Should You Mention a Failed Writing Competition in Your University Application?
Applying to university involves presenting a comprehensive picture of yourself, highlighting your strengths, passions, and extracurricular activities. Should you include the fact that you participated in a writing competition, even if you didn't win?
Importance of Participation in Your Application
Participation in a writing competition, as with any extracurricular activity, can showcase your capabilities and dedication. Your essays and letters of recommendation serve as a platform for admissions officers to understand what makes you unique and what value you would bring to their institution. If you participated, it demonstrates your willingness to push yourself, learn, and grow beyond the traditional academic realm.
Why Mention Your Participation?
1. Demonstrating Resilience and Growth: Winning or losing in a writing competition is secondary to the experience itself. The competition is an opportunity to challenge yourself, refine your skills, and push your boundaries. Even if you didn't win, you can still highlight the learning and growth you experienced during the process. Universities value students who are resilient and eager to learn.
2. Understanding the Competition: To provide a realistic and accurate portrayal of the competition, you should gather as much information as possible from the organizers. This will help you understand the scope of the competition, the criteria for evaluation, and the overall experience. Incorporating this information can provide context to your application and make your participation more meaningful.
3. Personal Reflection: Avoid providing a negative impression. Instead of framing your participation as a failure, you can discuss the experience in a positive light. Reflect on what you learned, how you grew, and any challenges you overcame. This can paint you in a more positive light and demonstrate your maturity and reflective abilities.
How to Present Your Participation
1. Acknowledge the Competition: Start by acknowledging the competition and the opportunity it provided. For example: 'I had the privilege of participating in the [Name of Competition] and engaged with a community of talented writers.' This sets the stage for the rest of your narrative.
2. Describe Your Experience: Explain the process of participating in the competition, what you contributed, and how you approached the task. Be specific about what you learned and how you benefited from the experience.
3. Reflect on Growth: Discuss what you learned from the experience, whether it was about your writing skills, your approach to problem-solving, or any other personal growth. Share how you can apply these lessons in future endeavors.
4. Address the Outcome: If you did not win, provide a balanced perspective. Explain your understanding of the competition's criteria and why you may or may not have won. Emphasize the journey over the result. For example: 'While the outcome was not what I had hoped, the experience taught me valuable lessons about perseverance, collaboration, and critical thinking.'
Why Not Mention It as a Failure?
1. Highlighting Effort Over Outcome: Universities value students who are dedicated and willing to put in the effort, even if the result is not what they hoped for. Highlighting your effort and the lessons learned is more impactful than lamenting a failure.
2. Focusing on Extracurricular Activities: Your application should showcase a variety of activities that demonstrate your character and interests. Participation in a writing competition, framed positively, can be a valuable part of an application, rather than a failure to be hidden.
3. Demonstrating Initiative and Dedication: By participating in a writing competition and discussing your experience, you are demonstrating initiative, dedication, and a willingness to grow and learn. These are qualities that universities are looking for in candidates.
Conclusion
In conclusion, you should mention your participation in a writing competition in your university application, even if you didn't win. Emphasize the experience, your reflections, and the growth you have experienced. This will provide a more holistic view of your character and dedication to your craft. Remember, the journey and the lessons learned are just as valuable as the outcome.