Could I get some feedback-Common app essay on failure---BE BRUTALLY HONEST

nd1012016
Wed, 28 Oct 2015 21:23:44 +0000

You know that feeling when you have successfully recreated a project you saw on Pinterest? Yeah, me neither. Pinterest makes every person believe they have the ability to become a master craftsman or baking aficionado. If you’ve never ventured onto Pinterest, my instinct is to advise you to keep your distance due to the quite likely disappointment you will experience after getting in over your head like most users do. Yet, I will always value this website because it inspired a simple yet failed venture in my life that taught me a lot about passion, curiosity, and resilience—all from the comfort of my very own kitchen.

I was 13 when I discovered Pinterest. I used to scroll through pins of delectable desserts and beg my mother to let me try to make a seven-layer rainbow cake, dark chocolate tiramisu mousse, or bite size key lime pies. Time after time, she would answer my pleas with “You’ll make a mess” or “You’ve never baked anything other than pre-cut sugar cookies”. While both of these statements were quite true, I believed in myself and my capabilities and continued to search for the perfect recipe. Luckily for me, all good things come to those who wait, and my opportunity to test my abilities came when I received the go ahead for my 1st baking challenge—cake balls.

After scavenging through the baking aisle of the grocery store, I returned home with 3 types of cake batter, 4 flavors of icing, and 2 kinds of chocolate. With this assortment, I set myself up to make 24 different types of chocolate covered cake balls. My first obstacle arose after I had baked all three cakes. I was unsure of how to mix together the cake and icing, so my 13 year old self thought it would be best to mix the cake and icing with my hands. After that disaster, I had incredible difficulty getting the mashed together cake balls to stay in sphere form to dip them into chocolate. My final complication was dealing with my parents after they saw the mess and over 90 cake balls spread across baking sheets in my kitchen.

This failure probably doesn’t seem like the typical failure that individuals claim was life changing or helped them grow as a person. You may think that the only ramifications of my baking disaster were the superfluity of cake balls occupying my entire fridge for a month. Yet, this experience resonates with me today because in the hours spent cleaning up my kitchen, I was able to step back, take a deep breath, and think.

****I am going to finish with paragraphs on
1. Getting in over your head
2. Taking risks
3. Resiliency
THANKS