Martial Arts in a College Essay?

[vantheman]

Hello all,

This fall I begin the daunting task of applying for college

Application season quickly approaches me and I am currently working on developing my personal essay. I have a few different drafts going, one of which, unsurprisingly, involves my tenure in the martial arts. While such approaches can often be cliché, I am confident I can construct something meaningful and reflective, especially given how I have always felt that my role as a martial artist is significant in who I am as a person.

Without getting to in depth, I currently am exploring the idea that my time in martial arts has both played a role in causing and reflected how I have changed as a person over the past 9 years.

Not necessarily looking for suggestions here, but just figured I'd share and see if anyone else has done similar things.

Thanks

[sensei8]

I wish you much success on writing your personal essay. It should be quite rewarding as you jot down the story about your MA journey. You'll laugh or cry or both at the same time as you travel back in your memories quite fondly.

Enjoy the task that's before you!! Thank you for sharing!!

[Lupin1]

Do it!

Best piece of advice about the college essay-- make it stand out. Admissions counselors have read a dozen essays about kids' family vacation or how working with someone different changed their perspective or about winning the state championship at some sport. It's overdone. So whatever you choose to write about, pick a very unique aspect of it to look at and write in a different, engaging manner (so don't just write about how much work you put into getting your black belt and how you learned to stick to and accomplish a goal and keep going even when you were frustrated-- that's been done a billion times).

I went to a military boot camp thing in 10th grade and wrote about that as it was something not too many kids have done. I wrote it as a narrative story telling a little snippet of something that happened that was incredibly intense and stressful, but that ended up be funny and I used it to tell about how I can take stressful situations and get myself and others through them with a smile. When they called to offer me acceptance (it was a small school), they said over and over how unique my essay was and how it make them laugh and gave them a look at something they'd never seen before.

There are definitely those unique moments in your martial arts journey. My advice would be to find one special, unique moment that's not something loads of people have experienced (so not just "when I won [or lost] the tournament and learned the value of hard work and giving my all". Lots of people win/lose at sports. Pick something that's unique to your journey) and write it as a short, engaging narrative that plops your audience down right at the peak of the action and use it to illustrate some aspect of your personality that makes you unique and a good addition to their student body.

[vantheman]

Do it!

Best piece of advice about the college essay-- make it stand out. Admissions counselors have read a dozen essays about kids' family vacation or how working with someone different changed their perspective or about winning the state championship at some sport. It's overdone. So whatever you choose to write about, pick a very unique aspect of it to look at and write in a different, engaging manner (so don't just write about how much work you put into getting your black belt and how you learned to stick to and accomplish a goal and keep going even when you were frustrated-- that's been done a billion times).

I went to a military boot camp thing in 10th grade and wrote about that as it was something not too many kids have done. I wrote it as a narrative story telling a little snippet of something that happened that was incredibly intense and stressful, but that ended up be funny and I used it to tell about how I can take stressful situations and get myself and others through them with a smile. When they called to offer me acceptance (it was a small school), they said over and over how unique my essay was and how it make them laugh and gave them a look at something they'd never seen before.

There are definitely those unique moments in your martial arts journey. My advice would be to find one special, unique moment that's not something loads of people have experienced (so not just "when I won [or lost] the tournament and learned the value of hard work and giving my all". Lots of people win/lose at sports. Pick something that's unique to your journey) and write it as a short, engaging narrative that plops your audience down right at the peak of the action and use it to illustrate some aspect of your personality that makes you unique and a good addition to their student body.

Thanks for the advice!!

I know the dangers of cliché in my case are very present. I'm looking for something reflective without turning it into the dramatic, apocalyptic, life changing struggle between good and evil that seems to characterize so many of these types of essays.

[sensei8]

Do it!

Best piece of advice about the college essay-- make it stand out. Admissions counselors have read a dozen essays about kids' family vacation or how working with someone different changed their perspective or about winning the state championship at some sport. It's overdone. So whatever you choose to write about, pick a very unique aspect of it to look at and write in a different, engaging manner (so don't just write about how much work you put into getting your black belt and how you learned to stick to and accomplish a goal and keep going even when you were frustrated-- that's been done a billion times).

I went to a military boot camp thing in 10th grade and wrote about that as it was something not too many kids have done. I wrote it as a narrative story telling a little snippet of something that happened that was incredibly intense and stressful, but that ended up be funny and I used it to tell about how I can take stressful situations and get myself and others through them with a smile. When they called to offer me acceptance (it was a small school), they said over and over how unique my essay was and how it make them laugh and gave them a look at something they'd never seen before.

There are definitely those unique moments in your martial arts journey. My advice would be to find one special, unique moment that's not something loads of people have experienced (so not just "when I won [or lost] the tournament and learned the value of hard work and giving my all". Lots of people win/lose at sports. Pick something that's unique to your journey) and write it as a short, engaging narrative that plops your audience down right at the peak of the action and use it to illustrate some aspect of your personality that makes you unique and a good addition to their student body.

Thanks for the advice!!

I know the dangers of cliché in my case are very present. I'm looking for something reflective without turning it into the dramatic, apocalyptic, life changing struggle between good and evil that seems to characterize so many of these types of essays.

Seeing that you're that aware of the possible trappings that you speak towards in the bold type above, then I believe that your essay will be without any cause, and well received.

[cathal]

I've used my MA experience in several papers for Kinesiology-related classes, and a Psychology mid-term paper. Very useful topics to relate to many aspects of academia.

[bushido_man96]

Nothing is quite as much fun as writing about what you love. Give it a go, and see where it takes you. Who knows, maybe as you start writing, you'll come up with several other ideas to put into writing, as well.

[Nidan Melbourne]

Martial Arts is a great idea for an essay. Because it demonstrates many factors about you and qualities that they will be looking for in students.

I have done a few university papers over the last few years relating to Karate and how it impacts the human body during impact.