<p>I wrote my 500 word Common App essay very introspectively dealing with how swimming shaped me as a person. It's also been my passion since I was 5, and even though it's technically an EC, I consider it so much more than that. So I chose to write about it in the longer essay, rather than the 150 word EC essay.</p>
<p>My question now is, I have 2 essays written for the EC short essay on Common App. My original essay is about Debate. My other option is to replace it with an essay about my summer job as a swim team coach/manager. What's the better choice here? I'm applying ED to Wharton and EA to MIT (interest in Management) and Chicago. Should I write the essay on my coaching job, which obviously has more to do with business/management, or should I just keep my essay about debate? If I don't write my EC essay on debate, it will pretty much get no love for the rest of my app/supplements whereas my job will be mentioned at least when asked about why I am choosing business.</p>
<p>And honestly im not even sure that writing about swimming for your 500 word essay was a good idea. Usually its NOT supposed to be about an EC. Your swimming is already listed in the activities section, probably the awards section, and maybe on some recs. They want to learn more about you. The Short answer is DESIGNED to let them learn more about a major EC. They dont want to hear about ECs, Grades, or School in general in your main essay. I would say write about swimming in the 150 word essay and pick a new topic for the 500 word essay.</p>
<p>For Wharton and Chi, pick the topic (and execution) that best shows how you will ft and thrive there, how you are able to climb out of your comfort zone and learn from challenges. Don’t try to 2nd guess adcoms- it’s not about your management experience. It’s about revealing your strengths, influences, how you work to overcome hurdles- and mature, thrive, evolve. All that. Remember: show-not-tell. Btw, you can write about an EC, but the result has to reveal the attributes a scool is looking for.</p>
<p>stewta4, my 500 word essay isn’t a concern. I’ve had plenty of graduates read it along with my guidance counselors and they all said it was very good. It’s focus isn’t on swimming, because I know how cliche that can be, but rather I use it to show how growing with swimming shaped me to who I am today and how. It’s hard to explain without just repasting the essay here to be honest. </p>
<p>lookingforward, thanks for the advice. Ironically, going by that, I would still write about my summer job then, just from a completely different perspective.</p>