Hi all, I am in the process of preparing my Common App, as is basically everyone else. I am trying to decide between two subjects to focus on for my main Common App essay. I have written drafts for both of them.
One of them is about my experiences as an Irish dancer. I was a competitive Irish dancer from ages 8 to 15 and traveled several times a month to competitions and spent many hours a week at the dance studio. It was an enormous part of my life during that time, but my dancing came to a halt at age 15 due to persistent and serious injuries I sustained from dance. However, I still attend competitions and festivals as a spectator in my free time, keep track of results, and am very involved in Irish culture as my family consists of a mixture of Irish immigrants and those of Irish ancestry. I wrote about the valuable skills I gained from being so highly dedicated to a sport and additionally how it further connected me to my family’s culture.
The other option is about my experiences as a volunteer/assistant counselor at a residential summer camp this past summer. The camp was for kids with special medical needs that prevent them from attending normal summer camps. At this camp, the kids got to do everything you would imagine at a normal camp (hiking, arts and crafts, swimming, etc) while learning how to become more independent and take care of themselves despite medical needs. I lived in a cabin with my group of campers and became extremely close with them, and when I wasn’t with them, I was cleaning, setting up for meals in the dining hall, and other custodial tasks. The experience to me was honestly life changing. I became closer to people that I met there than I am to some people that I have known for years. The campers were awe-inspiring and were so strong and happy despite all that they’d been through. Though I value such friendships and experiences from the camp the most, I also picked up some valuable medical skills, which are useful as I plan on pursuing a medical-related career. However, this camp was on 8 days, so hardly a week out of my entire high school experience.
I know my question is very subjective, but I was hoping to hear some opinions on which you think is a better subject to write about under the assumption that both writing pieces are of equal quality. Both topics mean a lot to me, but I’m not sure which would paint a better picture for the colleges I’m applying to.
Thanks in advice for any advice!