<p>USC students are known to be involved. Briefly describe a non-academic pursuit (such as service to community or family, a club or sport, or work, etc.,) that best illustrates who you are, and why it is important to you. (250 word limit)</p>
<p>Before joining my high school tennis team, I enjoyed isolating myself from my friends. But this all changed when I joined the tennis team during freshmen year. I developed a strong friendship with one of the players, and we realized that we shared a common goal: to be on the varsity team. We started practicing with each other on our own time. By the end of summer, we were chosen to be on the varsity team as doubles partners. As the year progressed we began to win more and more matches, and because of this we were awarded the title of “Best Doubles” from the team. This continued into Sophomore Year, and we were even undefeated in Junior Year.
It is because of tennis and my doubles partner that I have learned to become a more outgoing individual, learning the values of teamwork and taking risks. With the teamwork skills that I acquired from tennis, I am able to bond with people from different background at a higher personal level. I became more open-minded, and more willing to experiment with new things, such as joining more clubs. Before joining tennis, I do not pursuit any opporttunites, but now I search for new opportunities. I learned about the admission interview at USC from a USC student; I decided to take the opportunity and scheduled an interview with USC. During the interview, I learned that USC has wide variety of clubs and organization in campus, such as tennis and cultural clubs. I wish to join more clubs in USC, and continue to learn how to be a more outgoing person. </p>
<p>It is good how you talk about USC at the end and kind of go through your development in high school. You should go back and work on some sentence structure. Ex/last sentence of first paragraph and you have some repetition in the first two sentences. I wouldn’t stress too much though</p>
<p>hey how do u guys think this response is to the same question? a little too showy? i hope not:</p>
<p>Pop! The ball shot off of my racket as I smacked a forehand down the line. My opponent quickly recovered, slicing a backhand crosscourt. But I was ready for it, with a bit of trickery up my sleeve. Sprinting up to the service line, I neatly chopped the ball off of its path using a touch volley, landing it in the corner of the right service box.
The set was over, but there was much more action to come. My opponent served to start the second. His kick out wide was way too long for my wingspan to handle, but I was able to recover with a return on the rise. My opponent, not anticipating the speed of my shot, knelt down and skimmed a topspin lob. Dropping back and arching into a serve position, I picked the ball out of the air and smacked a huge overhead winner. With a fist pump and a “C’mon!”, I was back in the game.
But for me, tennis is more than just a game. Tennis is an entirely different way for me to express myself. On the court, my mind is immersed in the moment. Tennis is all about raw power, delicate finesse, and a bit of game-changing trickery slipped over the net. But even after winning a point, I can’t afford to lose focus. To the last set, to the last game, to the last point - I’m in the zone. Boom! Another ace.</p>
Just general advice on these things, try to convey a story using your own voice (shouldn’t be too formal sounding). Instead of saying “I became more open-minded,” you should show it in your story in a convincing way.
Also, I heard somewhere that you shouldn’t reference the school as “USC” in your prompts.