intellectual curiosity college essay examples

Calculate for all schools

Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, how to express intellectual curiosity in college essays.

I want to write a college essay that highlights my intellectual curiosity and love for learning. Can anyone share some examples or tips on how to write an engaging essay on this topic? I'm a little stressed about getting this right, thanks!

While it is understandable that you want to showcase your intellectual curiosity in your college essay, it's important to choose a specific story or experience that best represents this aspect of your personality. Many college applicants would consider themselves intellectually curious, so it's crucial that your story is personal and detailed enough to show what makes your curiosity distinct. Here are a few tips and examples to guide you in writing an engaging essay on this topic:

1. Focus on a specific experience or realization: Rather than trying to cover every single instance where you've exhibited intellectual curiosity, choose one particular event, realization, or even a project that sparked your interest and led you to dive deeper into a subject. Use this experience as the focal point of your essay, and demonstrate how it showcases your innate love for learning.

Example: You encounter a challenging math problem that you are unable to solve initially, but rather than giving up, you devote your time and energy to working it out and advancing your math skills.

2. Show, don't tell: As with any essay, it's essential that you use vivid, descriptive language and anecdotes to show your intellectual curiosity, rather than simply stating that you have a desire for knowledge. Explain the process of learning or exploration, and describe the emotions you experienced as you pursued your interests.

Example: Describe the late nights spent reading research papers or attending seminars, the joy of uncovering a new concept, or the frustration of encountering an unfamiliar theorem and how you overcame it.

3. Discuss the impact and personal growth: To illustrate the broader importance of your intellectual curiosity, explain how your passion for learning has influenced your life and personal growth. Focus on the skills you've developed or the lessons you've learned, and make connections to your goals and aspirations for college - admissions officers need to understand why this story is relevant to understanding what kind of college student you'll be.

Example: By immersing yourself in independent research on a scientific topic that fascinates you, you discovered a potential career path or academic interest that you might otherwise not have considered, inspiring you to pursue advanced studies in that field.

Finally, consider either taking advantage of CollegeVine's Free Peer Essay Review Tool or submitting your essay for a paid review by an expert college admissions advisor through CollegeVine's marketplace. Sometimes, getting a more objective set of eyes on your essay is just the thing that takes it from good to great.

Remember, overall your college essay is an opportunity to showcase who you are as an individual, beyond test scores and grades. By providing specific examples and anecdotes, and relating your intellectual curiosity to your personal growth and future college experience, you can create an engaging essay that leaves a lasting impression on admissions officers.

Happy writing!

About CollegeVine’s Expert FAQ

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.

Common Application Prompt 6: Be Warned!

by j9robinson | Feb 18, 2017

Big Red Flag on this New Common Application Prompt 6!

The Common Application added two new prompts for 2017-18.

Now students can choose from seven prompts (instead of five) to inspire their personal statement “Common App” essay.

The seventh new Common Application prompt basically allows you to write about anything you want, and you can learn more about it and the new prompts in New Common Application Prompts for 2017-18 .

The other prompt, the new Common Application Prompt 6, essentially asks you to write about one of your intellectual passions.

The New Common Application Prompt 6

6.  Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?  

I like Common Application prompt 6 because it gives you a chance to highlight your heady side (how you think).

Because it has a more concept-related theme and is new, I believe many students will be attracted to it.

However, I believe there could be a potential pitfall in writing an essay about one of your intellectual passions.

No matter how much you love any “topic, idea or concept,” it can still be challenging to write about in a way that is interesting and compelling.

It’s not impossible, but can be tricky.

First, there’s the trap of writing an essay that is more like an academic essay instead of a personal statement because the topic itself is “intellectual.”

It’s critical that whatever “topic, idea or concept” you write about for Common Application prompt 6 allows you to make most of the essay about YOU—as opposed to a report-like essay simply about whatever “topic, idea or concept” you decide to write about.

For example, if you want to write about the “topic” of climate change (because you feel passionately about that topic), try not to make your essay a piece only about what that is, why it’s a concern and why it fascinates you.

Instead, search for a way to make the topic more personal in your essay; to personalize your topic. The goal is to use your “topic, idea or concept” to showcase your “intellectual curiosity.”

“Intellectual curiosity” is a fancy way of saying  how you think and learn .

How to Personalize Common Application Essay Prompt 6

Two Hot Tips for Common Application prompt 6: Include a story and a problem (usually these go together anyway).

Look for a personal story to illustrate the main point you want to make about whatever “topic, idea or concept” you write about.

(Don’t believe the Common Application folks are looking for real-life stories in these essays? They stated it directly on their web site announcing the new essay prompts for 2017: The goal of these (essay prompt) revisions is to help all applicants, regardless of background or access to counseling, see themselves and their stories within the prompts. )

Find a real-life experience or moment to illustrate what inspired your interest or something related to your interest in this topic. That way, the essay naturally shifts to being more about you than simply the topic.

One idea would be to start your essay recreating one of the moments when you “lost track of time”  or were “captivated” by your “topic, idea or concept.”

Then you can go onto explain why it “captivates” you so much (ie, why you love it so much), and then share how you sought to learn more.

Here’s another Red Flag for Common Application Essay prompt 6:

If you simply answer each of the questions in this prompt, you will have a potentially bland explanation of why the “topic, idea or concept” excites you.

You will only “tell” us about it and how you learned more about it. Good chance this won’t reveal a lot about you and how you think (reason, analyze, etc.) and what you value—your “intellectual curiosity.”

That is why it’s helpful to work in some type of challenge/problem/obstacle related to your “topic, idea or concept” so you create a platform in your essay to share your intellectual curiosity beyond a general explanation.

Ideally, you want to show your critical thinking, reasoning, analytical ability and insights in action in a personal statement and your essay for Common Application prompt 6.

Just because whatever topic, idea or concept you chose to write about is fascinating, both on its own and to you personally, does not necessarily mean your essay will be equally compelling.

It’s up to you to find a way to feature your own personality as it relates to the “topic, idea or concept” to make your essay meaningful.

How to Inject Interest in Common Application Prompt 6 to Create Interest

Another way to inject interest into an essay about what turns you on intellectually is to think of a “time” that you faced any type of obstacle (which is a type of problem) learning more about the “topic, concept or idea” you are writing about.

Or any “time” where your passion or pursuit of learning more caused you some type of problem or challenge.

By introducing a problem or obstacle related to your passion or curiosity in a certain “topic, concept or idea,” you can then go onto explain how you handled that issue and what you learned from it.

(When you share what happened with that problem or obstacle, you will naturally tell a little story. Bingo! You will have both an engaging personal story and an interesting problem to feature in your essay.)

I know this sounds hard, but I guarantee that using some type of problem related to your “topic, idea or concept” will juice up your essay in a natural way, and help you work in more about yourself and how you think, feel and learn.

What you don’t want is an essay that goes…

When I learned about the concept of quantum physics in high school, I was hooked. It was so complex and interesting, and made me think in ways I never did before. I went home and read as much as I could on the Internet and checked out books from the library to learn as much as I could….

Your fascination for quantum physics could be a good topic, but you would need to make it personal. The writing above was too general, and didn’t reveal anything about the writer’s personality or character.

Notice how there was nothing personal or specific. No story and no problem. Dullsville,

Quantum physics is fascinating, but why did it hook YOU? That’s where you need to inject something about your background or experience that shows the reader more about your interest.

After you include a story the relates to the “topic, idea or concept” you are passionate about, and how you pursued learning more about it, don’t stop there.

Shift into what you learned from that pursuit to dig deeper into your intellectual curiosity .

Here are a few questions you could ask related to your “topic, idea or concept”:

• Did you learn anything you never expected to learn about it, or YOURSELF?
• Share both the good and the bad about what you learned. (Nothing is black and white.)
• Did you learn any life lessons from delving into your “topic, concept or idea” (something you learned about YOURSELF)?
• Why does what YOU learned about your “topic, idea or concept” matter–to you, to others and to the world?
• Did learning about this topic, concept or idea lead you to other ideas or passions in your life?
• While trying to learn more about your topic, concept or idea, what did you learn about YOURSELF and how you think and learn?
• Looking back at your exploration of this topic, concept or idea, what did you learn about what YOU value most in your life?
• Are you still learning about this topic, idea or concept? Is so, why is that good, too?

For college admission counselors, English teachers, parents and educational counselors who have worked with the Common Application prompts in the past:

This new Common Application prompt 6 reminds me of the old Common App prompt: “Describe a place or environment where you are perfectly content.”

It was ditched by The Common Application folks last year, purportedly because it failed to inspire strong personal statements.

Word on the street among admissions counselors and college application essay wonks like myself (and based on what I saw with my students) was that it prompted dull and often sappy essays.

I believe this new Common Application prompt 6 has the same potential pitfalls.

Instead of describing a place, it asks about a “topic, idea or concept.” Instead of being “perfectly content” there, it should make you “lose all track of time.” Same ideas. Same pitfall.

People like to say, oh yay, a positive prompt like this Common Application prompt 6 because it doesn’t directly ask the students to include some type of problem or “bad thing”.

But there’s a good reason for soliciting problems in essays. (Notice almost all the other prompts include some type of problem, in the form of obstacles, stories, setback, challenge, failure, problem, question, etc.)

There’s good reason for this: When students wrote about their blissful places, the essays were often terrible because they were boring.

It’s hard to write an essay about what you love if nothing happens. I love the library, or I love visiting my grandparents or I love hiking in the woods. Those are great things to love, but if all you write about is how much you love them and why, chances are the essay isn’t all that compelling.

What makes essays interesting are stories. Something has to happen. And for something to happen, something has to go sideways—a problem.

If you knocked over a shelf of books onto the head librarian, or your grandparents home flooded during a hurricane or you came face-to-face with a mama bear on your hike, then your essay could be interesting.

Why? Because we suddenly feel for you and want to know how you handled the problem and what happened. This is why real-life stories are so powerful and the best college admissions essays include them.

My guess is that Common Application prompt 6 will inspire a lot of dull essays for the same reason as the old “perfectly content” one: It asks students to write about something they love.

It will be up to counselors, teachers and parents to help students push themselves with this essay prompt to make sure something happens, that it includes not only reflection and thinking but an experience or moment.

This is a generalization, but I believe the very students who will want to write about Common Application prompt 6 are the same ones who will need to be encouraged and coached to make sure to not let it get too scientific or weighed down in esoteric or technical language or theme.

These are often the same students (those who are interested in chemistry, gaming, engineering, technology, physics, computer science, etc.) who need that extra push to find ways to make their essay readable, personal and non-academic.

The magic bullet?

Find a juicy problem (a personal experience) that related to whatever “topic, idea or concept” you write about!

Once you have a little story, you are on your way to an excellent essay.

Here’s a sample outline that is intended to help you get started and make sure to address the questions in the prompt. There are many ways to approach your essay, so use this if it makes sense and feel free to take it in any direction you want.

Here’s a Sample Outline for Common Application Essay Prompt 6

• Start by sharing a moment, incident or experience that illustrates something about (or is related to, or an example of) the topic, idea or concept you are writing about. Try to include some type of problem (an obstacle, challenge, mistake, setback, etc.) This is called an “anecdote.” (1 to 2 paragraphs)
• Back story: Now provide some background or context for that moment, incident or experience and explain more about your topic, idea or concept. Include your main point: Why you love it so much.
• Share more about your experience with this topic, idea or concept using other real-life examples that further support your main point (Why you love it so much). If you included some type of “problem” related to your topic, idea of concept, explain how you handled it.
• Go onto share the steps you took to learn more about your topic, idea or concept. If you included a problem, this is where you can go into the step you took to deal with it—and then share what you learned. Include how you thought about it, how you felt, who you worked with, etc.
• MOST IMPORTANT: Reflect (look back) on this experience related to your topic, idea or concept and describe what you learned—not just about the topic, idea or concept–but what you learned about yourself (how you learn, what you value, etc.)
• Link back to the start of your essay and give a status update on that problem or moment you described at the start of your essay. Then restate the main point that you learned about your topic,idea or concept and about YOURSELF. End with how you expect to apply what you learned in your future dream and goals.

Please don’t let all my warning scare you off this prompt if it speaks to you.

More Brainstorming Tips for Common App Prompt 6

To make sure you don’t miss it, follow my blog by leaving your email via Sumome pop-up invite or in field on right sidebar.

Check Out These Related Posts!

This really Helped me on my College application because it asked the same exact question.

Great Help! thank you. Loved the outline you provided

it would be better if you added a example of this

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Click logo to visit Home Page!

Need More Help?

As a professional writing coach, I help students, parents, counselors, teachers and others from around the world on these dreaded essays! Learn about my in-person and online tutoring, editing, workshops, books, and online courses, ... READ MORE... .

Online Course

Learn to write your essay in one hour.

My on-demand, fast-and-easy online e-course: How to Write a College App Essay (Click lightbulb for details.)

Perfect for The Common App, UCs, grad school, transfer and scholarship essays!

Buy Course for $99 and Start Now!

Find helpful posts.

• About Admissions Officers
• Add a Twist
• Admissions Advice
• Affordability and Success
• Anecdote How-To
• ApplyTexas Essays
• Avoid "English-ese"
• Beware English teachers
• Brainstorm Guide
• Bump Up a Dull Essay
• Cappex Application essays
• Another Trick to Try
• Defining Qualities
• Focusing Your Topic
• Good Topics vs Bad Topics
• How to Stand Out
• Jumpstart Guide!
• Mundane Topics
• Risky Topics
• Show Your Grit
• The "Unexpected"
• Top Five Topic Tips
• Topic of Choice
• Topics to Avoid!
• Twilight as a Topic?
• Coalition for Access
• Coalition for Access Essay Strategies
• College Rejection
• Common App Prompt 7
• Common App: Prompt 1
• Common App: Prompt 2
• Common App: Prompt 3
• Common App: Prompt 4
• Common App: Prompt 5
• Common App: Prompt 6
• Commonly Asked Questions
• Conclusions
• Create Pathos
• Creative Writing
• English Teachers Help
• Essay Cheat Sheet
• Essay Contest
• Essay Hell's Writing Guides
• Essay Myths
• Essay Writing Guides
• Essay Writing Training
• Find Core Values
• First drafts
• Grabber Introductions
• Heavenly Essays Book
• Homeschooling
• How Format Common App Essay
• How to Describe a Place/Setting/World
• How to Recycle Essays
• How to Write a Conclusion
• How to Write Short Essays
• International Students
• Journal Writing
• Jumpstart Essay Experts
• Lesson Plans
• Math and Science Students
• How to manage your parents
• Personal Insight Questions
• Personal Statements
• Favorite Books
• Sample Essays
• Scholarship Essays
• Storytelling
• Supplemental Essay Tips
• Tufts Supplemental Essays
• University of Colorado Supp
• Why College X?
• Texas Essay Prompts
• How to Answer Prompt #1
• Golden Advice from a College Insider
• Title Your Essay
• TMI in Essays
• Top Essay Fears
• Transfer Essays
• Transfer Students
• UC Prompt #1
• UC Prompt #2
• UC Transfer Essays
• Uncategorized
• Underprivileged Students
• UC Prompt 4
• UC Prompt 5
• UC Prompt 8
• University of Texas essays
• Video Tutorials
• Waitlist Essays and Letter
• Warning to Top Students
• What Makes a Great Essay?
• When You Are Done
• Where to Start
• Why Essays Matter
• Be Specific
• Black and white thinking
• Don't Impress
• Final checklist
• Grabber introductions
• How Find Your Main Point\
• How to Add Depth
• How to add intellectual vitality
• How to Tell a Story
• How to Write an Anecdote
• Ladder of Abstraction
• Mini-Memoirs
• Online course for writing college admissions essays
• Self-editing
• Show AND Tell
• Show Don't Tell
• Tone and Voice
• Universal Truths
• Use Emotion
• Writing Contests

Bestselling Writing Guide!

Click book image to learn about all four of my popular writing guides!

The What, Why & How of Intellectual Curiosity

One crucial aspect of engagement during high school is intellectual curiosity—when a student goes above and beyond the requirements of a class or dives deep into a subject on their own time. Here's how adolescent psychologist Michael W. Austin defines intellectual curiosity:

The intellectually curious person has a deep and persistent desire to know. She asks and seeks answers to the "why" questions. And she doesn't stop asking at a surface level, but instead asks probing questions in order to peel back layers of explanation to get at the foundational ideas concerning a particular issue.

Intellectually curious students spend their free time learning just for the fun of it. They dive deep into topics and subjects in which they're interested. They routinely seek knowledge and often engage with others in the pursuit of understanding. Intellectual curiosity makes learning a lot more organic—and much less of a chore. Universities want academically curious people – some colleges even ask specifically about it. For example, on their Common Application supplement, Stanford asks applicants: "Stanford students are widely known to possess a sense of intellectual vitality. Tell us about an idea or an experience you have had that you find intellectually engaging."  Intellectual curiosity can be demonstrated in academic records, the application essay, the resume, and other items in your admissions application.

The College MatchPoint Guide to Engagement In High School

The most successful college applicants have engaged in activities that are based on their interests, aptitudes, and motivations. This guide presents our i4 framework and walks you through how your student can optimize their interest, involvement, initiative, and impact to successfully engage during high school and develop into a strong college applicant.

How do you awaken and nurture your student's intellectual curiosity? Here are 3 steps for parents to focus on with their children:

1. Encourage them to embrace intellectual challenges 

Encourage your teen to explore subjects that interest them when selecting high school classes. Students who love math should challenge themselves with AP, IB, or other honors courses that will prepare them for advanced math in college. If your student enjoys languages, encourage them to choose one and study it to the highest level offered. And if your teen is curious about elective high school courses—from Philosophy or Psychology to Macroeconomics or Film—support them in diving into these subjects. High school is the perfect time to explore areas of interest while taking as challenging a course load as the student can handle while still earning excellent grades. Extracurricular and summer activities can also provide avenues for students to deepen their interests.

2. Figure out what makes them tick

Many high school students need a bit of time—and perhaps some guidance—to explore potential interests. In middle and high school, make space for your student to experiment with different possibilities for intellectual engagement. Encourage them to notice which activities or questions spark their interest, and then feed their curiosity with books, podcasts, documentaries, YouTube videos, music, projects, or any other medium that lets them plunge into their topic of choice.

Strive to be enthusiastic about your student's interests. You may have a vision of your child's future college, major, or career, but true intellectual curiosity ignites when a student has the chance to explore—in their own way—a subject that resonates with them. One of the most exciting things about nurturing your middle or high schooler's curiosity is that you never know where it may lead them. 

"I personally have never seen a student that was not curious about something. I have seen many students who have suppressed their curiosity when they enter school to such an extent as to be nearly undetectable, but it is still there. Human beings are hardwired to be curious and being curious is a major activity of childhood and young adulthood." – Ben Johnson, author of Teaching Students to Dig Deeper

3. Support them in becoming an active learner

Being intellectually curious doesn't mean spending high school with your nose stuck in a textbook. Your teen may be the kind of person who learns best through participation in projects, experiments, or other hands-on activities. Active learners dive into hands-on activities that bring the concepts they're studying to life. Once they've found a topic they think about endlessly, help them find ways to engage—through classes, clubs, mentorship, research, volunteering, or a job—with people who share their interest. 

Here are a few examples of active learning:

• A student who excels at physics may nurture a budding interest in mechanical engineering by taking a summer job in an auto repair shop and learning how to revamp an internal combustion engine. 
• A book lover with a passion for education might start a club that teaches literacy skills to underserved children. 
• A student who is curious about diseases could do an independent research project with a mentor from their school or participate in research at a local university. 

Students who challenge themselves intellectually, figure out what makes them tick, and engage in their fields of interest in high school gain a deeper sense of their priorities and values. This is excellent preparation for helping them choose a college and their eventual career.

< Older Post

Newer Post >

This page is licensed under Creative Commons under Attribution 4.0 International . Anyone can share content from this page, with attribution and link to College MatchPoint requested.

" College MatchPoint helps steer and advise you from beginning to end of the college search and application process. They take what can be a very stressful time and break it down into smaller, manageable pieces. Bob, Lisa and their staff support their student clients, enabling them to find the best fit. You can trust that the process will work; it did for all 3 of my very different kids. "

— Ellen Miura

Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates.

Email signup

OUR SERVICES

OUR APPROACH

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | COLLEGE MATCHPOINT | SITE BY FIX8

What are your chances of acceptance?

Calculate for all schools, your chance of acceptance.

Your chancing factors

Extracurriculars.

How to Write the Haverford College Essays 2023-2024

Haverford College has two, short supplemental essays: one about your intellectual interests, and one about Haverford’s Honor Code. As a small, academically rigorous school just a short train ride from Philadelphia, Haverford attracts a competitive pool of applicants, so you want to make sure your essays stand out. In this post, we’ll break down both prompts, and explain how to write strong responses to each one.

Haverford College Honor Code

Before we dive into the essays, we want to provide some background on the Haverford Honor code. Here’s what you need to know.

Haverford College has one of the oldest and one of the very few student-run Honor Codes in the U.S. Our Honor Code is not a set of rules, but rather a statement of shared values centered on the concepts of trust, concern, and respect.

Our Honor Code serves as an educational tool in and of itself and provides a powerful framework for our community, emphasizing and supporting qualities we see as essential to a Haverford education. Among other things, the Honor Code at Haverford shapes:

Academic Freedom: The Honor Code fosters an atmosphere emphasizing academic integrity, collaboration over competition, and the cultivation of intellectual curiosity. Differences and disagreement are respected, valued, and embraced, and open discourse is seen as fundamental to the academic endeavor.

Student Agency: The Honor Code upholds a culture in which students are deeply trusted to take substantial ownership of their education and to profoundly shape and define the Haverford community. Student ownership is reflected in self-scheduled exams, in the fact that every student completes a Senior Thesis, in shared responsibility for the residential experience, and of course in oversight of the Honor Code itself.

Community: The Honor Code establishes a supportive environment for living and learning, where the community experience plays a central role in one’s education. The inherent value of every community member is recognized, and diversity in all respects — including diversity of background, experience, and perspective — is nurtured, celebrated, and embraced.

Leadership and Engagement: The Honor Code allows every student to find and develop their own voice, to practice ways of improving community and acting on issues of importance, to learn methods of problem solving and conflict resolution, and to examine the ways they can and will impact the world beyond Haverford.

Before delving into Haverford’s supplementary essays, it is extremely important to have a solid understanding of Haverford’s Honor Code and its role in Haverford’s community. At first glance, Haverford’s Honor Code may appear to be an explicit set of rules that are designed to govern the lives of students, forcing them to comply with specific guidelines and standards. However, the goal of the Honor Code is not to restrict students, but rather to allow for more freedom.

The Honor Code fosters a community grounded in honesty, fairness, and respect. These values create an environment where students feel not only comfortable, but confident sharing their own ideas, opinions, and beliefs. Diversity in thought, belief, culture, and perspective are not only recognized, but accepted and celebrated.

The values of the Honor Code afford students an unprecedented level of control over their education and community. Since it is expected that students adhere to a high degree of honesty and integrity, students are trusted by the administration as well as their professors and peers. For instance, Haverford students don’t have RAs in their dorms, are allowed to take tests without proctors, and are able to schedule their own final exams. These freedoms and privileges can exist because of the values of the Honor Code. 

Haverford’s Honor Code also presents an opportunity for self-governance. At Plenary, an all-student “governing” session, students can debate and vote to revise the Honor Code. In this way, students have the autonomy to change and improve Haverford’s campus. 

While Haverford’s Honor Code is taken seriously, consequences for infractions are not seen as punishments, rather as opportunities to instill lifelong lessons. Consequences are decided upon by the Honor Council, composed of students, not members of the school administration. It is the hope of the Haverford community that through this process, students will take ownership for their bad decisions, learn from them, grow as community members, and realize that they have the power to control their circumstances both inside and outside the classroom.

As you write your supplemental essays, keep Haverford’s values in mind. Incorporating their values into your essays not only shows that you did your research, but also creates connections between yourself and the Haverford community. For instance, Haverford’s collaborative environment could enable you to work with your peers to understand complicated mathematical theorems. Or, Haverford’s respectful and accepting community could empower you to debate the best policies to solve climate change. Regardless of the interests you choose to express in your essays, it is always a good idea to connect your thoughts to Haverford’s Honor Code and core values. 

Haverford College Supplemental Essay Prompts

Prompt 1: Tell us about a topic or issue that sparks your curiosity and gets you intellectually excited. How do you hope to engage with this topic or issue at Haverford? (150-200 words)

Prompt 2: We have highlighted for you some of the values that shape the Haverford community. What are some of the values you seek in your next community? How do Haverford’s values, as demonstrated through our Honor Code, resonate with you? 

As you think about how to answer this question, you might draw from how you have been influenced by other communities you have been a part of, experiences you may have had within your communities, or opportunities you have had to shape or even change your communities. (150-200 words)

Tell us about a topic or issue that sparks your curiosity and gets you intellectually excited. how do you hope to engage with this topic or issue at haverford (150-200 words).

This prompt is an excellent opportunity for you to showcase your interest in a specific subject or topic. Although it is not a “Why Major?” prompt, as you have the freedom to write about any of your intellectual interests, not just your intended major, the overall structure of the essay will be similar: you want to select one of your interests, which could be as obscure as Victorian fashion or as common as math, and explain why and how your topic excites your intellectual curiosity, as well as how you’ll be able to continue learning about it at Haverford.

Starting your essay with an anecdote is a great way to show your interest in your topic to readers, rather than simply telling them about it. For example, you could begin by telling the story of how you became interested in art after your first visit to an art museum. Or, you could describe what thoughts and emotions you experience when creating art. Since you’re dealing with a low word count, your story should be pretty simple, as you don’t have the space to flesh out something complicated.

The next part of your essay should focus on the deeper reason why you are so interested in your topic or subject. In other words, what specifically about your topic makes you excited to learn more? Maybe you love science because it explains how everything in the world works, from plants growing to playing tennis. Or, maybe you’re passionate about music because it has the power to inspire and connect people.

While this essay is a short one, you ideally also want to explain, at least briefly, what you do to satisfy your curiosity about this topic. Do you read every available book on Egyptian pyramids? Do you debate the most successful political campaign strategies with your family at dinner? This extra detail will give your reader a clearer sense of how your interest in your topic manifests on a daily basis, which will make your interest feel more tangible and genuine.

Finally, you want to connect your interest in your topic to your potential future as a Haverford student. Hop onto Haverford’s website, and do some research on classes, clubs, or other opportunities at Haverford that will allow you to keep learning about it. Since you probably won’t have much room left by this point, you want to pick just one or two things, as otherwise the end of your essay will feel cramped and rushed.

For example, you could talk about how the College Year in Athens study abroad program would deepen your understanding of Greek mythology, by allowing you to see firsthand many of the sites that were most important to the Ancient Greeks. 

Alternatively, you could write about how the clubs Charcuterie Union and Food for Thought would expand upon your interest in cooking, and help you develop a more comprehensive understanding of the role food can play in different people’s lives.

We have highlighted for you some of the values that shape the Haverford community. What are some of the values you seek in your next community? How do Haverford’s values, as demonstrated through our Honor Code, resonate with you?

Brainstorming Your Topic

This prompt tells you pretty much exactly what it wants to know: the values you’re looking for in a college community, and how those values align with Haverford’s. However, while the questions are clear, answering them thoughtfully may take some time, as you’ll need to reflect on what your values truly are.

With a question as open-ended as “What do you value in your communities?” sometimes asking yourself related, slightly more focused questions can help you brainstorm more efficiently. Here are some examples of those kinds of questions:

• What are some of your favorite communities you’re a part of? What makes you love them so much?
• When you think about your friends, what qualities do many of them share?
• Look at your complete college list—why are you applying to this particular set of schools, out of all the colleges in the United States and across the world?

The actual values you choose are much less important than those values being genuinely important to you. One applicant might write an excellent essay about trust, while someone else might write an equally strong one about open-mindedness. But if you try to force a connection to something that isn’t really one of your primary values, your reader will be able to tell you aren’t being fully authentic.

Finally, as you’re brainstorming you’ll likely come up with a list of several different values. But because this essay is so short, you’ll want to focus on just one, or two at the most, once you start writing. Otherwise, you won’t be able to give each value the attention it needs, and your essay will end up feeling all over the place.

Tips for Writing Your Essay

In your actual essay, the most important thing to do is connect the value or two you’re focusing on to Haverford’s values, specifically those laid out in the Honor Code. If you’re having a hard time doing that, you may want to go back to the drawing board. For example, valuing a good sense of humor is a wonderful thing, but doesn’t connect super well to anything in the Honor Code.

A better thing to focus on would be, say, speaking up about what’s important to you. You could easily connect that value to the following two lines of the Honor Code:

• “The Honor Code allows every student to find and develop their own voice, to practice ways of improving community and acting on issues of importance.”
• “The Honor Code upholds a culture in which students are deeply trusted to take substantial ownership of their education and to profoundly shape and define the Haverford community.”

Once you feel confident that you’ve linked your own values to Haverford’s, you want to think about how to clearly explain that link to admissions officers. Here, Haverford is once again being considerate, and telling you pretty much exactly how they want you to do that, in the second paragraph of the prompt.

To summarize, that paragraph is telling you to use concrete examples and anecdotes to explain how you came to have this particular value. In other words, show, don’t tell, because otherwise, your reader won’t really understand what you having this value says about your personality as a whole. Plenty of people value outspokenness, but the point of the college essay is to distinguish yourself from other applicants. So, you want to show what the value you have chosen means in the context of your life specifically, and why that value’s importance in your life has inspired you to apply to Haverford. 

For example, you could talk about how you hated attention as a kid, and preferred to just spend time with your family’s pets. But during the pandemic, seeing people adopt pets for company without knowing how to take care of them frustrated you to the point that you started your own YouTube channel, to explain how to avoid making common first-time pet owner mistakes. To your surprise, the channel became extremely popular, and many people wrote comments thanking you for your help. Speaking up is still hard for you, though, and being on Haverford’s campus, where outspokenness is encouraged, will help you continue to get better at it.

Mistakes to Avoid

Because this prompt is so explicit about what it wants, it’s pretty hard to get totally off-track. The only thing you really want to be wary of is using your space in an inefficient way. 200 words will disappear quickly, so you want to make sure you’re being thoughtful about how long you spend addressing each part of the prompt.

Otherwise, you may end up accidentally using 160 words explaining how you came to have the value you’re focusing on, and then have to cram in the connection to Haverford at the very end. There’s no one correct breakdown of how long you should spend on each point of your essay, as ideally one thing flows naturally into the next. Just make sure the connection to Haverford gets enough room to breathe, as, since that part is likely going to come at the end, it’s at the most risk of getting cut short.

Where to Get Your Haverford Essays Edited

Do you want feedback on your Haverford essays? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays. 

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools.  Find the right advisor for you  to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

• Campus Culture
• High School
• Top Schools

5 Stanford Intellectual Vitality Supplemental Essay Examples

• essay topic
• college application essays

College applications look at more than just your test scores and your personal statement.  

Colleges give you other opportunities to demonstrate your personality or passion. Stanford, for example, asks for 3 additional supplemental essays. One of them questions an applicant’s intellectual vitality. Here’s the prompt:

Stanford students possess an intellectual vitality. Reflect on an idea or experience that has been important to your intellectual development. (250 word limit)

StanfordAndrew

Stanford university ‘21  .

What’s more probable: dying from a shark attack, or dying from falling airplane parts? Surprisingly, the answer is falling airplane parts. But why does our intuition point us towards shark attacks? Read full essay.  

Stanford University ‘18

My sophomore year, I fell in love with math.

See, I’ve always been a strong student in mathematics, but until Precalculus with Mrs. Forbes, it was always my least favorite class. In second grade, I remember scribbling down numbers from the Fibonacci sequence while the teacher explained negative numbers for the hundredth time, which illustrates a trend: teachers saw an empty bucket, while I wanted an intellectual adventure. Keep reading.  

Outside my kitchen, towers of iron-crusted bicycle frames obscure a copse of overgrown plum trees. Alongside the house, wheels rest in stacks sorted according to diameter-width, and the front brick patio is strewn with odd mechanical pieces. My house is a way station for lost bikes, and my dad, a life-long thrifter, is their guardian. His mission to repair and sell them in his spare time results in a view more like a junkyard than a backyard. Continue reading.

When my biology teacher announced that our next project would be a poster on the cell cycle, I immediately thought, “This is going to be easy.”

I soon realized that I was wrong. Very, very wrong. My previous knowledge of mitosis barely scraped the surface. We were now expected to study all the molecular mechanisms that drive the cell cycle—a tangled network of checkpoints, proteins, and pathways. Worse, our teacher refused to give us any information, abandoning us to find everything for ourselves. Read on.

Stanford University ‘19

If literature is the expression of opinions, and if opinions are subjective, then literature as a whole is subjective. Consequently, what are we supposed to gain from works of literature if not absolute truths? I, personally, look to literature to challenge my beliefs by presenting me with new ideas and opinions. Continue reading .

———-

Interested in reading these students full personal statements, and the Intellectual Vitality supplemental essay? Unlock all of them in one go with  our curated package ! 

Our  premium plans  offer different level of profile access and data insights that can help you get into your dream school. Unlock any of our  packages  or search our  undergraduate profile database  to find specific profiles that can help you make an informed choice about where to apply! 

About The Author

Frances was born in Hong Kong and received her bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University. She loves super sad drama television, cooking, and reading. Her favorite person on Earth isn’t actually a member of the AdmitSee team - it’s her dog Cooper.

Browse Successful Application Files

Last week, Prompt's CEO shared what mistakes to avoid in your college essay. In Part 2 of this two-part blog series, learn how to pick an essay topic. The key: focus on an admissions officer’s...

With an otherwise great college application, how important can college essays really be? When only 1 in 5 students applying to selective colleges have compelling essays, make sure you avoid this essay mistake....

In this second part of his two-part series, college admissions coach Justin Taylor explains key admissions lessons from 2020, an unprecedented year of firsts, that can help you strategize as we enter into this next application...

In Part one of this two-part series, college admissions coach Justin Taylor explains key lessons about 2020, “a year like no other,” that could seriously boost your chances in 2021, including smarter list building and transcript GPA...

We are so excited to announce that for this year’s scholarship, we selected five scholarship winners to maximize the impact of our $5,000 college scholarship prize money....

• 1. Webinar Series: College Application Prep for High School Juniors
• 2. College Application Lessons from 2020-2021: Strategizing through Covid Changes (Part 2)
• 3. College Admissions Lessons from 2020-2021: Strategizing through Covid Changes (Part 1)

• 5. COVID-19 and Your College Essay: Should You Write About It?
• 6. College Search: How to Find Your Best College Fit
• 7. College Tours 101: Everything You Need to Know
• 8. Waitlisted? 5 Ways to Move from the College Waitlist to Acceptance
• 9. When (and why) should you send additional materials to colleges you’re interested in?
• 10. How to Make Your College Essay Stand Out
• 1. How to Write College Essays to Boost your Chances Part 2: Focusing the Priority
• 2. How to Write College Essays to Boost your Chances Part 1: Biggest Essay Mistakes
• 3. College Application Lessons from 2020-2021: Strategizing through Covid Changes (Part 2)
• 5. Winners of the AdmitSee 2020 College Scholarship
• 6. COVID-19 and Your College Essay: Should You Write About It?
• 7. Education, Access and Systemic Racism
• 8. Applying to BS/MD Direct Medical Programs: Why Early Med School Admission Might be Right for You
• 9. How to Get Off the College Waitlist (5 Go-To Strategies)
• 10. College admissions prep during the Coronavirus

Home » Tufts University » How Do You Show Intellectual Curiosity In College Essay?

How Do You Show Intellectual Curiosity In College Essay?

Table of Contents

Intellectual Curiosity Use anecdotes, such as a classroom experience or time you performed independent research, to illustrate your passion for learning . You might also relate a question that inspired you. This is another essay where it’s important to show, not tell.

How would you describe intellectual curiosity?

Here is an intellectual curiosity definition: Intellectual curiosity is a person’s willingness and desire to learn new things and dig deeper than the surface . Intellectual curiosity makes learning a much more natural process, instead of just a duty or a chore.

How do you demonstrate intellectual?

8 Ways to Increase Your Intellectual Capacity

• Expand your horizons. Expanding your horizons unlocks the world to you by introducing you to possibility.
• Be imaginative.
• Pleasure reading.
• Train your brain.
• Consistently learn.
• Physical activity.
• Get enough sleep.
• How you dress.

How do you satisfy intellectual curiosity?

10 Ways to Stimulate a Student’s Curiosity

• Value and reward curiosity.
• Teach students how to ask quality questions.
• Notice when kids feel puzzled or confused.
• Encourage students to tinker.
• Spread the curiosity around.
• Use current events.
• Teach students to be skeptics.
• Explore a variety of cultures and societies.

How do you show your passion in college essay?

A better guideline: write about what you’ve spent a lot of time on . Start by looking at what you’ve spent the most time on, then figure out which activities you particularly enjoyed, and then remember how you became interested in those activities and detail why they are important to you.

What is intellectual curiosity essay?

How would you describe your intellectual ability.

Intellectual capacity is your ability to think, learn, plan, and execute with discipline . A helpful analogy is to think of it as your processor or operating system—building this capacity allows you to do more in less time and with less energy.

What are examples of intellectual skills?

Memory, comprehension, reasoning, analyzing, and problem solving are examples of intellectual skills that companies desire for their workers. Strength, stamina, coordination, psychomotor, and sensory skills are the top elements needed for physical work.

What sparks your intellectual curiosity?

There are many different things that a person may say when asked what sparks their intellectual curiosity. For some it may be along the basis of greed or want of knowledge. Others may just simply love to learn, and their pleasure from learning is what sparks their curiosity.

How do you demonstrate curiosity in the workplace?

The space for inquisitiveness can be created in small and unexpected ways without any elaborate changes to your lifestyle.

• Slow down to create time for research and reflection.
• Be open to the opinions and ideas of others.
• Practice asking “why” and other good questions.
• Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

What are colleges looking for in essays?

As part of the college application process, colleges ask prospective students for a personal essay in order to learn more about them. They want to see context on each student’s background, positive traits that the student could bring to campus, and examples of the student demonstrating those qualities .

What should you not write in a college essay?

Many essays included things that you should not do in your college admissions essay including: Never rehash your academic and extracurricular accomplishments . Never write about a “topic” Never start with a preamble.

What makes you a strong candidate for college essay?

Whether reflected in the essay or the thoughtful confluence of the academic course load and extracurricular activities, a successful applicant should highlight an ability to overcome obstacles and garner results . It’s about proving you can produce outcomes, both on the part of the student and the university.

How can I be curious in college?

Encourage them to notice which activities or questions spark their interest, and then feed their curiosity with books, podcasts, documentaries, YouTube videos, music, projects, or any other medium that lets them plunge into their topic of choice. Strive to be enthusiastic about your student’s interests.

What is an intellectual experience?

Common Intellectual Experiences (CIEs) refer to any curricular and/or co-curricular program designed to build a student cohort focused on a common, broad theme .

How do you describe someone’s intelligence?

Some common synonyms of intelligent are alert, clever, and quick-witted . While all these words mean “mentally keen or quick,” intelligent stresses success in coping with new situations and solving problems.

What are intellectual skills for students?

Intellectual skills are defined as the methods an individual can use to evaluate or organize information and data . In the 1950s, educational psychologist Benjamin Bloom created a model of intellectual skills that defined abilities such as application, analysis and synthesis as building on basic knowledge.

How can students improve their intellectual skills?

Teach students to develop divided attention for multitasking . This will help in developing highly functional cognitive skills. Practicing mindfulness a few times a week for children help in concentration. Processing speed is the time taken by the mind to process information or command.

What is an example of curiosity?

The definition of curiosity is anything strange or rare, or having an interesting in learning or knowing something. An example of a curiosity is a little known and interesting fact about a subject . An example of curiosity is always asking questions, reading books and going out to try to learn about the world.

Why is curiosity important for learning?

Encouraging students to embrace their curiosity is an important part of education. Curiosity is key to learning. In fact, studies show that, when we’re curious about a subject, we are much more likely to remember information we learned about that subject .

Why do you want to go to this college essay?

Tips for Writing the “Why This College” Essay Make a list of the reasons you decided to apply . Research unique opportunities related to your academic and extracurricular interests. Pick your top academic reasons for applying, and your top extracurricular/social reasons.

By Cary Hardy

Hi there! I'm Cary Hardy, an education expert and consultant. I've worked with students of all ages and backgrounds, and I love helping them unlock their full potential. I'm also a big believer in lifelong learning- there's always something new to learn!

I got my start in education as a teacher, working with students in grades K-12. After several years of teaching, I transitioned into the world of educational consulting. I've since worked with schools and districts all over the country, helping them improve their curriculums and instruction methods.

I'm passionate about helping people achieve their dreams, and I believe that education is the key to unlocking everyone's potential. Thanks for reading!

You might also like:

Is tufts university a party school, what percentage of tufts students get into medical school, is tufts a fun college.

We use cookies to enhance our website for you. Proceed if you agree to this policy or learn more about it.

• Essay Database >
• Essays Samples >
• Essay Types >
• College Essay Example

Curiosity College Essays Samples For Students

173 samples of this type

Regardless of how high you rate your writing abilities, it's always a good idea to check out an expertly written College Essay example, especially when you're dealing with a sophisticated Curiosity topic. This is precisely the case when WowEssays.com database of sample College Essays on Curiosity will prove handy. Whether you need to think up an original and meaningful Curiosity College Essay topic or look into the paper's structure or formatting peculiarities, our samples will provide you with the required data.

Another activity area of our write my paper agency is providing practical writing support to students working on Curiosity College Essays. Research help, editing, proofreading, formatting, plagiarism check, or even crafting fully unique model Curiosity papers upon your demand – we can do that all! Place an order and buy a research paper now.

Good Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey Essay Example

Most friends chuckle when I tell them that my favorite TV show is Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey and its host, the Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, is my hero. They get startled knowing that I spend Friday nights at the observatory of a local university, peering through a 20-inch telescope at the moon, globular clusters, planets, nebulas, and galaxies. They gave up listening on knowing that I usually spend several hours a night watching YouTube clips on the double slit theory, the effect of gravity on time, subatomic particles, and other mysteries related to the very essence of the universe.

Social/Behavioral Aspects - The Media Essays Examples

Part 1: social behavior media.

The biggest loser is the show I have chosen to comment on. It is a competition whereby participants are rewards each week for losing the most weight. The ones whom loose the least are eliminated each week and the winner becomes the person who loses the most during the competition.

Do you feel these shows help or hurt public health?

Good essay on somaly mam, introduction.

Don't waste your time searching for a sample.

Get your essay done by professional writers!

Just from $10/page

Sample Essay On Process Of Friendship Formation

Example of sponsors of literacy essay, dr. jekylls traits essay examples, free essay on the curious reader.

Going through the book “Curious reader” I have come across very interesting issues I had no or less idea about. Among the articles I come across were:

Hodgman, Ann. “No wonder they call me a bitch“ The Curious Reader. (2009)

Free building a sense of nationality identification of the australian society in the region and the world essay example.

Importance of Teaching History and Geography to Children in the Primary Years

Learn To Craft Essays On Effect Of Smoking Advertising On American Youth With This Example

The class information, good four classes of space missions essay example, the freedom and power in the enormous wings essay examples, free essay about how has the prevalence of cellphone impacted on privacy issue of adolescents in.

How the prevalence of cell phone has impacted on privacy issue of adolescents in the U.S.

Example Of Essay On A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings

Narrating from outside, professional philosophy of education essay sample, edu 100: issues in education, science essays examples, describe scientific explanation in detail. how does it relate to scientific hypothesis and scientific theory, free essay about a film critique of mary shelley’s frankenstein, example of essay on learning organization, free essay about the cognitive features that characterize the adolescent are, good essay on letter, dear future me,, my life: my story: a series of mysteries, discoveries and adventures essay, harlem renaissance essay.

During the 1920’ African American writers began to make significant contributions to American literature, especially during the Harlem Renaissance. I will discuss three poems or short stories from this literary movement.

Sample Essay On The Causes And Effects Of Smoking

<Course>

Free Essay On Teaching English As An International Language

Draw topic & writing ideas from this essay on professional philosophy of education, good yes we need to explore space essay example, consumer learning essay examples, the advert: baby play gym.

The advert is a print advertisement designed for a newspaper or a magazine. So you have bathed and, fed and cuddled you r precious little angel. You wonder what to do next to keep baby occupied? Do you wonder how to stimulate the little mind and nutrture that curiosity and creativity in early days? Our Bright Starts Swinging Safari Baby’s Play Place is your answer.

Specifications:

The cycle of absurdity in kafka’s a hunger artist essays example, cultural proximity -- another form of “cultural imperialism.: essay you might want to emulate, learn to craft essays on does the step turned out to be a real leap with this example, historic american time essay, free essay about lesson presentation assessment, observation class 1, “news from home” film review: the newcomer’s dilemma essay template for faster writing, good essay on art & architecture – race & ethnicity in fashion and media, art & architecture, good example of documentary poster essay, free effects of poetry and creative writing on young people essay sample, example of essay on reading and thoughts, harlem in vogue essays examples, free essay about taj mahal, example of favorite ad essay, good essay on scientific, philosophical, religious and speculative aspects in pre-socratic thought, good essay on ethical theories, free essay about the drawing technique of leonardo da vinci, the drawing technique of leonardo da vinci, reasons to visit or avoid earth as discovered by a newspaper essay sample, reasons to visit or avoid earth as discovered by a newspaper essay, essay on reasons to visit or avoid earth as discovered by a newspaper, free essay on reasons to visit or avoid earth as discovered by a newspaper.

The greatest discovery ever made on our planet is here. At Neptune news, we have a young woman who is ready to give us some discoveries about the planet earth. According to her story, the people on earth have very different way of life from us in Jade. Her story, however, suggests that the earth is not a place to visit. Let’s hear the discoveries of this young girl.

Example Of Essay On Global Management

Global management leadership challenges: global mindset, how do we read essay example, "yet do i marvel" by countee cullen essay.

During the 1920’ African American writers began to make significant contributions to American literature, especially during the Harlem Renaissance. Discuss three poems or short stories from this literary movement.

‘The Weary Blues’ – Langston Hughes

Cane – Jean Toomer

Political Debate Essay

Creativity essay sample, free astronomic image of mars essay example, part 2. recent and historical images of mars.

Historical Image of Mars. Website reference: http://www.fourthplanet.space/tag/christiaan-huygens/

Image info: Christiaan Huygens’ observational drawing of Mars shows a triangular feature which known today as Syrtis Major.

Telescope used: Huygens used a telescope created by himself (1655). It was a good 2-inch (5.1-cm) telescope of 10.5-foot (3.2-m) focal length and 50x magnification. (Sheehan)

Observer: Christiaan Huygens

Write by example of this the main features of introverts' behavior in the social environment essay, the main features of introverts' behavior in the social environment, free essay about coming into language, post-bureaucratic practices in leadership {type) to use as a writing model.

[Email Address for Correspondence] [Class Time] [Word Count]

Post-Bureaucratic Practices in Leadership

Positive psychology in harry potter and the philosopher’s stone essays examples, free essay on the role of the paranormal in religion, free essay about marketing article review, good essay about house on mango street literary response, “the family of little feet”, exemplar essay on project wing to write after.

Management Information Systems

Password recovery email has been sent to [email protected]

Use your new password to log in

You are not register!

By clicking Register, you agree to our Terms of Service and that you have read our Privacy Policy .

Now you can download documents directly to your device!

Check your email! An email with your password has already been sent to you! Now you can download documents directly to your device.

or Use the QR code to Save this Paper to Your Phone

The sample is NOT original!

Short on a deadline?

Don't waste time. Get help with 11% off using code - GETWOWED

No, thanks! I'm fine with missing my deadline