasons are not adequate, you high school life seems to be a bit dull, which universities don’t want to see.
Hope I explained it clearly. Good luck</p>
<p>I am writing from a parent’s point of view with not much experience judging college essays. I think your subject has the potential to be a very good essay but it should be done carefully. Try to put a positive spin on the situation. You have worked very hard to achieve what you have achieved in your sport but you want to broaden your experiences before going off to college. Be careful that you do not sound critical of your coaches. Think about what you want to accomplish with your essay and that is to convince a college that you will be a good candidate for their student body.</p>
<p>My son was awarded his black belt in his discipline his freshman year of high school. He continued training for about six more months and then decided to take a break. Besides wanting time for school activities, he also was a bit “freaked out” by the one-track minds of the other black belts. For many, to reach a high level in a sport, it is necessary to really devote time to it. My S had too many interests to spend 6 days a week training. I think he made a wise decision, although at the time I was a little disappointed and I hoped that he would return to it in college. </p>
<p>I don’t like it. It sounds on first glance like you dropped a passion in order to have more time for fun stuff. Unless you can spin it in a really life-enhancing deep way (not just “happier”), I think it is not a good idea. I could be totally wrong. But make sure you express depth and breadth if you take this road. </p>
<p>I think it has potential. I see the narrative as one where you have “maxed out” in something you love, and how you move on and set new goals. This is usually something that happens a little later, high school football players or debaters often “retire” from their primary activity because it doesn’t translate into adult life (or even college life). It could be very interesting to explore your thought process as you make that transition. </p>
<p>Yeah, I’ll definitely put a positive spin on it to make it not seem like I’m blaming others. It’s not their fault, I just decided that that kind of life wasn’t for me. Any advice on which essay topic I could use?</p>