So this sounds dumb but I don’t know what to write for the Common App essay. Im thinking either answer the background/talent/interest/skill question or the free write one. But the thing is that the whole point of this essay is to write something personal and honest and direct and shows your best qualities that colleges are looking for. That sounds so damn hard…
That being said, what’s the rule on writing about one of your activities? I’ve read that you shouldn’t write about it because it’s already in the activities section and it will be repetitive but then again, what else could you write about?!?!
Using an activity(ies) to show what type of person you are or how that activity shaped and improved you as a person is fine. In fact, it can serve to give factual context to positive characteristics about yourself that you want to portray. On the other hand, just a narrative about your activity with a list of awards/recognition would be repetitive.
@cardywheip, it is hard!
Try to step back and think of what the rest of your application shows about you, including what things your GC and teachers are likely to say about you. Then think about which of those things are ones that you really to emphasize- and what is missing from that picture of you.
Example: if you are a creative writer, it may show up in your ECs (work on the literary mag, for example), and it may show up in your English teachers LoR (great use of language, for example), and your essay could be an anecdote about how you got into creative writing (X happened, I wrote about it, and I loved the way …). 3 aspects of your creative writing side that each add a different element about you.