Hi! I am working on my supplemental activity essay, and I’m unsure about the topic I should choose. Can I use sports for this? (I know doing so isn’t commonly advised, but it’s been a pretty significant part of my life.) Would it be better to write about something like music or volunteering? (I use the volunteering essay/topic for the Vanderbilt scholarship application… Will they consider both essays together?)
Thanks so much for any responses!
I would choose an activity that you have not talked about in your common app or in your scholarship essays. This is really an opportunity to show them information about you they haven’t seen.
Choose an activity that is most meaningful to you. Do not pick the one you think is most impressive. I think this essay is less about the activity itself and more about showing them how this experience impacted you and how you had an impact. What did you learn about yourself? How has it shaped you? Tell a story. Don’t spend much time talking about what you did.
I was actually speaking to our Vandy rep for a while after she visited our school last month. She laughed when one of the boys in our small group asked almost this exact question. They don’t mind sports essays at all, as long as they’re not “about” sports. “I missed my first 10 shots, then hit the game winner with time expiring, and that’s how I learned about perseverance” is not going to cut it. Using sports, or a story relating to your experiences and combining it with something that cuts to the essence of who you are? Go for it.
She said that if you are a competitive athlete, even if not at the Vandy D1 level, the admissions office understands that your ECs are going to show commitment in that area, and that of the 2 essays its quite possible you will use one to explain something deeper about yourself- with sports on the periphery.
Basically, what most tell you… Topic is less important (by a considerable margin) than quality of writing and what you can effectively let them know about you as a person within the essay.
Good luck! I’m ED1 and on pins and needles, lol.