college application essay about karate

Karate essay: second draft! tell me what you think!

Essay 1: Experience

Wiping the sweat off my brow, I stepped out of the car, my nerves tingling with anticipation. This is it, I said to myself. I was nervous, of course, but I knew that I had trained long and hard to get here, and I deserved it. All of those hours slaving away on the sweaty blue mats were finally culminating into what would soon be a single moment of glory; I was about to become a black belt. I began karate lessons at the age of seven, and I enjoyed the grace and elegance of the sport from the beginning. With a combination of fluidity and force, each punch and kick from the higher belts made me yearn for the next level. I often daydreamed about the day when I could roundhouse above my head and smash the punching bags backwards into the wall. As I went from yellow belt to green belt, and then from green belt to purple belt, I saw myself stepping ever-closer to what I sought. However, there were other important aspects besides the action on the mats. In the middle of each of our everyday lessons, the instructor would sit down with us and tell us stories and repeat proverbs in order to attempt to instill a sense of righteousness, honor and morality into us. I often would only half-hear the advice because I was so eager to get back onto the mats, but as the years progressed, I developed a deep sense of what was right, and often felt great waves of guilt when I told even the smallest lies. Also, through looking after the lower belts, I gained a greater sense of responsibility as well as a need to help others. What started as helping young boys with their kicks has now progressed to tutoring my friends in both English and Math. Feeling all of my past experiences pushing me forward into the building, I stepped in and walked slowly over to where the rest of the soon to be black belts stood. We all sat down and the ceremony began. The head of the school, a sixth-degree black belt, stood up and began to call out names. I sat in a state of absolute suspense, waiting for him to entice me forward. When I heard NAME REMOVED, my heart came close to stopping. Stumbling forward with a half-grin on my face to heavy clapping from the audience, I looked up at my instructors face as he tied the belt around my waist. I was finally a black belt. A sudden realization struck me as I sat back down among the other ecstatic students. I could now teach; I was no longer purely a student. The ceremony wrapped up and everyone else quietly chattered as they walked towards the exit. Receiving a hug from my mom and a look of approval from my dad, we promptly walked into the night air. I cant remember if it was cold; my accomplishment surged the heat of pride throughout my body.

If you want ppl to read your essay, make it easy for them by putting spaces between your paragraphs.

When I heard NAME REMOVED, my…

Just say

When I heard my name… try not to use anything in quotations. It is very annoying for the reader if you don’t know how to do it seamlessly.

Is it important that you all walk ‘promptly’? Is their any reason to use this descriptor? we promptly walked into the night air

I didn’t read the rest.

my bad, I guess… I’ll fix up my post then. heh.

Edit: What the… you can’t edit the original post? Interesting…

Oh well, I’ll just wait for this thread to die then repost it with better structure and what not.

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Slide 1: A Top-Quality Essay For Your Inspiration

One of the oldest sports is considered a fistfight. Even in ancient history in the era of the ancient Greeks during the Olympics athletes competed in the pankration, which is how they called their fist fighting competitions. Fist fights in a modern understanding are mixed martial arts or MMA (Mix Martial Arts), and not boxing, as the two are often confused.

Essay On Technology Of The Ryukyuans

Introduction, essay on the karate kid.

The Karate Kid, a quintessential film portraying the journey of an adolescent through the odds of life and the final triumph of life, serves to cinematically describe the stages of development of an adolescent individual. It would be extremely interesting to apply the theories of Erik Erikson in deciphering the cinematic essence of the film and having a comprehensive view of the matter.

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Home — Application Essay — Business School — The Benefits of My Experience in Martial Arts

The Benefits of My Experience in Martial Arts

University: UC San Diego

About this sample

Words: 332 |

Published: Jul 18, 2018

Words: 332 | Pages: 1 | 2 min read

I was born the second child in a family of four, with one older brother, and for all of my life I have been either the shortest or one of the shortest kids in my class. Thus, it naturally follows that I have been picked on and would want to be able to "fend for myself." For this reason and because I felt I needed another source of athletic conditioning, I took up the study of a martial art called Aikido a little over a year ago. My training has since done more for me that I would have even hoped, both in body and mind. So in this essay about martial arts I'll describe my experiences and how it will help me when joining the college community.

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Aikido is a martial art that focuses not on the practitioner's strength and size but on the manipulation of his subject's strength. Through my training I have learned a great deal not only about the art in general, but also about other areas of my life. I have improved my ability to become serious when necessary and to keep from getting too excited or angry over everyday issues. Some may say Aikido has made me more "easygoing," but I would say it has simply improved my overall temperament. Truly, the practice of Aikido has benefited my body and my soul.

I believe the experience of my training in Aikido would bring a great aspect of diversity to any college community in which I join. In my experience, the dojo (place of training) is a small community to which all practitioners contribute, and as I was one of the first members to join our relatively new dojo, I have a deeper connection to the dojo community than most others.

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I expect that my experience in the dojo community will help me adjust to the college community as well, and that my experience with Aikido will help form a more diverse and interesting association of students.

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The Value of a Black Belt for College Admissions

by Dan Brady | Nov 13, 2023 | Community , Youth Martial Arts

For many students and parents, this time of year is college application season. High school seniors are putting the finishing touches on their applications and mentally ranking their choices, where will they go early decision and what is their safety school. For high school juniors, their weekends are spent visiting colleges to find out where they might fit best when their application time comes next year.

Our EvolveAll community is all about growth and if a student is interested in attending college, we wanted to find out how their martial arts experience might help them and how colleges view the value of a black belt in martial arts. For the answers to our questions, we spoke with Matt Middleton, Associate Director of Admissions at The College of New Jersey .

The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) is a highly selective institution that is consistently recognized as one of the top comprehensive colleges in the nation. TCNJ is ranked by Money as one of the top 15 public colleges “most likely to pay off financially,” and U.S. News & World Report rates it the No. 1 public institution among regional universities in the northeast.

What we found was that the values associated with martial arts training , particularly to the level of achieving black belt rank, such as dedication, perseverance, a growth mindset, and being a part of a strong community outside of school, are highly desired in college admissions. Read on to hear it directly from Mr. Middleton.

When you see someone is a black belt on their college application, what are your immediate thoughts?

My immediate reaction is excitement, because we know how dedicated you have to be to become a black belt, and dedication to activities is one of the main things we look at when reviewing extracurricular involvement (which for TCNJ, is the second most important part of our application review process).

Why are extracurriculars like martial arts important for college applications?

A student who commits to something like martial arts is likely going to be involved in our campus community if admitted. It also shows dedication, perseverance, and (in many cases) a willingness to go outside your comfort zone.

Do you have any advice on how applicants can frame their martial arts experience to make the best impression?

If it’s something really important to them, it might make for a good college essay topic! Likewise, a recommendation letter from their instructor could be very valuable. Sometimes, students get all their recommendations from their teachers, and they all start to sound the same. Hearing from someone outside the classroom gives the admissions staff a different perspective (and those folks usually write a LOT because they aren’t bombarded with recommendation requests like teachers typically are).

“I knew EvolveAll was the right fit for us after my son told me that yes, it was hard work and he’s very tired after every class but he really, really likes it. And I should mention that my sons both think the staff are total rockstars! I highly recommend EvolveAll.”

Why Choose Our Youth Martial Arts Program?

Confidence: Confidence is the foundation of success in all aspects of life. Our program is designed to instill unwavering self-assurance in our young members. Through mastering martial arts techniques, setting and achieving goals, and engaging in positive peer interactions, our students develop a sense of confidence that radiates through every facet of their lives.

Discipline: Martial arts demand discipline, and at EvolveAll, we make it fun and engaging. Our skilled instructors guide students through structured classes that teach the importance of discipline, focus, and dedication. These invaluable traits translate into improved academic performance and better decision-making skills.

Physical Fitness: We believe that a strong mind resides in a strong body. Our youth martial arts classes offer a fantastic opportunity for children and teenagers to stay active, improve their coordination, flexibility, and overall physical fitness in a supportive and inclusive environment.

Self-Defense: Safety is paramount in today’s world. Our program equips students with effective self-defense techniques, empowering them to protect themselves and others should the need arise. We foster a sense of awareness and teach practical skills that bolster confidence in challenging situations.

Community: At EvolveAll, we are more than just a martial arts studio; we are a community. We foster a sense of belonging and camaraderie among our members, encouraging teamwork and mutual support. Lifelong friendships are forged here, and our inclusive atmosphere ensures that everyone feels welcome and valued.

The Instructors

Christian Mejia

Youth Martial Arts Program Lead

Learn More About Christian

Emerson Doyle

Caroline Seo

Youth Instructor

Alexander Al-hujazi

Here is the, class schedule.

5 - 7 ALL RANKS

4:30 pm - 5:15 pm

8 - 10 ALL RANKS

5:15 pm - 6:00 pm

6:00 pm - 6:45 pm

10:00 am - 10:45 am

10:45 am - 11:30 am

11:30 am - 12:15 pm

Youth Sparring

12:30 pm - 1:15 pm

Check us out on social.

“The patience, attentiveness and instruction given to everyone is truly extraordinary. After trying many extra curricular activities with four children we found something not only worthwhile in a one dimension manner but something that is part of a lifestyle.”

Meet the Intern: Reid Brady

by Dan Brady | Jul 27, 2024 | Community , Youth Martial Arts

This summer EvolveAll welcomed an intern to help us with Welcome Crew duties at the front desk. Maybe you've seen him? He's Reid Brady. We talked to Reid to get a better sense of who he is and what he does as part of his internship. Tell us about yourself. I am...

Black Belt Essay: Owen Dodd

by Dan Brady | Jul 24, 2024 | Community , Youth Martial Arts

We're looking back on the wise words shared by our students when they were awarded their black belts. Today, we share the essay written by Owen Dodd who received his black belt in early 2023. Owen's essay shares about how his martial arts journey deepened over time,...

Black Belt Essay: Miles Green

by EvolveAll | May 15, 2024 | Community , Youth Martial Arts

We're looking back on the wise words shared by our students when they were awarded their black belts. Today, we share the essay written by Miles Green who received his black belt on March 16, 2024. His journey was full of questions. That doesn't mean that he was...

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Martial Arts Essay Writing Guide for College Students

Sports are a major part of social life, and the sports that people participate in and enjoy watching say a lot about who people are. In the United States, American football reigns supreme, while in most of the world the other sport known as ‘football’, or ‘soccer’, is the most popular.

In places like japan and cuba, baseball is one of the top sports, but everywhere you’ll find that the sport individuals like best varies widely by personal preference, culture, and even geography., one of the fastest growing sports is mixed martial arts, whose practitioners combine a range of martial arts techniques in a display of athletic prowess. however, while martial arts of all kinds are a rapidly growing industry, not every student knows how best way to write, for example an essay about martial arts or mixed martial arts if they decided to for their course., in this article, we’ll take a look at some effective techniques for writing an mma or martial arts essay., the martial arts: history and classification.

Martial arts have a long and storied history, which make them an important and effective subject for college essays since there is so much to write about.

As the name implies, the martial arts are related to combat and warfare and originated as a system of fighting techniques for battle. Different cultures have different martial arts traditions, and each of these traditions has specific sets of rules and codes to govern the proper approach to interpersonal combat in that tradition.

Some of the most famous styles include kung fu, jujitsu, and karate . However, sports like boxing also originated as a martial art and can be classified among the martial arts today.

Mixed martial arts , (MMA) as the name implies, combine elements of many different martial arts traditions. It was originally known as Vale Tudo, but in 1993, TV critic Howard Rosenberg coined the term “mixed martial arts” to describe the cage-fighting system’s influences drawn from global martial arts traditions.

Modern mixed martial arts emerged from a combination of Brazilian jiu jitsu and Vale Tudo with Hong Kong street-fighting and Japanese wrestling. Today, mixed martial arts is a major sport, and its most important organization, UFC, has become a wealthy, and powerful sports league with lucrative TV contracts and well-attended competitions globally.

Indeed, many of its competitors have become celebrities, and some have translated that fame into multimedia careers. That has not stopped controversy, however, particularly opposition to MMA as too violent, sometimes referred to pejoratively as “human cock fighting.” All of this creates a rich basis for student essays.

Writing a Martial Arts Essay: A Short Guide

The good news is that writing a martial arts essay is very much like writing any other type of essay. The key principles and the major steps are the same.

One key difference is that your analysis of martial arts will often need to critique the visual aspects of the sport as a performance, not just deal with printed texts as you might with a history essay.

However, for the most part, the steps involved in writing a martial arts essay are the same as writing any other.

1. Be Familiar with Your Subject

To write effectively about martial arts, you need to be familiar with martial arts. Be sure you know something about the subject of the style and are familiar with the major ideas and concepts related to the specific tradition of martial arts you plan to write about. If you don’t know enough about it, you will need to research your topic more thoroughly.

2. Review the Essay Topic

It might seem obvious, but you need to be sure you are reading the essay question clearly and are thoroughly familiar with the requirements of the assignment.

If you aren’t clear about any of the requirements when writing essays, ask your instructor for help before you start writing your papers. It’s better to get clarification before you write than to write on the wrong topic and then have to do the paper over again, or to miss a requirement and lose major points as a result.

3. Consider Whether to Pay Someone to Write Your Essay

If you aren’t comfortable with the topic or with your writing skills, you might need the help of online experts. If you are ready to pay for someone to do your essay , you can hire a writer from an online writing service e.g. WriteMyPaperHub to produce a complete model essay for you, and this essay will address your specific topic and show you how a writer with an advanced degree would approach it to meet all the requirements of your assignment.

This can be a great resource as you write your own paper, along with a comparison between your work and a professional’s so you can adjust your paper to be more contextually relevant, concise and persuasive.

4. Outline Before You Write

Outlining is a key step in the writing process and makes writing much easier.

When you list all of the key points you plan to make and the evidence you will use to support each, you will have a much easier time writing the paper because the hard part will be complete before you even start to write.

5. Always Revise and Proofread

When you finish writing your draft, your paper wouldn’t be done quite yet!

You always need to set aside time to edit and proofread your paper. Lingering errors can create a negative impression, so find and eliminate as many proofreading mistakes as possible to create a professional-quality paper.

Getting Your Martial Essay Done on Time

These tips for writing about martial arts should be helpful. However, they may not be enough to finish writing your essay on time. Even if you already collected some data, and have some ideas, try not to be over optimistic if the deadline is close.

If you’re not sure you can make it in time, address a reliable writing service for help. This way you will spare some time for assignments with more relaxed deadlines, solving all problems at once.

If you prefer to finish this essay on your own, try not to get stuck on research — start writing even with minimum background and look for more relevant material during the actual process.

Students often spend way too much time on research when the deadline is very close. Don’t fall into this trap – don’t miss the due date because of unnecessary perfectionism!

Set a reasonable time frame on looking for information and sources, and don’t stretch it. It is better to lack some solid citations than not to submit a paper on time at all.

The martial arts is an endlessly fascinating topic to watch, perform and write about. In the eyes of most people it’s always extremely COOL to be not only be fit physically but also mentally and if you can pull of some self-defence (or other) moves as well, then, even better!

What angle of martial arts would you love to write about let us know in the comments below.

Martial Arts Essay Writing Guide for College Students

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Karate Extracurricular Essay - "Little Ninjas"

Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences in the space below or on an attached sheet (150 words or fewer).

Every weekend after my karate class, I volunteer for an hour and a half teaching kids ages 3-12. The first class is the "Little Ninjas," who are just 3-5 years old. These are among my favorites to teach because they have no preconceptions or attitude. They look at you unjudgmentally and listen to what you have to say, and they will try out whatever you suggest. Sometimes they're timid at the beginning, but mostly they're just enthusiastic. Even though they are not usually all that skilled at doing the moves the first time around, I am always amazed to see what they can do after just a couple of weeks: they slide into shoulder rolls and throw spinning kicks more naturally than I do! It's refreshing to teach these little guys; their unbridled innocence makes it impossible for me to become frustrated or lose my smile.

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How to Write a College Application Essay: 7 Tips + Step-by-Step How-to

How to write a college application essay can be one of the more confusing elements of the college application process. But we think it doesn’t have to be.

So we’re building this post to offer a clear, step-by-step process you can use, followed by tips for how to strengthen your essay (also referred to as a “personal statement”).

Step 0 will be the same for everyone.

Steps 1, 2, and 3 will vary depending on which structural approach you choose in step 0.

Getting started is often the hardest part. Take this a step at a time, and you’ll be good to go.

Step 0: choose a structure, section 1—how to draft your montage college application essay, section 2—how to draft your narrative college application essay, 7 tips for writing your college application essay, final thoughts and key takeaways for your college application essay.

By “structure,” we mean what you’ll use to organize your essay’s content in a way that helps your reader understand clearly and easily.

We’ll talk through two structural options below: “montage” and “narrative.”

Some quick definitions:

A montage uses a few different moments or experiences that are connected by a theme, like three body paragraphs on three different pairs of shoes you’ve owned, and the different sides of you those shoes allow you to talk about.

A narrative is generally chronological, and focuses on what you did to overcome a challenge you’ve faced.

Important note that neither approach is inherently better: admissions officers do not have a preference . Unless they give you a prompt that specifically asks you to write about a challenge you’ve faced, you do not have to write about one—you should make your choice purely based on what allows you to most clearly illustrate some of your core values, insights, interests, qualities, and skills.

If you’ve

faced significant challenges in your life, and

you want to write about them

try a narrative approach. ( Skip down to Section 2, below )

If you

haven’t faced significant challenges, or

you have but you don’t want to write about them or be defined by them

try a montage approach. ( See Section 1, next )

There are virtually infinite things you could use as a theme to connect paragraphs in a montage.

But we’re going to focus on just one, one that we’ve seen work thousands of times for thousands of students to create thousands of unique essays.

In this section, we’ll talk you through steps for how to use some of your different roles and identities to build a montage essay.

If, after reading through these steps, you want to explore other ways you can build a montage by brainstorming other kinds of thematic threads, head to this larger guide on writing college essays .

Montage Essay Step 1—Quick roles/identities brainstorm Take 5-10 minutes to write down different identities or roles that you claim or play in life, based on the chart below. Useful note: don’t skip over the “other” category —we’ve seen students write about roles and identities like Climate protector Tinkerer Seeker Center Finder Question-asker Bookworm And dozens (hundreds) of others like these that don’t necessarily first come to mind with the boxes below . .tg .tg td{border-color:black;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px; overflow:hidden;padding:10px 5px;word-break:normal;} .tg th{border-color:black;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px; font-weight:normal;overflow:hidden;padding:10px 5px;word-break:normal;} .tg .tg-lnh0 .tg .tg-7huv .tg .tg-fymr .tg .tg-0pky Domain My identity/identities Race Ethnicity, heritage, culture National origin; birthplace; places lived First language, language use Sex, gender, gender expression Romantic/sexual orientation Religion, spirituality, faith, ideology Class, economic background Ability/disability status (physical, developmental, etc.) Family identity: roles, birth order, etc. Physical appearance + body type Abilities/Talents/Superpowers Interests Other In a minute, we’ll show you how to turn those identities into a basic outline, and then turn that outline into a draft. Before we do, we’re going to show you an example essay that uses this approach, so you can see where you’re heading with this. Having a sense of it will make outlining and drafting easier. Montage essay example—“Angry brown girl, feminist, singer, meme-lover” (identities-themed montage)

My Twitter bio reads: angry brown girl, feminist, singer, meme-lover. You will notice live-tweets of my feminist Pride and Prejudice thoughts, analyses of Hamilton’s power for musical representation, and political memes. Just as my posts bring together seemingly disparate topics, I believe there is a vibrancy that exists at the multidimensional place where my interests intersect.

Growing up as a debater and musician, it was easy to see the two as distinct entities where I had to make unequivocal choices. At the start of my junior year, I decided not to participate in the musical in order to work for Emerge California, an organization that helps Democratic women run for office. There I learned about data science, gender distributions in public office, and how to work with the evil printer. I also halted my voice and piano lessons to focus on building my student-led non-profit, Agents of Change. As someone who has diverted my energy into community activism, I can attest to the power of grassroots movements. It has been so rewarding to measure the impact that my team has had on my community. But even so, I felt that I was losing touch with the music that was such a profound part of me.

I found a new way of being when I started combining my artsy and political sides. I took an intensive class on protest music, where I learned how political movements have been shaped by the music of their time. While in the class, we were asked to compose our own songs. I am not a songwriter, but I am an activist, and I embraced the opportunity to turn music into an outlet for my political beliefs. As a first-generation American, I am dedicated to raising awareness about refugee rights and immigration. My songs about the Syrian Refugee Crisis let me find a way to bring the two sides of me together and gave me a rush that neither music nor politics by themselves would have provided.

This introduction led me to apply to the Telluride Association Protest Poetics program, where I dove deeper into my own identity. I wrote songs about police brutality and the ways that as a non-black person of color I am implicated in instances of subliminal racism. Over the course of the program, as I became more familiar with the visual, literary, and performance art we analyzed, I slowly started to realize that, though I confront colorism, jokes about Indian culture, and intra-community violence in some form every day, my proximity to whiteness still gives me immense amounts of privilege. I have come to know that this means I have a responsibility to both be at the forefront of movements, and conscious of not stepping over the voices of other intersectional identities. I hope that the music I choose to perform and the way I live my life can amplify, not overwrite, any of the struggles that others deal with daily.

Last year, I had another opportunity to use music to pay homage to an issue I care deeply about. In my South Asian community, mental health is an issue that is often papered over. When a member of my school community committed suicide, I was asked to sing “Amazing Grace” for the school to both unify and honor the student. Though I thought that I had really understood the power of music, holding that space for my entire school had a profound resonance that I still don’t fully understand.

My voice is an instrument for change—whether it be through me raising my hand to contribute to a discussion in a classroom, speaking out against gun violence at a rally, or singing at an event of solidarity. I know that someday my voice, in conjunction with many other unique voices and perspectives, will make a difference.

Notice that this essay does its job (showing her core values, insights, qualities, skills, and interests) really well, and essentially all it’s doing is just illustrating those values, insights, etc. through different roles/identities, with each body paragraph demonstrating those roles/identities through specific actions and experiences.

Montage Essay Step 2—Connect identities + values + examples/experiences

A.) List out 4-7 of the roles/identities that are most important to you and that you feel can best show a college the values, insights, qualities, interests, and skills you bring to that college. Note that some might fit well together, like they do below.

Here’s what that could look like for the example essay above:

B.) Then look at this look at this list of values and add one or two values that are important to you that you want to demonstrate to a college.

C.) Then, think about a moment or experience that can potentially illustrate this role/identity + value to your reader.

Those bullets are the outline for the body paragraphs of the montage. Each will use specific actions and details to demonstrate core values via the related roles/identities.

Montage Essay Step 3—Write a draft, then revise

For now, you can write a simple placeholder intro, like “I have played many roles in my life. Here are some of the most important ones.” You can play with intros and conclusions later, but as we said up top, often the hardest part of writing your college application essay is starting.

So skip getting stuck thinking about an opening, come back to it later, and focus on building clear, strong body paragraphs that show a reader your core values, insights, qualities, skills, and interests.

Think back to the essay above. The intro and conclusion help, but it’s the body paragraphs that really matter.

Focus on those in your first draft.

How to revise your essay

After you’ve written a first draft of those body paragraphs, if you have time before submission deadlines, it’s great to step away from the essay for a day or two, so you can assess it with fresh eyes.

At minimum, you’ll want to make sure there’s a clear flow and use of language in your essay. That’s easier to do when you haven’t read it for a bit, and can read it more like how a total stranger would.

To get you started, this guide to Revising Your Essay in 5 Steps will help you create clearer logical flow, as will this breakdown of 9 different ways to effectively transition .

Want to build more detailed, illustrative body paragraphs? Check out this guide on how to (mostly) show, not tell with your writing .

Worried about your essay sounding similar to other applicants’ essays? We have resources on how to understand and create “voice” in your work. .

Want to build a better intro/opening? Check out a bunch of options to play with for intros here .(we’d recommend experimenting, even if you have something you like—through exploring, you may find something even better).

Want to strengthen the ending of your essay? Here’s a guide to how to build strong essay endings .

Additionally, one of the best general tips we can give you as you revise is to read your essay out loud to yourself. And again, try to read from a total stranger’s perspective. Reading out loud will help you notice problems you might miss when reading it in your mind. And reading from a stranger’s perspective will help ensure you aren’t relying on things in your brain that need to be on the page (but aren’t).

You might also try reading it to a trusted family member, teacher, or friend. They might be able to give you some constructive feedback to make your piece more relatable or accessible for other people. Just keep in mind that some people may have a good sense of what makes for strong writing in general, but not necessarily what makes for a strong college essay specifically.

If you want to write a narrative about a challenge you’ve faced, the Feelings and Needs exercise below will help you develop great bullet points to turn into an essay.

A key thing to keep in mind with narrative (this is so important we’re going to say it multiple times):

Try to split your word count into roughly thirds

1/3rd for the Challenge + Effects

1/3rd (or maybe a bit more) for What I Did About It

1/3rd for What I Learned/How It Changed Me

One of the biggest, most frequent mistakes we see in narratives is to make most of the essay about the challenge itself.

But what really matters to your reader, and what helps them to see the core values, insights, qualities, skills, and interests you bring to a college, are what you did about the challenge and what you learned from your experiences.

Be sure your essay mostly focuses on those things.

Narrative Essay Step 1—The Feelings and Needs Exercise The Feelings and Needs Exercise is built to help you develop all the content you’ll need to write a first draft of your narrative college application essay. Instructions: Click here to watch the Feelings and Needs Exercise and click here to view the accompanying PDF. As you listen, you can complete the exercise below. .tg .tg td{border-color:black;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px; overflow:hidden;padding:10px 5px;word-break:normal;} .tg th{border-color:black;border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-family:Arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px; font-weight:normal;overflow:hidden;padding:10px 5px;word-break:normal;} .tg .tg-amwm .tg .tg-0lax Challenges Effects Feelings Needs What I Did What I Learned Once you’ve done that exercise, and before we show you how to turn it into an outline and draft, we want to give you an example essay that came from this exercise, so you have a concrete sense of the structural direction you’re aiming for. Narrative essay example—The Little Porch and a Dog

It was the first Sunday of April. My siblings and I were sitting at the dinner table giggling and spelling out words in our alphabet soup. The phone rang and my mother answered. It was my father; he was calling from prison in Oregon.

My father had been stopped by immigration on his way to Yakima, Washington, where he’d gone in search of work. He wanted to fulfill a promise he’d made to my family of owning our own house with a nice little porch and a dog.

Fortunately, my father was bailed out of prison by a family friend in Yakima. Unfortunately, though, most of our life savings was spent on his bail. We moved into a rented house, and though we did have a porch, it wasn’t ours. My father went from being a costurero (sewing worker) to being a water-filter salesman, mosaic tile maker, lemon deliverer, and butcher.

Money became an issue at home, so I started helping out more. After school I’d rush home to clean up and make dinner. My parents refused to let me have a “real” job, so on Saturday afternoons I’d go to the park with my older brother to collect soda cans. Sundays and summertime were spent cleaning houses with my mother.

I worked twice as hard in school. I helped clean my church, joined the choir, and tutored my younger sister in math. As tensions eased at home, I returned to cheerleading, joined a school club called Step Up , and got involved in my school’s urban farm, where I learned the value of healthy eating. Slowly, life improved. Then I received some life-changing news.

My father’s case was still pending and, due to a form he’d signed when he was released in Yakima, it was not only him that was now in danger of being deported, it was my entire family. My father’s lawyer informed me that I’d have to testify in court and in fact our stay in the US was now dependent on my testimony.

The lawyer had an idea: I had outstanding grades and recommendation letters. If we could show the judge the importance of my family remaining here to support my education, perhaps we had a chance. So I testified.

My father won his case and was granted residency.

Living in a low-income immigrant household has taught me to appreciate all I’ve been given. Testifying in court helped me grow as a person, has made me more open-minded and aware of the problems facing my community. And my involvement in the urban farm has led me to consider a career as a nutritionist.

Though neither of my parents attended college, they understand that college is a key factor to a bright future and therefore have been very supportive. And though we don't yet have the house with the small porch and the dog, we're still holding out hope.

I believe college can help.

Important note: Notice that the essay above covers the Challenge + Effects in about 150 words, then uses 336 words to focus more on the What I Did and What I Learned aspects of the narrative. That’s that ⅓, ⅓, ⅓ split we talked about in the beginning of this section. And it’s a big part of why the essay works so well.

Next, we’ll show you how you can use the content from your Feelings and Needs Exercise to build an outline and rough draft.

Narrative Essay Step 2—Turn the Feelings and Needs Exercise into an outline

Here’s how:

A.)Take the Challenges and Effects boxes and simply put them on top of each other as bullets.

Here’s what that would look like for the example essay above.

B.) Now, add the stuff in the “What I Did About It” box underneath.

What I did about it

C.) Now, add the “What I Learned” beneath

All those bullets together are the outline for the first draft of your narrative.

Narrative Essay Step 3—Write a draft, then revise

For now, you can write a simple placeholder intro , like “My experience facing [X challenge] changed who I am.” You can play with intros and conclusions later, but as we said up top, often the hardest part of writing your college application essay is starting.

The goal of your personal statement is to show the core values, insights, skills, qualities, and interests you’ll bring with you to a college campus.

Generally avoid these common personal statement topics : common extracurricular activities (e.g. volleyball), changing schools, bad grades. Why? These topics are really common topics for college essays and may lead you to blending in.

Personal statements on challenges aren’t necessarily “better.” Really. We’ve seen thousands of students write really strong essays that aren’t about facing challenges.

Before you start your draft, create a simple outline to make sure your topic will work. Use the steps above to do so.

Can’t decide between several topics? Ask yourself: “Which of these topics is most likely to show the core values, insights, skills, qualities, and interests I’ll bring with me to a college campus?

Don’t worry so much about having the perfect “hook” (opening) or conclusion when you’re just starting. Instead, focus on building body paragraphs that demonstrate your core values/insights/skills/qualities/interests .

To guide your revisions, read your essay out loud to yourself. And as much as possible, try to read from a total stranger’s perspective. Reading out loud will help you notice problems you might miss when reading silently. And reading from a stranger’s perspective will help ensure you aren’t relying on things in your brain that need to be on the page (but aren’t).

We’ve said this a ton because we think it provides the clearest, best frame for thinking about your personal statement: the primary purpose of your college application essay is to help a college understand the core values, insights, qualities, skills, and interests you bring to the college/community.

You can show those things through either montage structure, or narrative structure. Neither is inherently better. It’s just a question of which is better for you as an individual.

If you take this a step at a time, you can build a strong essay for your college applications.

So dive in, and have a little fun.

Special thanks to Andrew Simpson for writing this blog post

Andrew Simpson , CEG’s Editorial Director, has worked as an educator, consultant, and curriculum writer for the past 15 years, and earned degrees from Stanford in Political Science and Drama. He feels most at home on mountain tops and in oceans.

Top Values: Insight/Growth | Truth | Integrity

College Essay

We were immensely impressed by one of our student’s, Isaac, college application essay. A creative and inspiring account of his martial arts experience. Oss Isaac!

“Kankudai!” My arms shoot straight down with palms facing my body, fingers held tightly together. My eyes focus forward while both thumbs and index fingers connect to form a triangle. I am performing my favorite kata, or martial arts form. When I was ten years old I began studying Shotokan Karate. My father had shown my brother and me several martial arts movies, including Kung Fu and Enter the Dragon, that fascinated me. But as is my attitude, I not only wanted to see it, I wanted to do it. Now I am a first-degree black belt training for my second degree.

I slowly raise my arms; as my hands pass my forehead my eyes follow them, glancing at the sun through the triangle of my fingers. Here, I see my future standing in front of me, waiting for me to create it. My hands suddenly snap apart, forming right angles on each side of me. They slowly descend and reconnect waist-high. My feet are planted, a strong base, and my hands are open, inviting the outside in. Growing up in an Orthodox Jewish community with nurturing parents and an outstanding education from Yeshivah of Flatbush gave me the strong identity I need. However, my identity is not complete until I open myself up to the world, both gaining and contributing to its diversity. This past summer, I attended a class at the University of Pennsylvania with students from all around the world. One particular friend with whom I bonded was Raqan, a boy from Jordan. His background and beliefs seemed to clash with my own, but as we shared a motivation to learn, we challenged each other in a way that allowed us to grow. I yearn to learn more about other people and their cultures while I share mine with them. My strong foundation will enable me do to so.

Carefully keeping my back-stance, I chop high to the left and high to the right. Then I face forward, knees slightly bent for balance, and fluidly reach my hand out in front of me. I think of the way I reached out when I founded my school’s Martial Arts Therapy commission. One of the greatest accomplishments I had while working for the commission was organizing an event where over 20 autistic children came to the school after hours. They worked with me and 30 student volunteers from the 75-member commission, alongside the Sensei. We helped the children through basic martial arts techniques that assist in pain management while also being recreational. In this way, I used my martial arts as a bridge to overcome the gap between these mentally challenged children and myself. Now, I bend my knees, forcefully blocking towards both sides. I proceed through various chops, kicks, and blocks, reflecting on life, perfectly content in this mental and physical state.

I explosively jump up from a front stance with my right foot and kick in the air with my left, landing in a double block. With my inner strength I yell out a mighty “KIYA” as I stand confidently in a sturdy stance. I flash back to my visit to an anti-terrorism center in Israel when the head instructor, Steve, randomly chose me to face off against the unit’s Krav Maga expert. When he said “go” I sprang into a fighting stance. To my surprise Steve yelled stop—this was a test. He explained that there are two options to assume a fighting stance; ninety-eight percent of the people in this situation step back showing fright. I had stepped up.

A drip of sweat hits the ground below me. As I return from this meditative state, I stand up straight with two fists by my sides, into my Yoi position. “Yoi,” Japanese for, I am ready.

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Ultimate Guide to Writing Your College Essay

Tips for writing an effective college essay.

College admissions essays are an important part of your college application and gives you the chance to show colleges and universities your character and experiences. This guide will give you tips to write an effective college essay.

Want free help with your college essay?

UPchieve connects you with knowledgeable and friendly college advisors—online, 24/7, and completely free. Get 1:1 help brainstorming topics, outlining your essay, revising a draft, or editing grammar.

Writing a strong college admissions essay

Learn about the elements of a solid admissions essay.

Avoiding common admissions essay mistakes

Learn some of the most common mistakes made on college essays

Brainstorming tips for your college essay

Stuck on what to write your college essay about? Here are some exercises to help you get started.

How formal should the tone of your college essay be?

Learn how formal your college essay should be and get tips on how to bring out your natural voice.

Taking your college essay to the next level

Hear an admissions expert discuss the appropriate level of depth necessary in your college essay.

Student Stories

Student Story: Admissions essay about a formative experience

Get the perspective of a current college student on how he approached the admissions essay.

Student Story: Admissions essay about personal identity

Get the perspective of a current college student on how she approached the admissions essay.

Student Story: Admissions essay about community impact

Student story: admissions essay about a past mistake, how to write a college application essay, tips for writing an effective application essay, sample college essay 1 with feedback, sample college essay 2 with feedback.

This content is licensed by Khan Academy and is available for free at www.khanacademy.org.

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Calculate for all schools, your chance of acceptance.

Your chancing factors

Extracurriculars.

Breaking Down the 4 Tiers of Extracurricular Activities

What’s covered:, list of extracurricular activity examples, balancing breadth and depth of extracurriculars, developing your extracurricular profile, the 4 tiers of extracurricular activities, how do extracurriculars impact your chances of acceptance.

Extracurricular activities allow colleges and universities to get a better understanding of a student outside of the classroom. They offer students a chance to share with a college what they’re passionate about and demonstrate their readiness for higher education.

A student with a robust extracurricular profile, great grades, and strong test scores has proven their ability to juggle multiple activities and commitments. Extracurricular activities also provide an opportunity for students to set themselves apart from a crowded field of applicants with similar academic profiles.

What Are Extracurricular Activities?

Wondering what exactly qualifies as an extracurricular activity? Does working a summer job count? How about taking care of your sibling? What about volunteering at your local library?

As a general rule, anything you do routinely outside of the classroom—and not for academic credit—counts as an extracurricular. These activities should have value for you and should have a significant impact on your development.

For example, watching Netflix wouldn’t count, but running your own movie critique and analysis blog would. Casually playing Minecraft wouldn’t count, but programming your own Minecraft plugins with 1,000+ downloads each would. In both examples, the situations that wouldn’t count were simply activities for leisure. The examples that were actually extracurriculars likely contributed to the student’s growth and helped them develop real-world skills.

In a similar vein, extracurriculars are something that you should devote significant time to. Volunteering once to fulfill a requirement isn’t something you should list on your college application, but volunteering weekly for a year could definitely fit the bill.

Basically any organized club, sport, or other activity can be classified as an extracurricular as long as you’ve shown dedication and the activity has helped you grow in some meaningful way. Personal projects like running a half marathon, building an app, or learning to do a Lutz jump would also fit the criteria of an extracurricular. This means that working a job, taking care of a sibling, and volunteering for a weekly shift at the library also count as extracurriculars.

Struggling to come up with extracurricular activity ideas? Top colleges and universities generally prize students who demonstrate passion, leadership, and commitment. Check out this extracurricular activity list for tips on finding new activities—and determining which of your current hobbies and passions to include on your college application.


Computers
Environment
Jobs and volunteer work	or the
Math and science
Music
Politics
Social Justice	at your school
Sports
Writing
Visual and performing arts

When preparing for college admissions, it’s important for students to balance their extracurricular activities between breadth and depth. Too many activities can suggest that a student hasn’t found something they’re passionate about, or it can hint at a lack of focus or commitment. Alternately, a lack of extracurricular activities may leave colleges wondering how you’ll fit at their institution.

Students want to display juxtapositional depth to colleges. They can do this by focusing on two or three extracurricular activities that they can fully commit to and succeed in, and that highlight their different attributes as a student. Colleges are interested in students who are passionate about their interests and who are pursuing them to the fullest.

A great example of a student with juxtapositional depth is the starting quarterback for the football team in the fall who runs spring track and also plays in the school’s competitive jazz band—exhibiting dual interests in sports and music. Another example is a student who qualifies for the National Debate Tournament and who is also the captain of the school’s math club and a top scorer in the American Mathematics Contest 12—illustrating an interest in both debate and math.

Part of the high school experience for a student is about developing interests and learning what they’re passionate about. Another key aspect of high school is preparing for college. With proper planning, high schoolers can accomplish both through careful choices of extracurricular activities.

Freshman Year: Freshman year is a student’s opportunity to join multiple clubs across different fields of interest, both in and out of the school environment. Students with an interest in music and athletics should try out for the band or sports teams. If there is a cause a student is passionate about, they should seek out volunteer opportunities related to it.

Sophomore Year: During sophomore year, students should begin narrowing the focus of their extracurricular activities, spending their time on the activities most meaningful to them. If there’s something a student is extremely passionate about but has no outlet for, they should start a group or organization to support that interest. Students should also consider potential future leadership opportunities in the extracurricular activities that they’re already involved in. Colleges want to admit leaders.

Junior Year: Because colleges and universities value leadership, students in their junior year should seek out as many leadership positions as possible. Students in leadership positions should work to expand the clubs and organizations under their guidance to show colleges the positive and lasting impact they made.

Senior Year: Students in their senior year should aim for high leadership positions within the clubs and organizations they’re involved in and establish initiatives that reflect what they’ve learned over the past four years.

There’s no such thing as a bad extracurricular activity; however, some are more impressive to colleges than others. The extracurricular activities that stand out the most are those that admissions officers see the least—the more successful or involved a student is in their chosen activity, the more it will resonate with college admissions officers. For example, acting is a stronger extracurricular activity for a college-bound student who had a role in a major movie compared to a student who had a role in a school play.

Tier 1 Extracurricular Activities

Tier 1 activities are rare and demonstrate exceptional achievement or leadership. The impressiveness of what a student has accomplished in their pursuit and the scarcity with which such activities are seen make them extremely impactful with admissions officers. Any number of activities can fall under Tier 1—it’s the success a student has had that influences the activity’s value to colleges.

Tier 1 activities can include athletic achievements, such as being a highly recruited basketball player or a nationally ranked tennis player. Likewise, national recognition for musical prowess such as winning a Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award qualifies as a Tier 1 activity. Winning prestigious national academic awards, like first place at the United States of America Mathematical Olympiad (USAMO), qualifying for the International Biology Competition (IBO) , or winning an Intel Award also qualify as Tier 1 activities.

Attendance at a distinguished summer program, such as the Anson L. Clark Scholars Program , also counts as a Tier 1 extracurricular activity. Self-driven activities can serve as Tier 1 activities as well—for example, writing a novel that gained national attention, or raising a substantial amount of money for a cause in a self-started fundraiser.

In some instances, volunteering will also qualify as a Tier 1 activity. Students who start regional or national organizations that receive news coverage often have the high-profile status desired by colleges. These kinds of volunteer efforts can range from collecting non-perishable foods for a community following a natural disaster to turning a love of soccer into an effort to build fields in underserved communities. That said, merely participating in a standard volunteer opportunity with no leadership role or major impact is typically classified as Tier 4 activity.

Tier 2 Extracurricular Activities

Tier 2 extracurriculars are endeavors that show high levels of achievement and leadership, and are impressive accomplishments to have in a student’s profile. The difference between Tier 2 and Tier 1 extracurricular activities is that Tier 2 activities are a little more common and therefore slightly less influential on college admissions.

Examples of Tier 2 activities include holding a leadership position, like president or chair, in a well-respected club such as the Model UN, debate team, or Science Olympiad. Holding a leadership position shows schools that a student is not only participating in a club, but is also demonstrating a deep commitment to it and helping guide it into the future.

Successes on the playing field and on the stage—for example, making an all-state selection in football, band, or orchestra—are also excellent examples of Tier 2 extracurricular activities. Similarly, winning a regional competition, such as a Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS) would qualify as a Tier 2 activity.

Self-driven activities can also qualify as Tier 2 extracurriculars. These can include creating a short film that wins a regional competition, or being a finalist in prestigious national competitions such as the competition for National Youth Poet Laureate. Additionally, volunteer work that gains regional or statewide acclaim can serve as a Tier 2 activity—for instance, a student who made the news for creating an applauded program to welcome refugees into their community.

Tier 3 Extracurricular Activities

Tier 2 extracurricular activities demonstrate a student’s participation in pursuits outside of the classroom and help show colleges a more complete picture of the student—but they don’t have the same distinction as the undertakings found in the higher tiers.

Holding a minor leadership position in clubs like the Model UN, debate team, and Science Olympiad are good examples of Tier 3 extracurricular activities. Possessing a position such as treasurer or secretary in a club also qualifies as a Tier 3 activity. Even though these activities demonstrate leadership and show your potential for dedication to potential colleges, they’re less impactful and less impressive than holding a higher position, like president or captain.

Athletes who didn’t qualify for an all-state team, but who earned distinctions like a Player of the Week award can find their participation in sports in Tier 3. Similarly, musicians who didn’t qualify for an all-state band or orchestra, but who did get selected for a selective regional ensemble can count their musical pursuits as Tier 3 activities.

Self-driven activities with a small reach—such as getting groceries for an elderly neighbor or mentoring a younger student—are also commonly categorized into Tier 3.

Tier 4 Extracurricular Activities

Tier 4 extracurricular activities are the most common activities seen by college admissions officers. While these endeavors do not have the same impact on admissions officers as activities in the higher tiers, they’re still valuable for showing potential schools the individual behind your grades and application.

General membership in the aforementioned clubs (such as the Model UN, debate team, and Science Olympiad) are Tier 4 activities. Likewise, participation in sports—like being a member of the track team or taking karate for five years—is useful for highlighting a student’s pursuits outside the classroom. Another excellent example of a Tier 4 extracurricular activity would be playing in the marching band or learning piano outside of school.

General volunteerism is also a reliable Tier 4 activity. If you’ve been consistently volunteering at the food bank or senior center, this is the tier in which you’d find these activities.

Not sure what tiers your extracurricular activities fall into? Interested in how your activities outside of the classroom influence your odds of college admission? CollegeVine can help. Our free chancing engine uses a number of metrics—including extracurricular activities—to estimate your odds at more than 1,600 colleges. You can even use the chancing engine to test the effect that having a higher-tiered extracurricular activity has on your chances of college acceptance—like if an activity was Tier 2, rather than Tier 3.

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Loyola Marymount University

Martial arts essay brian thomas hockenmaier, a range of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds much to the educational mix. given your personal background, describe an experience that illustrates what you would bring to the diversity in a college community or an encounter that demonstrated the importance of diversity to you..

I believe the experience of my training in Aikido would bring a great aspect of diversity to any college community in which I join. In...

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, what are the most famous college application essays.

Hey guys, I'm trying to get started on my college application essays and I'm feeling a little stuck. Saw some references online about some quite famous ones. Can anyone provide examples or resources on the most famous college application essays that have made an impact on admissions or garnered significant attention? Thanks!

Sure, while it's always important to craft a college application essay that is uniquely your own, it can certainly be helpful to look at successful ones to get a sense of what works. Here are a few pieces that have received attention over the years:

1. "Costco Essay": This essay gained recognition for its engaging and clever storytelling. The applicant frames her intellectual curiosity and wide-ranging interests by chronicling her journey through a Costco store. It made its rounds on the internet due to its originality and humor.

2. "The Calculus of Love": Another well-known essay is the one detailing a student's love for mathematics through specific moments he shared with his girlfriend. The essay brilliantly interweaves his deep passion for math with a captivating love story.

3. "The Saudi Aramco World": An applicant to Yale wrote about growing up reading the 'Saudi Aramco World' magazine, with this unique lens informing his worldview and intention to study history and politics in college. This essay stood out for its authenticity and maturity.

Ensure to use these examples as inspiration, not as templates. Colleges are looking for genuine, fascinating stories that represent your personality, interests, and aspirations. Remember, the 'best' essays are the ones that can only be written by you!

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CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.

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Martial Arts Essay For Med School Application

EssayEdge > Blog > Martial Arts Essay For Med School Application

Note: This essay appears unedited for instructional purposes. Essays edited by EssayEdge are dramatically improved.

Martial arts and medicine. They seem worlds apart, but they both have played significant roles in my life and for reasons that are surprisingly similar. They both offer challenge, require great discipline, and necessitate a goal-oriented approach.

I first became involved with the martial arts when I was only 13 years old. At that time I began studying karate in my hometown in northern California. Even then I was a goal-oriented individual who was attracted to the step-by-step progression involved in studying karate. Within a year I had earned a brown belt (the next-to-highest ranking) and was actually serving as an instructor at the karate academy where I had learned the sport. Dedication, discipline, and physical and mental prowess were behind my success, which included being the youngest person in the area to attain the brown belt.

In college I became involved in Tae Kwon Do, which is the Korean counterpart of karate. This sport, too, requires patience, determination, and a clear mind in addition to physical strength, endurance, and agility. Within a year I had become president of my university’s 80-member Tae Kwon Do club, which ranks among the top sports clubs on campus. In assuming this position I began to have the opportunity to test myself as a leader as well as an athlete.

One of the reasons I became interested in medicine is that it, too, requires a meticulous, goal-oriented approach that is very demanding. Of course, it also happens that the substance of the profession holds strong appeal for me, both in terms of the science and the potential for serving others who are in need.

Most of my exposure to the profession has occurred within the areas of surgery and emergency medicine. After first serving as an emergency medicine volunteer technician at a northern California hospital (where I had a moving experience with a young girl’s death), I acquired the EMT-1A/CPR certifications and then worked as an Emergency Medical Technician-1A during a subsequent summer. This job was a fascinating, educational, and high-pressure experience that exposed me to the realities of medicine as practiced in crisis situations.

My extensive involvement with cardio thoracic surgery research over the last three years, first as a volunteer technician and currently as a staff research technician, has further fueled my desire to become a physician. I have had to rely upon my own ingenuity and problem solving skills as well as what I have learned in the classroom, and this has been exciting. One of the more unusual aspects of my work has involved me directly in the procedure of heterotopic heart transplantation in rats. This precise and technically demanding procedure encompasses microsurgery and usually is conducted only by residents. In fact, I am the only undergraduate student doing this procedure, which has shown me the extent of both my manual dexterity and capacity for learning sophisticated techniques.

I have been fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to participate and contribute in almost every way during experiments, from administering anesthesia and performing extensive surgical preparations to analyzing the data obtained and operating monitoring and recording equipment, ventilators, and the heart-lung machine.

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I am a somewhat shy individual, but I have found that within the medical environment that shyness evaporates. The opportunity to help others one-on-one is so rewarding and comfortable for me that I feel very much at ease, regardless of with whom I am working. I think one of the particularly attractive aspects of medicine for me, especially within such specialties as internal medicine and obstetrics/gynecology, is the potential for forming close, lasting, meaningful relationships with a wide array of patients.

For me, medicine emerges as the perfect avenue for indulging my impulses to contribute, to be involved with science, and to establish important links with others at both critical and noncritical moments in their lives.

Do you really think that nothing in your past can be connected to your ambition to become a doctor? This sample should prove the opposite. Check how this person managed to link two different activities. We believe you can do the same. Ask experts for a medical school personal statement review and be confident in yourself.

Does Doing Taekwondo Help With College Admissions?

Miss Sarah Chiang - Reveal Martial Arts instructor and Harvard University student

As students prepare to apply to college, many are looking for ways to stand out from the thousands of other applicants. One question that may come up is whether their taekwondo or martial arts training can give them an edge in the college admissions process. We spoke with several college admissions offices to get their perspectives on this topic.

Q: What qualities do colleges look for in potential students, and how can taekwondo or martial arts training demonstrate these qualities?

A: "We look for students who demonstrate dedication, perseverance, leadership, and a commitment to excellence," says an admissions officer from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) . "Taekwondo and martial arts training can demonstrate all of these qualities, as they require significant time and effort to master."

Q: Can earning a black belt in taekwondo or martial arts be a significant asset for college applications?

A: "Earning a black belt in martial arts is an impressive achievement that can set a student apart from other applicants," says an admissions officer from Stanford University . "It demonstrates dedication, perseverance, and a commitment to excellence that we look for in our applicants."

Q: Can martial arts training have a positive impact on academic performance, and can this be highlighted in a college application?

A: "Research has shown that martial arts training can improve cognitive function and academic performance," says an admissions officer from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) . "If a student can demonstrate a correlation between their martial arts training and improved academic performance, this can certainly be a valuable addition to their college application."

Q: Are there any specific programs or clubs related to martial arts at your college, and how can a student's martial arts experience be an asset in these programs?

A: "We have several martial arts clubs and programs at our college, and we welcome students with martial arts experience," says an admissions officer from the University of Texas at Austin . "Students with martial arts experience can bring unique skills and perspectives to these programs, and this experience can help them stand out in the admissions process."

Q: How can students showcase their martial arts experience on their college applications?

A: "Students can mention their martial arts experience in their extracurricular activities section or personal essays," says an admissions officer from Harvard University . "They can highlight how their martial arts training has impacted their lives and developed their character, as well as any leadership or teamwork skills they have gained through this experience."

In conclusion, taekwondo and martial arts training can be valuable assets for students applying to college. They demonstrate qualities that are highly valued by college admissions officers, and can set students apart from other applicants.

Additionally, the leadership, teamwork, and academic benefits of martial arts training can be highlighted in college applications and can help students stand out in the admissions process.

But don’t just take our word for it! Check out the success of our own Reveal students who have been accepted to many amazing colleges and universities like:

❤︎ Vanderbilt University

❤︎ Harvard University

❤︎ Washington University in St. Louis

❤︎ UC Santa Barbara

❤︎ Texas A&M University

❤︎ University of North Texas

❤︎ The University of Oklahoma

❤︎ Texas Tech University

❤︎ Cornell University

❤︎ UC San Diego

❤︎ New York University

❤︎ University of Edinburgh, UK

Don’t wait and set up a Free Trial for your child today and watch their confidence soar to take on higher education with ease.

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). "Freshman Admission Requirements."

Stanford University. "Admission Requirements."

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). "Martial Arts Program."

University of Texas at Austin. "Martial Arts."

Harvard University. "Application Tips."

Martial Artist and owner of Reveal Martial Arts Taekwondo Karate.

Exciting Martial Arts Tournament: 7 Events that Showcased Reveal Martial Arts Students' Skills and Values

How martial arts help kids be prepared for their teenage self.

COMMENTS

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Karate essay: second draft! tell me what you think!
Essay 1: Experience Wiping the sweat off my brow, I stepped out of the car, my nerves tingling with anticipation. This is it, I said to myself. I was nervous, of course, but I knew that I had trained long and hard to get here, and I deserved it. All of those hours slaving away on the sweaty blue mats were finally culminating into what would soon be a single moment of glory; I was about to ...
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How to Write a Non-Cliche College Essay About Sports + Examples
2. Use sports to point out broader themes in your life. The main risk when writing about sports is neglecting to write about yourself. Before you get started, think about the main values that you want to express in your sports essay. Sports are simply your avenue for telling the reader what makes you unique.
Martial Arts & Common App : r/ApplyingToCollege
r/ApplyingToCollege is the premier forum for college admissions questions, advice, and discussions, from college essays and scholarships to SAT/ACT test prep, career guidance, and more. ... as I've been doing Kempo for the past 15 years! If you can weave your martial arts story in and out of other parts of your application, even better ...
The Value of a Black Belt for College Admissions
What we found was that the values associated with martial arts training, particularly to the level of achieving black belt rank, such as dedication, perseverance, a growth mindset, and being a part of a strong community outside of school, are highly desired in college admissions. Read on to hear it directly from Mr. Middleton.
Martial Arts Essay Writing Guide for College Students
The Martial Arts: History and Classification. Martial arts have a long and storied history, which make them an important and effective subject for college essays since there is so much to write about. As the name implies, the martial arts are related to combat and warfare and originated as a system of fighting techniques for battle.
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Every weekend after my karate class, I volunteer for an hour and a half teaching kids ages 3-12. The first class is the "Little Ninjas," who are just 3-5 years old. These are among my favorites to teach because they have no preconceptions or attitude. They look at you unjudgmentally and listen to what you have to say, and they will try out ...
How to write a college application essay: 7 tips + step-by-step how-to
Step 0: choose a structure. By "structure," we mean what you'll use to organize your essay's content in a way that helps your reader understand clearly and easily. We'll talk through two structural options below: "montage" and "narrative.". Some quick definitions:
College Essay
Posted on January 7, 2014 by Brooklyn Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu. We were immensely impressed by one of our student's, Isaac, college application essay. A creative and inspiring account of his martial arts experience. Oss Isaac! "Kankudai!". My arms shoot straight down with palms facing my body, fingers held tightly together.
Tips for Writing an Effective Application Essay
Follow these tips to write an impactful essay that can work in your favor. 1. Start Early. Few people write well under pressure. Try to complete your first draft a few weeks before you have to turn it in. Many advisers recommend starting as early as the summer before your senior year in high school.
Martial arts on college application : r/ApplyingToCollege
r/ApplyingToCollege is the premier forum for college admissions questions, advice, and discussions, from college essays and scholarships to SAT/ACT test prep, career guidance, and more. Martial arts on college application. Is taekwondo with multiple degrees with black belt better on a college application than say Brazilian jiu jitsu?
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Ultimate Guide to Writing Your College Essay
Sample College Essay 2 with Feedback. This content is licensed by Khan Academy and is available for free at www.khanacademy.org. College essays are an important part of your college application and give you the chance to show colleges and universities your personality. This guide will give you tips on how to write an effective college essay.
Ligamentous Laxity, and Karate Anonymous
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how do I put my athletic involvement in karate on the common app
expert. 955 answers, 647 votes. • 2 years ago. I would put it down like so: Activity title: Assistant karate teacher. Activity description: Lead and plan karate lessons for all ages. Earned black belt after 10 years of karate practice.
Breaking Down the 4 Tiers of Extracurricular Activities
Check out this extracurricular activity list for tips on finding new activities—and determining which of your current hobbies and passions to include on your college application. Field or Interest. Extracurricular Activities. Computers. Take an online coding class. Create a website. Develop an app.
Martial Arts Essay Brian Thomas Hockenmaier
GradeSaver provides access to 2365 study guide PDFs and quizzes, 11012 literature essays, 2781 sample college application essays, 926 lesson plans, and ad-free surfing in this premium content, ... Martial Arts Essay Brian Thomas Hockenmaier A range of academic interests, personal perspectives, and life experiences adds much to the educational ...
What are the most famous college application essays?
Sure, while it's always important to craft a college application essay that is uniquely your own, it can certainly be helpful to look at successful ones to get a sense of what works. Here are a few pieces that have received attention over the years: 1. "Costco Essay": This essay gained recognition for its engaging and clever storytelling.
Martial Arts Essay For Med School Application
Robin Wilson. Our editors on College, Graduate, Medical, MBA, and Law admission documents help you with brainstorming, proofreading, and editing to make your writing concise, persuasive, and original. Note: This essay appears unedited for instructional purposes. Essays edited by EssayEdge are dramatically improved. Martial arts and medicine.
Does Doing Taekwondo Help With College Admissions?
In conclusion, taekwondo and martial arts training can be valuable assets for students applying to college. They demonstrate qualities that are highly valued by college admissions officers, and can set students apart from other applicants. Additionally, the leadership, teamwork, and academic benefits of martial arts training can be highlighted ...