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13 Ways to Make Your Writing More Interesting to Read

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There are numerous characteristics of a good essay: original thinking, a tight structure, balanced arguments, and many more .

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But one aspect often overlooked is that a good essay should be interesting . It should spark the curiosity of the reader, keep them absorbed, make them want to keep reading and learn more. A boring essay risks losing the reader’s attention; even if the points you make are excellent, a dull writing style or poor handling of a dry subject matter can undermine the positive aspects of the essay. The problem is that many students think that essays should be like this: they think that a dull, dry style is suited to the purposes of academic writing, and don’t consider that the teacher reading their essay wants to find the essay interesting. Academic writing doesn’t have to be – and shouldn’t be – boring. The good news is that there are plenty of things you can do to make your writing more interesting, even though you can only do so much while remaining within the formal confines of academic writing. Let’s look at what they are.

1. Be interested in what you’re writing about

Image shows a woman looking very enthusiastic on a carousel.

If there’s one thing guaranteed to inject interest into your writing, it’s actually being interested in what you’re writing about. Passion for a subject comes across naturally in your writing, typically making it more lively and engaging, and infusing an infectious enthusiasm into your words – in the same way that it’s easy to chat knowledgeably to someone about something you find interesting. This makes it relatively easy to write interestingly about a subject you have a real passion for. However, problems arise when you’re forced to write an essay about subjects for which you lack enthusiasm. It’s difficult to conjure up passion for your least favourite subjects, and that will come across in your writing. There are steps you can take, though: here are some tips on writing about a subject you don’t enjoy.

Adjust your mindset : convince yourself that there are no boring subjects. If the subject or essay comes across as boring, blame yourself; if you find yourself feeling negatively about it, try to find the interest in it. Think about how it relates to the real world and how important the subject is. Find interesting snippets of information about it and look at it from a new angle.
Think about your reader : consider the fact that not everyone will find the subject as boring as you do. As you write, keep the reader in mind and imagine them to be the world’s biggest fan of this subject.
Find the fans : if you find it impossible to get into the mindset of your audience, try Googling the subject to find forums, videos or blog posts in which the subject is discussed by people who do find it interesting. This will help you picture whom you’re writing for, and give you a different perspective on a subject you may not have found inspiring up to now.

2. Include fascinating details

Another factor that can make an essay boring is a dry subject matter. Some subjects or topic areas are naturally dry, and it falls to you to make the essay more interesting through your written style (more on this later) and by trying to find fascinating snippets of information to include that will liven it up a bit and make the information easier to relate to. One way of doing this with a dry subject is to try to make what you’re talking about seem relevant to the real world, as this is easier for the reader to relate to. In a discussion of a seemingly boring piece of legislation, for instance, you could make a comment along the lines of “if it were not for this legislation, none of us would enjoy the freedom to do such and such today”, or “Legislation A ultimately paved the way for Legislation B, which transformed criminal law as we know it.” Make it seem exciting!

3. Emulate the style of writers you find interesting

When you read a lot, you subconsciously start emulating the style of the writers you read. It’s therefore beneficial to read widely, as this exposes you to a range of styles and you can start to take on the characteristics of those you find interesting to read. If you feel engaged with a piece of writing, the writer must be doing something right! As you read, think consciously about what the writer is doing to hold your interest, perhaps underlining or copying out certain phrases, techniques, sentence structures and so on. Then apply their techniques to your own writing.

4. Write in the active voice

Image shows scientists at work in the desert.

It’s the oldest trick in the book, but using the active rather than the passive voice will automatically make your writing more interesting to read. It results in more direct, energetic writing that makes the reader feel more ‘in the moment’. Unfortunately, many students employ the passive voice in the belief that it makes their writing sound more academic or intellectual; in fact, it makes their writing sound boring. Remember, the active voice is when the subject of the sentence “acts”, while the passive voice is when the subject is acted upon. Passive : It was concluded by the scientists that the methods used were… Active : The scientists concluded that the methods used were… The subject in this example is “the scientists” and the “act” they are carrying out is “concluding”. As you can see in this example, the active voice almost always results in neater and more elegant phrasing, which is more concise and enjoyable to read.

5. Borrow some creative writing techniques

There’s clearly a limit to the amount of actual ‘story-telling’ you can do when you’re writing an essay; after all, essays should be objective, factual and balanced, which doesn’t, at first glance, feel very much like story-telling. However, you can apply some of the principles of story-telling to make your writing more interesting. For example, just as the opening sentence or paragraph of a novel is incredibly important in capturing the attention of the reader early on, so the first paragraph of your essay is essential in making your reader want to continue reading it. Start with an attention-grabbing ‘hook’ to draw them in, such as a controversial statement, a tantalising snippet of information or a rhetorical question (more on these below). Here are some more techniques you can adopt from creative writing to improve your essays .

6. Think about your own opinion

Your essay is bound to be boring if all you do is paraphrase what everyone else says about something. A good essay – in humanities subjects, at least – incorporates the writer’s intelligent responses to what others say, and this critical consideration not only shows that you’re thinking at a high academic level, but it automatically adds more interest and originality to your writing. So, think independently and don’t be afraid to demonstrate that you’re doing as much.

7. Cut the waffle

Rambling on and on is boring, and almost guaranteed to lose the interest of your reader. You’re at risk of waffling if you’re not completely clear about what you want to say, or if you haven’t thought carefully about how you’re going to structure your argument. Doing your research properly and writing an essay plan before you start will help prevent this problem. Editing is an important part of the essay-writing process, so once you’ve done a first draft, edit out the waffle. Read through your essay objectively and take out the bits that aren’t relevant to the argument or that labour the point. As well as editing out chunks of text, it’s important to be economical with words – not using ten where five will suffice, and avoiding clunky phrases such as those outlined in this article . During the editing process, tighten up your phrasing by eliminating unnecessary words and reordering any sentences that read badly.

8. Using a thesaurus isn’t always a good thing

Image shows a thesaurus against a yellow background.

You may think that using a thesaurus to find more complicated words will make your writing more interesting, or sound more academic, but using overly high-brow language can have the wrong effect. It alienates the reader and makes you sound pompous, with the result that the essay is more laborious to read and the reader may quickly lose interest. Despite this, many undergraduates admit to deliberately over-complicating their language to make it sound more high-brow. If you want to keep your reader interested, keep your language clear and simple.

9. Avoid repetitive phrasing

Avoid using the same sentence structure again and again: it’s a recipe for dullness! Instead, use a range of syntax that demonstrates your writing capabilities as well as making your writing more interesting. Mix simple, compound and complex sentences to avoid your writing becoming predictable.

10. Use some figurative language

As we’ve already seen, it’s easy to end up rambling when you’re explaining difficult concepts, – particularly when you don’t clearly understand it yourself. A way of forcing yourself to think clearly about a concept, as well as explaining it more simply and engagingly, is to make use of figurative language. This means explaining something by comparing it with something else, as in an analogy. For example, you might use the analogy of water escaping from a hole in a bucket to explain the exponential decay of a radioactive substance, as the rate of depletion of both depends on how much remains, making it exponential. This gives the reader something familiar to visualise, making it easier for them to understand a new concept (obviously this will not be a new concept for the teacher who set your essay, but they will want to see that you can explain concepts clearly and that you have a thorough grasp of it yourself).

11. Avoid clichés

Clichés are overused words or phrases that make your writing predictable, and therefore less interesting. An example would be “at the end of the day”, but there are many such favourites of student essay-writers. Don’t forget that your teacher will have a stack of essays to read in one sitting; if you use the same tired expressions everyone else uses, your essay will blend in with all the others. Make it stand out by shunning the clichés you know your classmates will be using.

12. Employ rhetorical questions

One of the ways in which ancient orators held the attention of their audiences and increased the dramatic effect of their speeches was by making use of the rhetorical question. What is a rhetorical question? It’s essentially one you ask without expecting your audience to answer – one that you will answer yourself, like the one we asked in the previous sentence. This can be an effective way of introducing a new line of enquiry, or of raising questions that you’re going to address in more detail. A good place to use a rhetorical question is at the end of a paragraph, to lead into the next one, or at the beginning of a new paragraph to introduce a new area for exploration. The rhetorical question, “But is there any evidence to support X’s claim?” could, for instance, begin a paragraph that discusses evidence for an opinion introduced in the previous paragraph. What’s more, as we’ve already seen, you could use a rhetorical question as your ‘hook’ to lure readers in right at the beginning of your essay.

13. Proofread

Finally, you could write the most interesting essay a teacher has ever read, but you’ll undermine your good work if it’s littered with errors, which distract the reader from the actual content and will probably annoy them. Before you submit your essay, proofread it thoroughly to ensure that the grammar is elegant, the punctuation is perfect and the spelling is flawless. Don’t just use a spelling and grammar checker, as these don’t always pick up on all the errors.

Do you want to take your writing to the next level? Our Creative Writing summer school will teach you how to experiment with a number of different writing techniques, plan, edit and proofread your own work and introduce you to new concepts and ideas.

Image credits: banner ; carousel ; rose ; scientists ; baby ; thesaurus ; hawk ; questions .

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How to Write an Essay Introduction (with Examples)  

The introduction of an essay plays a critical role in engaging the reader and providing contextual information about the topic. It sets the stage for the rest of the essay, establishes the tone and style, and motivates the reader to continue reading.

What is an essay introduction , what to include in an essay introduction, how to create an essay structure , step-by-step process for writing an essay introduction , how to write an introduction paragraph , how to write a hook for your essay , how to include background information , how to write a thesis statement .

Argumentative Essay Introduction Example:
Expository Essay Introduction Example

Literary Analysis Essay Introduction Example

Check and revise – checklist for essay introduction , key takeaways , frequently asked questions .

An introduction is the opening section of an essay, paper, or other written work. It introduces the topic and provides background information, context, and an overview of what the reader can expect from the rest of the work. 1 The key is to be concise and to the point, providing enough information to engage the reader without delving into excessive detail.

The essay introduction is crucial as it sets the tone for the entire piece and provides the reader with a roadmap of what to expect. Here are key elements to include in your essay introduction:

Hook : Start with an attention-grabbing statement or question to engage the reader. This could be a surprising fact, a relevant quote, or a compelling anecdote.
Background information : Provide context and background information to help the reader understand the topic. This can include historical information, definitions of key terms, or an overview of the current state of affairs related to your topic.
Thesis statement : Clearly state your main argument or position on the topic. Your thesis should be concise and specific, providing a clear direction for your essay.

Before we get into how to write an essay introduction, we need to know how it is structured. The structure of an essay is crucial for organizing your thoughts and presenting them clearly and logically. It is divided as follows: 2

Introduction:  The introduction should grab the reader’s attention with a hook, provide context, and include a thesis statement that presents the main argument or purpose of the essay.
Body:  The body should consist of focused paragraphs that support your thesis statement using evidence and analysis. Each paragraph should concentrate on a single central idea or argument and provide evidence, examples, or analysis to back it up.
Conclusion:  The conclusion should summarize the main points and restate the thesis differently. End with a final statement that leaves a lasting impression on the reader. Avoid new information or arguments.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to write an essay introduction:

Start with a Hook : Begin your introduction paragraph with an attention-grabbing statement, question, quote, or anecdote related to your topic. The hook should pique the reader’s interest and encourage them to continue reading.
Provide Background Information : This helps the reader understand the relevance and importance of the topic.
State Your Thesis Statement : The last sentence is the main argument or point of your essay. It should be clear, concise, and directly address the topic of your essay.
Preview the Main Points : This gives the reader an idea of what to expect and how you will support your thesis.
Keep it Concise and Clear : Avoid going into too much detail or including information not directly relevant to your topic.
Revise : Revise your introduction after you’ve written the rest of your essay to ensure it aligns with your final argument.

Here’s an example of an essay introduction paragraph about the importance of education:

Education is often viewed as a fundamental human right and a key social and economic development driver. As Nelson Mandela once famously said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” It is the key to unlocking a wide range of opportunities and benefits for individuals, societies, and nations. In today’s constantly evolving world, education has become even more critical. It has expanded beyond traditional classroom learning to include digital and remote learning, making education more accessible and convenient. This essay will delve into the importance of education in empowering individuals to achieve their dreams, improving societies by promoting social justice and equality, and driving economic growth by developing a skilled workforce and promoting innovation.

This introduction paragraph example includes a hook (the quote by Nelson Mandela), provides some background information on education, and states the thesis statement (the importance of education).

This is one of the key steps in how to write an essay introduction. Crafting a compelling hook is vital because it sets the tone for your entire essay and determines whether your readers will stay interested. A good hook draws the reader in and sets the stage for the rest of your essay.

Avoid Dry Fact : Instead of simply stating a bland fact, try to make it engaging and relevant to your topic. For example, if you’re writing about the benefits of exercise, you could start with a startling statistic like, “Did you know that regular exercise can increase your lifespan by up to seven years?”
Avoid Using a Dictionary Definition : While definitions can be informative, they’re not always the most captivating way to start an essay. Instead, try to use a quote, anecdote, or provocative question to pique the reader’s interest. For instance, if you’re writing about freedom, you could begin with a quote from a famous freedom fighter or philosopher.
Do Not Just State a Fact That the Reader Already Knows : This ties back to the first point—your hook should surprise or intrigue the reader. For Here’s an introduction paragraph example, if you’re writing about climate change, you could start with a thought-provoking statement like, “Despite overwhelming evidence, many people still refuse to believe in the reality of climate change.”

Including background information in the introduction section of your essay is important to provide context and establish the relevance of your topic. When writing the background information, you can follow these steps:

Start with a General Statement:  Begin with a general statement about the topic and gradually narrow it down to your specific focus. For example, when discussing the impact of social media, you can begin by making a broad statement about social media and its widespread use in today’s society, as follows: “Social media has become an integral part of modern life, with billions of users worldwide.”
Define Key Terms : Define any key terms or concepts that may be unfamiliar to your readers but are essential for understanding your argument.
Provide Relevant Statistics:  Use statistics or facts to highlight the significance of the issue you’re discussing. For instance, “According to a report by Statista, the number of social media users is expected to reach 4.41 billion by 2025.”
Discuss the Evolution:  Mention previous research or studies that have been conducted on the topic, especially those that are relevant to your argument. Mention key milestones or developments that have shaped its current impact. You can also outline some of the major effects of social media. For example, you can briefly describe how social media has evolved, including positives such as increased connectivity and issues like cyberbullying and privacy concerns.
Transition to Your Thesis:  Use the background information to lead into your thesis statement, which should clearly state the main argument or purpose of your essay. For example, “Given its pervasive influence, it is crucial to examine the impact of social media on mental health.”

A thesis statement is a concise summary of the main point or claim of an essay, research paper, or other type of academic writing. It appears near the end of the introduction. Here’s how to write a thesis statement:

Identify the topic:  Start by identifying the topic of your essay. For example, if your essay is about the importance of exercise for overall health, your topic is “exercise.”
State your position:  Next, state your position or claim about the topic. This is the main argument or point you want to make. For example, if you believe that regular exercise is crucial for maintaining good health, your position could be: “Regular exercise is essential for maintaining good health.”
Support your position:  Provide a brief overview of the reasons or evidence that support your position. These will be the main points of your essay. For example, if you’re writing an essay about the importance of exercise, you could mention the physical health benefits, mental health benefits, and the role of exercise in disease prevention.
Make it specific:  Ensure your thesis statement clearly states what you will discuss in your essay. For example, instead of saying, “Exercise is good for you,” you could say, “Regular exercise, including cardiovascular and strength training, can improve overall health and reduce the risk of chronic diseases.”

Examples of essay introduction

Here are examples of essay introductions for different types of essays:

Argumentative Essay Introduction Example:

Topic: Should the voting age be lowered to 16?

“The question of whether the voting age should be lowered to 16 has sparked nationwide debate. While some argue that 16-year-olds lack the requisite maturity and knowledge to make informed decisions, others argue that doing so would imbue young people with agency and give them a voice in shaping their future.”

Expository Essay Introduction Example

Topic: The benefits of regular exercise

“In today’s fast-paced world, the importance of regular exercise cannot be overstated. From improving physical health to boosting mental well-being, the benefits of exercise are numerous and far-reaching. This essay will examine the various advantages of regular exercise and provide tips on incorporating it into your daily routine.”

Text: “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee

“Harper Lee’s novel, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ is a timeless classic that explores themes of racism, injustice, and morality in the American South. Through the eyes of young Scout Finch, the reader is taken on a journey that challenges societal norms and forces characters to confront their prejudices. This essay will analyze the novel’s use of symbolism, character development, and narrative structure to uncover its deeper meaning and relevance to contemporary society.”

Engaging and Relevant First Sentence : The opening sentence captures the reader’s attention and relates directly to the topic.
Background Information : Enough background information is introduced to provide context for the thesis statement.
Definition of Important Terms : Key terms or concepts that might be unfamiliar to the audience or are central to the argument are defined.
Clear Thesis Statement : The thesis statement presents the main point or argument of the essay.
Relevance to Main Body : Everything in the introduction directly relates to and sets up the discussion in the main body of the essay.

Writing a strong introduction is crucial for setting the tone and context of your essay. Here are the key takeaways for how to write essay introduction: 3

Hook the Reader : Start with an engaging hook to grab the reader’s attention. This could be a compelling question, a surprising fact, a relevant quote, or an anecdote.
Provide Background : Give a brief overview of the topic, setting the context and stage for the discussion.
Thesis Statement : State your thesis, which is the main argument or point of your essay. It should be concise, clear, and specific.
Preview the Structure : Outline the main points or arguments to help the reader understand the organization of your essay.
Keep it Concise : Avoid including unnecessary details or information not directly related to your thesis.
Revise and Edit : Revise your introduction to ensure clarity, coherence, and relevance. Check for grammar and spelling errors.
Seek Feedback : Get feedback from peers or instructors to improve your introduction further.

The purpose of an essay introduction is to give an overview of the topic, context, and main ideas of the essay. It is meant to engage the reader, establish the tone for the rest of the essay, and introduce the thesis statement or central argument.

An essay introduction typically ranges from 5-10% of the total word count. For example, in a 1,000-word essay, the introduction would be roughly 50-100 words. However, the length can vary depending on the complexity of the topic and the overall length of the essay.

An essay introduction is critical in engaging the reader and providing contextual information about the topic. To ensure its effectiveness, consider incorporating these key elements: a compelling hook, background information, a clear thesis statement, an outline of the essay’s scope, a smooth transition to the body, and optional signposting sentences.

The process of writing an essay introduction is not necessarily straightforward, but there are several strategies that can be employed to achieve this end. When experiencing difficulty initiating the process, consider the following techniques: begin with an anecdote, a quotation, an image, a question, or a startling fact to pique the reader’s interest. It may also be helpful to consider the five W’s of journalism: who, what, when, where, why, and how. For instance, an anecdotal opening could be structured as follows: “As I ascended the stage, momentarily blinded by the intense lights, I could sense the weight of a hundred eyes upon me, anticipating my next move. The topic of discussion was climate change, a subject I was passionate about, and it was my first public speaking event. Little did I know , that pivotal moment would not only alter my perspective but also chart my life’s course.”

Crafting a compelling thesis statement for your introduction paragraph is crucial to grab your reader’s attention. To achieve this, avoid using overused phrases such as “In this paper, I will write about” or “I will focus on” as they lack originality. Instead, strive to engage your reader by substantiating your stance or proposition with a “so what” clause. While writing your thesis statement, aim to be precise, succinct, and clear in conveying your main argument.

To create an effective essay introduction, ensure it is clear, engaging, relevant, and contains a concise thesis statement. It should transition smoothly into the essay and be long enough to cover necessary points but not become overwhelming. Seek feedback from peers or instructors to assess its effectiveness.

References

Cui, L. (2022). Unit 6 Essay Introduction.  Building Academic Writing Skills .
West, H., Malcolm, G., Keywood, S., & Hill, J. (2019). Writing a successful essay.  Journal of Geography in Higher Education ,  43 (4), 609-617.
Beavers, M. E., Thoune, D. L., & McBeth, M. (2023). Bibliographic Essay: Reading, Researching, Teaching, and Writing with Hooks: A Queer Literacy Sponsorship. College English, 85(3), 230-242.

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Your chance of acceptance, your chancing factors, extracurriculars, how to write an interest essay.

Hey everyone, some of the colleges on my list require me to write a 'Why Us?'-style essay, focusing on what interests me about the school. Any tips on how to make it specific and genuine rather than generic? Thanks!

Hi! Writing a 'Why Us?' essay can be a bit tricky, but I'm here to help. The key to a standout interest essay is research and personalization. Here are some tips to make your essay specific and genuine:

1. Do your homework: Thoroughly research the college and its programs, departments, and resources. Go beyond just looking at the college's main website - explore individual departments, student groups, unique offerings, and recent news.

2. Focus on unique aspects: Avoid praising aspects of the school that could apply to many other colleges, such as location or campus beauty. Instead, focus on what truly sets the college apart. Think about specialized programs, research opportunities, or unique extracurriculars that align with your interests.

3. Show how you'd contribute: Colleges want to know that you'll be an engaged member of their community. Include specific examples of how you can see yourself participating in and contributing to campus life. This might be through clubs, research, volunteering, or other opportunities.

4. Be authentic: Your essay should reflect genuine enthusiasm for the college. Talk about the aspects that excite you most, and avoid simply regurgitating information from the college website. Share personal experiences or anecdotes that have shaped your interest in the school.

5. Connect the college to your goals: Show how this specific college will help you achieve your academic and career goals. For example, maybe the college has exceptional faculty in your desired field, or it offers internships that would provide you with valuable experience in your chosen career.

6. Mention specific faculty or courses: If there are professors whose work you admire or unique courses that intrigue you, mention them in your essay. Be sure to explain why these aspects of the college appeal to you and how they connect to your broader interests and goals.

7. Tailor your essay to each college: While you might be tempted to reuse the same essay for multiple colleges, it's essential to tailor your response to each specific school. Tailoring your essay shows you've done your research and demonstrates a genuine interest in the college.

To learn more about this essay prompt, read the following blog post: https://blog.collegevine.com/why-this-college-essays-should-you-focus-on-yourself-or-the-college/

Incorporating these tips into your 'Why Us?' essay will help you stand out from the crowd and showcase your genuine interest in the college. Good luck!

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How to Write Interesting Essays That Won't Bore Your Professors

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Imagine this: your English literature course has been covering Shakespeare’s Hamlet for the last three weeks. You have nothing in common with Hamlet.

He is a depressed brat — we know. He resents women, is a terrible lover, and is far from an empathetic son. In fact, he annoys you so much with his strange ways and unpredictable behavior that you give up reading the play.

SparkNotes it is, you tell yourself.

But then, your teacher gives you a prompt and asks you to write an essay about Hamlet. You have now shut out everything and instead, you focus on the impending pain of having to write an interesting essay about something you cannot relate to on any level.

What now? You have no choice but to get down to it.

Before you get started, you might want to read this article and learn how to write interesting essays that are anything but a snoozefest.

How to Write Interesting Essays in 7 Steps

Newsflash: your professors have to read uncountable essays in a day. You can either submit a half-baked one that bores them to death or take time out to write one that’s sure to leave them impressed (and get you the scores you want).

Let’s take a look at how you can write interesting essays in seven steps.

Understand your prompt

This is the first step of writing an essay and one of the most crucial steps that should not be neglected. Once you understand your prompt question with ease, the process of writing an engaging and interesting essay on the topic becomes a simpler process.

Through this process, you can highlight the prompt question’s keywords such as ‘discuss’, ‘compare’, ‘explain’, etc and be able to identify the type of question and work on how you can approach it.

Hook your readers at the start

If the beginning of your essay is engaging, your readers will be enticed to read the rest of your essay.

To start an interesting introduction that catches the eye of your reader immediately, you can:

ask a compelling question;
use a relevant quotation;
share an engrossing anecdote or story;
place the reader in a situation;
write about the main mistakes they should avoid;
start with a catchy dialogue.

Make sure to start your essay with these attention-grabbing hooks .

In addition to a great hook, an introduction also consists of a thesis statement. A critical element, it needs to encompass the central idea of your essay and tie your points together.

Organize your ideas

Keep in mind to collect all your ideas and organize them in a smooth flow. This can be done by creating an organizational structure or an outline of the essay so that putting in all your ideas and points into the essay can become uncomplicated and effortless.

Losing your readers to a disorganized mess of ideas can turn them off from reading your essay.

Make a plan on how you want to place your ideas, as doing this will not only help you know what to write, but also create a clear picture of what kind of content you have, and if any other points need to be included.

Write short paragraphs

To find your essay interesting, your readers wouldn’t want to read multiple pages of wordy or lengthy sentences with lots of unnecessary information.

Instead, they would be engrossed in an essay that consists of precise points and smaller paragraphs that don't ramble on.

The solution? Stick to the purpose of the essay without disrupting the flow of your ideas.

Avoid including over-complicated words or phrases that can confuse your readers. You may think that using a thesaurus and adding complicated words will make you seem academic, but in hindsight, it can compel your readers to feel alienated and make you sound arrogant.

Reading essays that consist of the above issues may tend to become laborious to read and understand easily. This eventually causes your readers to lose interest in your essay and then ignore it.

Avoid clichés and repetitive sentences

A huge writing mistake that brings down the quality of essays is using overused words or clichés. These phrases make your essay writing dull, predictable, and less interesting.

Avoid using similar phrases as your classmates and peers to make your essay stand out among the rest.

Similarly, repetitive sentences or phrases can make your entire process of creating a good essay a futile chore. Use new and catchy sentences that depict your thoughts and ideas clearly.

This helps show the readers your vocabulary range and writing capabilities as well as makes your content more interesting to read.

Take a look at this video by Tolentino Teaching that talks about avoiding cliches and decluttering your writing

Use examples, statistics, and visuals

Add some life to your essay by adding statistics, infographics , interesting examples, and visuals such as images or videos. Using examples is a brilliant way of showcasing your ideas and it also helps your readers to understand your explanations better.

Another simple way of engaging your readers is by including statistics and linking them to their appropriate source. Through this, your reader will understand that you spent proper time researching to take out logical evidence that supports your statements.

Insert rhetorical questions

A rhetorical question is when you ask your readers a question, without expecting them to give you an answer in return. This keeps them engaged as it makes them think and try to decipher your question.

These questions are then eventually answered by you in the essay, making it an effective way to include a new line of inquiry as well as to showcase a point that you’d like to discuss further in detail.

Rhetorical questions keep the dramatic effect of your essay in motion, thus making it an interesting read.

Essay writing can be an exciting process if the right strategies are taken but if it’s approached incorrectly can become an extremely daunting experience (for you and the reader).

Implementing these tactics will help you draft interesting essays and set yourself apart from your classmates.

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Blog > Essay Advice , Essay Examples , Supplementals > Writing a Great Academic Interest Essay (with Examples)

Writing a Great Academic Interest Essay (with Examples)

Admissions officer reviewed by Ben Bousquet, M.Ed Former Vanderbilt University

Written by Kylie Kistner, MA Former Willamette University Admissions

Key Takeaway

What is an academic interest supplemental essay.

Academic Interest essays are a kind of supplemental essay . They ask you to expand on one of your primary academic interests. Since you’re going to college to be a student, colleges ask Academic Interest supplemental essay questions because they want to get a sense of your intellectual curiosity.

In fact, Academic Interest essays are one of the main places in your application for you to geek out about the topics you’re most passionate about.

Admissions officers want to know about the questions that keep you awake at night, the problems you’re ready to roll up your sleeves and solve, and the conversations you can’t wait to partake in.

But don’t worry. When a school asks you to describe your academic interest, you don’t have to stress about having your entire life planned out. If you say, “I want to create a robot to clean up litter in the ocean,” nobody is going to come knocking on your door when you graduate looking for a robot.

Your main goal when writing your Academic Interest supplementals? Show that you’ll be a great contributor to the learning community on campus.

In this post, we’ll walk you through how to do just that.

Let’s start by looking at a few examples of what Academic Interest prompts look like.

1: Stanford University

The Stanford community is deeply curious and driven to learn in and out of the classroom. Reflect on an idea or experience that makes you genuinely excited about learning. (100 to 250 words)

2: Pomona College

Academic Interest Statement: What do you love about the subject(s) you selected as potential major(s)? If undecided, share more about one of your academic passions.

3: Brandeis University

The Brandeis community is a diverse group of critical thinkers defined by their ability to dive deeper into their learning by questioning, analyzing, evaluating, creating, critiquing and seeking other perspectives. Share an example of how you have used your own critical thinking skills on a specific subject, project, idea or interest.

These examples should help you identify Academic Interest prompts when you come across them.

Now let’s move on to discussing three strategies you can use to answer any Academic Interest prompt colleges throw at you.

Academic Interest Essay Strategy

Great essays are strategic essays. Since supplemental essays exist to supplement the rest of your essays (like your personal statement ), activities, and letters of recommendation, it’s important to write them with intention. These three strategies will help you write your Academic Interest essays with an eye toward showing admissions officers how your intellectual curiosity makes you a perfect fit for the intellectual community at the school in question.

Write about an academic interest that aligns with what the school has to offer.

It doesn’t make much sense to write about your undying passion for pursuing a career in linguistics if you’re applying to a school that doesn’t have a linguistics program. Be sure you're doing your research on the school.

Remember that your supplemental essays exist to showcase how well you fit into a school’s academic, social, and cultural communities. While the academic interest you choose doesn’t have to exactly match up with something specific at the school like a Why this Major essay , it’s a good idea to choose an interest that can support your case for academic fit.

Be specific.

Specificity is your friend in most essays but especially in Academic Interest essays. As an admissions officer, one of the most memorable Academic Interest essays I read was about the history of corsets. It doesn’t get much more specific than that!

In a similar way, you should choose something specific to write about based on what the prompt is asking you to do. Whatever your intellectual niche is, don’t be afraid to be explicit about what it is that captivates you. Your goal is to be as specific as is necessary to bring an admissions officer into your intellectual world, give them a look around, and send them on their way with a new understanding of what you care about and why it’s important.

Reflect on the significance of your academic interest.

Academic Interest essays succeed when you demonstrate why the topic is important to you and to the world.

While these supplementals should be specific, they aren’t an opportunity for you to write a treatise on an obscure math concept or insect species. Instead, your Academic Interest essays should make it clear why your interest matters, to whom, and why.

Showing these connections lets an admissions officer know that you’re able to see the big picture and draw connections between academic interests and real-world problems.

How to write an Academic Interest supplemental essay

Alright. With those three strategies in mind, it’s time to get to writing.

Step 1: Read the prompt.

There are lots of ways colleges ask you to write about an academic interest. Take a look at the examples above. The Stanford prompt says that you can reflect on “an idea or experience,” but the Pomona prompt only asks for an “academic passion.” The Brandeis one is different yet, asking you to focus specifically on critical thinking and giving you the freedom to talk about a number of ways your academic interest has manifested.

The wording of the prompt will affect the options you have to choose from, so be sure to read it carefully.

Step 2: Decide on an academic interest.

After you’ve narrowed down your options based on the prompt, next you have to think about your application strategy.

If you’re applying to a particular college major , you should choose an academic interest that is related to your preferred major to emphasize your intellectual curiosity for that subject. Alternatively, you could pick an unrelated academic interest that shows your interdisciplinary inclinations (but that will probably be less effective). What you decide will depend on what kind of school you’re applying to and what other strengths you’ve strewn throughout the rest of your application narrative .

Step 3: Outline & Write

I. Introduction: Hook your reader into your topic with your first sentence, and expand on your academic interest throughout your introduction.

II. Body: Provide more details and introduce your reader to the problem, question, puzzle, or implications that keep you intrigued. III. Body II: Connect your academic interest to an activity you've been involved in. Use this essay as an opportunity to show a connection between your resume and your academic interests.

IV. Conclusion: Reflect on why your interest matters and why your interest in the subject is personally meaningful

Academic Interest Supplemental Essay Mistakes

There are two frequent mistakes applicants make when writing Academic Interest essays, and they typically happen when students aren’t paying enough attention to their application strategy.

Being too academic or too personal.

All college essays are tricky because they require you to balance a number of things. Academic Interest essays are no different. They are a balancing act between intellectual curiosity and personal meaning.

The first mistake applicants make is failing to find this balance. Too much or too little of either, and your essay comes across as too academic or too personal.

You don’t want to be the student who rambles on about a math proof and leaves your admissions officer without any sense of meaning to hang on to. Similarly, you don’t want to dive too deep into meaning and completely neglect to address the details of what interests you. Finding balance is essential.

Being too general.

So you want to “solve the world’s problems” or “find practical solutions to climate change.” That’s great! But when it comes to Academic Interest essays, the key is specificity. Anyone can have general interests in any topic. It’s the niche and particular academic interests that set applicants apart.

Focusing on one very specific interest tells admissions officers that you’re committed enough to your interest to have done thorough research on it. Your specificity shows familiarity with and dedication to a topic—both things that all colleges look for in their students.

If you’re too general, you run the risk of your Academic Interest essay not actually serving you. Too vague, and it’ll be like you didn’t write the essay at all.

So rather than trying to capture all of your interests or solve all of the world’s problems at once, hone in on something that you just can’t stop thinking about. Your future self (and your admissions officers) will thank you.

Academic Interest Supplemental Essay Examples

Example: what do you want to be when you grow up.

Brown: Brown’s Open Curriculum allows students to explore broadly while also diving deeply into their academic pursuits. Tell us about any academic interests that excite you, and how you might use the Open Curriculum to pursue them while also embracing topics with which you are unfamiliar. (200-250 words)

"How was school and what do you want to be when you grow up today?"

My mom asked me this two-part question every day when she picked me up in second grade.

One day I wanted to be a chemist because of an episode of Bill Nye the Science Guy. The next, I wanted to be a teacher like Miss Frizzle, or a paleontologist because of the dinosaur episode we'd just watched. Or maybe I wanted to produce cartoons for kids.

The idea of really learning something and trying to master it has always excited me. My only issue was that seemingly every subject was the next shiny thing I wanted to learn.

Brown's Open Curriculum is uniquely suited to satiate my broad interests–many of which I have maintained since I was a kid. I still love chemistry and have had the privilege of experiencing an advanced academic lab at UVA studying infectious diseases. I will certainly explore chemistry courses and seek out more research opportunities. I know I want to study abroad, and I'm most interested in the “Dinosaurs, Dry Bones, and Digs" course and trip that Brown archaeology professor Schultz hosts each spring to search for new dinosaur fossils in Brazil. Producing my school’s senior film with the help of my advanced filmmaking team has prompted me to also try on modern culture and media coursework at Brown and participate in the Campus Reel competition in the fall.

While my academic interests have evolved since I was seven, I look to college as a time to explore fields of interest, discover new ones, and maybe after four years have a better answer to that question, “what do I want to be when I grow up?”

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Education and Communications

How to Create Interest in Studies

Last Updated: December 15, 2023 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Alexander Ruiz, M.Ed. . Alexander Ruiz is an Educational Consultant and the Educational Director of Link Educational Institute, a tutoring business based in Claremont, California that provides customizable educational plans, subject and test prep tutoring, and college application consulting. With over a decade and a half of experience in the education industry, Alexander coaches students to increase their self-awareness and emotional intelligence while achieving skills and the goal of achieving skills and higher education. He holds a BA in Psychology from Florida International University and an MA in Education from Georgia Southern University. There are 13 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 486,177 times.

It’s easy to lose interest in your studies, whether you dislike a certain subject, feel overwhelmed by the work, or are just bored in your classes. When you find a way to enjoy what you’re studying, though, you’ll be more motivated to do well in school--and might even have fun doing it!

Setting the Right Attitude

Step 1 Identify what interests you naturally.

Think about which classes you pay the most attention in, which ones you seem to do the best in, which ones you don't mind studying for, etc. This can indicate which subjects you are naturally interested in.

Step 2 Put classes you don’t like into perspective.

Think about classes as stepping stones. [3] X Research source For instance, if you want to go to college, then you know you need to finish and do well in your high school classes, and this can motivate you to become interested in them.
You can even put your courses into a more precise perspective. For instance, if you want to be an engineer but don’t like your algebra teacher, remember that doing well in algebra is just an early step on the path toward achieving your career goal.

Step 3 Relate what you are studying to your daily life.

Knowing the basics of chemistry can improve your cooking. [4] X Research source
English classes will teach you to understand things like figurative language, rhetoric, and persuasion. [5] X Research source Knowing this information can help you understand how advertising works when it incorporates things like catchy slogans and sex appeal.
History classes can help you understand when popular books, television shows, movies, etc. are based on historical events (and have fun pointing out when they get things wrong). For instance, Game of Thrones echoes medieval duels and the 15th-century Wars of the Roses, while Downton Abbey is a fairly accurate depiction of life on an English manor in the early 20th century (but one shot infamously included a modern-day water bottle in the background by mistake). [6] X Research source
Math can be used in many practical situations, such as doing taxes, calculating how much paint you need to cover a wall, and figuring out how much interest you’ll pay on a car loan. [7] X Research source

Step 4 Examine your beliefs about school.

If you aren’t interested in a particular subject, like English, think about if anyone ever told you that you weren’t a good writer. If so, that negative thought doesn’t have to hold you back. Go to your current teacher and explain, and ask him or her about ways to improve.
Keep in mind that it’s not only your teacher’s responsibility to keep you motivated for school. Even if you think you have a bad teacher, remember that you can take charge of your learning and decide what you want to be interested in.
If you feel like a certain subject just isn’t interesting, talk to friends who like it, and see if they can explain to you why they find it fun.

Try to be competitive only when it is fun and makes you interested in school, such as working on a science fair project or quiz bowl.
You don’t have to be the best in everything. Set your own realistic goals, and don’t worry too much about what others are doing. If you want to earn a certain grade on a test, for example, work hard to achieve it and don’t worry about who earns a higher score.

Step 7 Write down what you do and don't like.

Write down everything you don't like about school. Try to be as detailed as possible. Rather than saying, "School sucks and it's stupid," try saying something like "I feel embarrassed when the teacher asks me a question and I don't know the answer."
Write down everything you like about school. This part can be a challenge, but try hard to find some stuff to put here. Chances are, there is something you enjoy about school, even if it's only hanging with your friends at recess.
Look at your list. What can you do about the things you don't like? For example, if you feel scared of not having an answer when the teacher calls on you, you could try preparing a question to ask before class and raising your hand before the teacher can call on you. That way, you know you have something to say and the pressure is off.
What can you do to increase the things you do like? For example, if you are a computer whiz, maybe you could ask for extra time on the computers at school, or to do some of your homework on a computer instead of by hand.

Step 8 Talk to your parents, family, and friends about school.

If your parents or family ask you about school, remember that they’re not trying to bug you. Instead, they’re showing interest in what you do, and you’ll feel good if you talk about with them.
Don’t be afraid to talk about problems or difficulties you’re having in school, either. A good support group will be sympathetic and try to help you.

Establishing Good Habits

Keep a running list of the things you need to do for school, such as in a course planner. This will help you keep track of things. Crossing tasks off as you finish them will help you feel accomplished and stay motivated.
Try to find a quiet, distraction-free place to work.
Make yourself take care of schoolwork before spending time on the computer, watching TV, playing games, etc. This might seem hard at first, but if you get in the habit of taking care of what you need to first, you’ll ultimately have more time to spend on other things you enjoy.
If you have a lot of work to do, remember to schedule short breaks. For instance, if you are going to be studying for several hours, remember to take a break (five minutes or so) every hour to clear your head, walk around, get a snack, etc.

If you have a big exam coming up that counts for a large percentage of your grade, studying for that might come before proofreading an essay you’ve already written for another class.
If you have a chapter to read for a history class that you really enjoy, you could start with that before moving on to math homework, if you enjoy it less. Alternatively, you could do the math homework first if it is more important, and use wanting to reading the chapter for history as a motivator to get it out of the way.

For instance, if you have a biology exam coming up that covers 5 chapters of your textbook, don’t try to study them at once. Instead, study a chapter or half of a chapter each day leading up to the exam. You’ll feel good about the progress you make each day.

Step 4 Look for ways to create variety in your schoolwork.

If you have to write a book report each month, and you have been writing on autobiographies, perhaps try writing on a novel next month. [15] X Research source
Instead of writing yet another essay in your U.S. history class, see if your teacher will let you make a recording in the style of an old-time radio news show. You could even make a series of podcasts instead of a series of essays. [16] X Research source
Instead of just reading Shakespeare aloud in your English class, see if you can perform a scene, record it, and share it online on a video streaming site for others to enjoy and comment on. [17] X Research source
You could practice your geometry studies by building a scale model of a famous building or other object.

You can form a study group where everyone signs a pledge to work hard, stay on task, and help each other out. When you don’t feel like you’re alone, you’re more likely to stay interested and motivated.

Don’t be afraid to tell your teacher if there is a problem in class. For instance, if you feel like a teacher calls on you too often, talk to him or her about it. Most teachers will be happy to hear your concerns and to help you do well.

Step 7 Ask your teachers to let you take part in learning and planning.

Variety in assignment type
Enthusiastic lectures
Opportunities to choose what you want to work on
Having good examples to learn from
Learning from games (like “Jeopardy”-type quizzes)

Step 8 Reward yourself for your effort and successes.

Let yourself play a favorite video game after you’ve finished all of your homework.
Ask your parents if you can go out to a favorite restaurant if you do well on a big exam, or get good grades at the end of a semester.
If you complete all of your assignments and don’t have any big projects coming up, let yourself have a weekend to spend just doing things for fun, like hanging out with friends, going for a walk, or watching a favorite TV show.

Supercharge Your Studying with this Expert Series

Expert Q&A

↑ https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/motivating-students/
↑ https://kidshealth.org/teen/school_jobs/school/teacher_relationships.html#
↑ https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/next/physics/synthetic-food-better-cooking-through-chemistry/
↑ https://muse.jhu.edu/article/175944
↑ https://www.mooc.org/blog/why-is-it-important-to-study-history
↑ https://www.cuemath.com/learn/math-in-daily-life/
↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/school-jobs/
↑ https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2021/11/01/too-competitive-tips/
↑ https://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/school/hate_school.html#
↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/homework.html
↑ https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/get-started/inside-the-classroom/tips-for-staying-motivated
↑ Alexander Ruiz, M.Ed.. Educational Consultant. Expert Interview. 18 June 2020.
↑ https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/24095/should-kids-schoolwork-impact-the-real-world

About This Article

The best way to become interested in your studies is to relate the subjects you dislike to things you care about. Think of classes as stepping stones to get to something you’ll enjoy more, like college, or a more interesting unit. Motivate yourself to study by relating the subjects to your daily life. Let go of negative beliefs in your own ability and remind yourself that you can improve at anything if you decide to. To learn more about how to set manageable goals and habits in your studies, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How to Spark Interest in Writing

Syed hussain shah

There is no doubt that good writing is the result of numerous characteristics that include original thinking, balanced arguments, and cohesive structure. However, there is another aspect of writing that is often overlooked these days; it is the ‘readers’ ‘interest level’. No matter how well-structured and original your written piece is, if it doesn’t spark interest in your readers, it will not make an impact.

By saying ‘interest’ we mean curiosity. Writing is not merely a conglomeration of words written for the sake of providing information, but it is much more than that. It has theme, emotions, implicit questions that do not only incite readers’ curiosity, but also make them want to keep on reading to learn more. Besides this, a good piece of writing has a strong perspective and it is compelling from the beginning.

A boring piece, on the other hand, loses a reader’s interest, even if it includes facts and relevant point. If the writing style is not impactful or poorly handled, it can undermine those excellent points, especially if the subject is dry or dull. Some people, arguably, consider this writing style best for the purpose of academic writing, but that too should have interesting content.

That is why knowing how to spark interest in your or your student’s writing is even more important. The good news is that there is a plethora of things that can be done to make writing interesting. You can make it interesting while remaining within the boundaries of formal academic writing. Click source .

Here we discuss some effective strategies to boost students’ engagement in writing that will strengthen not only their interaction with the words, but also their connectedness to what they are learning.

Tips to Boost Student’s Writing Engagement

Reinforce the power of curiosity.

You might consider this aspect of writing insignificant, but it is something many famous storytellers and writers like Dan Brown have used as a strategy. Whether you agree or not, every human has a compulsive instinct to explore’ What will happen next’ ?

This is perhaps one of the reasons why we love tracing patterns, sequences and solving puzzles. That is to say, mystery in your student’s writing can play a crucial role in sparking attention.

To make them realize the importance of mystery in writing, first have a few brainstorming sessions with them. Pose a broad question related to the specific topic, like ‘What will happen if so and so happens?” or “what if the specific character did a different thing’? Let your students discuss multiple possibilities and ask them to present it to the class with logical justifications. Make sure your students understand that conjecture is the first step of learning.

Play with your Students’ Curiosity

This is one of the best strategies to make these writing lessons fun. If you will rush through questions in the class and don’t wait for students’ answers, it will not benefit their learning.

That means giving all students a chance to answer the questions and enough time to process the information is of paramount importance.

The best way to do is to take pauses after posing every question. It will help students reconsider and reflect on the situation in a better way.

Design Critical and Creative Questions

Literal questions can never lead you to interesting answers or deeper discussions. That is why it is substantially important to thoughtfully design questions that can reinforce the critical thinking in your students.

It will be helpful when they need to analyze situations and options. The questions should aim to prompt a student’s critical thinking. Try to make questions with ‘ How might’ or ‘What if’ so students will not have to rely on the facts they’ve read in the text. Try to come up with ’open questions’ to help students reflect on their opinions, plus it will initiate a collaborative discussion in the class. Check this additional resourses .

Allow Students to Debate

Self -opinionated topics rarely interest readers. There must be some arguments or contradictory opinions to help readers analyze the topic with two or more different perspectives. That means dichotomy can help trigger a debate in class. Teach your students the significance of debating and persuading their readers the right way. Tell them this helps their readers to shape their opinions about something.

You can help students by posing a question that asks their opinion like ‘ what do you think or why do you think something happened ?’ Whether it is a current affair, historical analysis or literature, once students are given the chance to speak their minds and listen to others’ opinions, they will develop a better understanding of the topic.

Bridge the Knowledge Gap

Making your class student-centered is tremendously advantageous, but it doesn’t mean that your input is of no importance. As a teacher, it is your responsibility to bridge the knowledge gap by providing a sufficient amount of information on the topic.

Make it a combination of guidance, curiosity, and self-direction to help students learn new things. Ask for their opinions and ask them what they want to learn about the topic. If they seem to guess the topic, they are on the right track.

In addition to that, it is the teacher’s responsibility to help students identify their strengths and weaknesses. Motivation can do wonders and can improve writing skills. Helpful information here .

Bottom Line

To a small extent, with the right strategies and guidance, boosting the writing skills of students is fairly easy. Students should be taught and encouraged to incorporate these strategies to spark interest in their writing. If a teacher is consistent and knows how to make her students curious about the topic, she/he can make students more engaged in their writing.

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College Essay About Academic Interests

Mark montgomery.

July 24, 2023

Are AP courses good for college admission

Have any classes or teachers inspired this interest? How?
Are there life experiences that you have had that have spurred your interest?
Family involvements
Personal anecdotes
What experiences have helped expand your understanding of this interest?
Club or extracurricular
Job or internship
Reading: a specific book or publication that impacted your thinking
Mentors or other influencers
Is there a connection to your future plans that you can envision?

Relate this to the college

This is also an opportunity to show that you’ve done your research. You can provide reasons why this school is a good match for you. Is there a special program, professor, or class that shows why you want to pursue your academic interest at this particular school?

Because some schools ask both about your academic interests and why their school, think about how you will answer both. You do not want to waste precious word count with any repetition of the same information or ideas.

Show, don’t tell

You are going to hear this again and again. Give the specifics that show how this academic interest has developed for you. As with your primary personal statement, you want to give evidence of your interest. Sometimes anecdotes can be very helpful in showing your interests. Avoid sweeping, vague statements.

Worry that your answer is a commitment to what you will study

Some institutions will ask applicants to apply to the major or school in which they want to study. If accepted, these applicants will be enrolled directly in that major or school. Happily, at the majority of schools, you are likely to have a great deal of flexibility to change your major later. Even with institutions that are less flexible, your response to this prompt is unlikely to lock you into a major.

Note that a small handful of schools are particularly strict with regard to you studying what you indicate on your application (e.g., Cal Poly – SLO). If you have questions about this as you fill in your application, be sure to ask your counselor.

Sweat that your answer is not very specific

Perhaps you have not settled on a major just yet. Perhaps one of the reasons you have chosen this school is that you’ll have the chance to explore and make decisions later about your major.

It’s perfectly okay to be undecided at a lot of colleges (and presumably, if you are undecided, you’ve chosen to apply to colleges that embrace your “multi-interested” character).

However, it’s likely that you have academic preferences as well as academic strengths. For example, maybe you’re super strong in science, and you anticipate exploring scientific disciplines in ways you haven’t yet in high school. You might even be able to say that it’s likely you’ll major in the sciences. You can point to the other ways in which your love for sciences shines beyond school.

For example, maybe you are a nature freak: you hike in the woods, you have had a fishing license since you were 10, and you have volunteered on trail crews every summer. Or maybe you’ve worked on a bird-banding team during migration season. Or maybe you’ve read every popular book and article and watched every video by Neil deGrasse Tyson. All these things indicate that you enjoy science and provide evidence that are likely to pursue science in college.

Provide a confusing answer

While there are many right ways to write this essay, there is one major pitfall to avoid. Don’t choose to write about an academic interest that you can’t support with any evidence revealed elsewhere in your application. This creates a confusing image of you to your application reader and could send your application to the recycling bin.

Academic interest essay examples

You might have suddenly decided that you want to study international relations. But your choices might not support the decision. For example, perhaps you stopped taking a foreign language after two years. Or maybe you haven’t chosen any relevant electives, such as human geography, world religions, or international relations. Do you follow international news? If not, then you probably shouldn’t select this academic interest unless you have some other compelling story that proves this major makes sense.

To give another example, let’s say you tend to excel in humanities classes, especially literature. You’ve taken a couple of extra English courses, and you attended a “Great Books” program over the summer. The recommendation letter from your English teacher oozes with compliments about your penchant for literary criticism and remarks how many times you have come into her office to discuss this poem or that novella. And then you write your college essay about an academic interest on how excited you are to be a math major. While it may be true that you do like math, the reader of your essay is likely to be confused about which interest represents your true priorities as you enter college.

The point is that your answer to this question has to be backed up with some sort of evidence that this academic interest is not an invention. You need to provide a clear and convincing case for how you got interested in this area or discipline, the ways in which you have explored this interest so far, and how you plan to continue this interest in the future.

Your college essay about academic interests – a summary

Colleges are schools. They like scholars. They serve up academic inquiry. This supplemental essay about academic interests is a place for you to demonstrate your academic credentials. It’s also a place to explain how your interests have developed over time and the ways in which you will pursue these interests in the future.

Give the college a picture of who you are intellectually. Demonstrate that you are ready to explore your interests, and to navigate the world of academia as a college student.

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Hobbies and Interests Essay Writing Strategy: Things To Focus On

EssayEdge > Blog > Hobbies and Interests Essay Writing Strategy: Things To Focus On

Writing an essay about your interests is a super exciting thing. This topic is very wide open. You could choose to write about an extracurricular activity, job, hobby, or just about anything that involves a high level of interest and dedication. Most of our suggestions for Accomplishments essays also apply here, especially refraining from repeating information found elsewhere in your application and not including a laundry list of academic, extracurricular, and work successes.

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If you’re a senior starting to work on supplemental essays for college applications this fall, it’s likely you’ve encountered some version of this question: what do you want to study, and why?

Before you dive in, it’s important to understand what the question is asking (I know this seems like a duh, but stay with me). Like we discussed here , the way this question is asked reveals a lot about both the school itself and the way you should approach it. For some schools – many liberal arts colleges and universities where it’s relatively easy and encouraged to switch majors – this question is usually phrased as what you want to learn more about. Responses to questions like these should zing with curiosity. For others – more siloed universities where you apply into a particular college and into a specific major – this question is often asked to reveal how much thought you’ve put into your major of choice, both in how you’ve prepared for it and what you hope to do with it in the future.

For some students, if the way the question is asked makes it tough to answer, it may be a sign that the college itself isn’t the right fit. But for most students, it’s more about not knowing where to start. If you’re stuck with how to approach this style of question, this blog post is for you.

First, much like with the “why us?” supplemental essay, it’s important to know what style of question you’re answering. Once you figure that piece out, the essay is much easier to write. This question usually is asked in one of three ways:

1) Why major?

This is the most straightforward version. It’s typical of schools where you’re applying more directly into a specific major, and they want to hear how you’ve decided on that pathway. Classic examples of this one are Purdue, UT Austin, MIT, Carnegie Mellon, and the University of Southern California.

Sample : Describe how you plan to pursue your academic interests and why you want to explore them at USC specifically. Please feel free to address your first- and second-choice major selections.

2) What do you hope to study?

This is a more open-ended version of the question above. It invites you to share multiple academic pathways, perhaps if you’re undecided or see many roads ahead for yourself. CU Boulder, U Penn, and Pomona all ask a version of this question.

Sample : Please share a bit more about your academic interests. What do you hope to study at CU Boulder? What has inspired your interests in this area? Or if you are undecided, what area(s) of study are you considering? Think about your prior/current coursework, extracurricular activities, work/volunteer experiences, future goals, or anything else that has shaped your interests.

3) Intellectual curiosity

This is a popular question for liberal arts colleges or any college that celebrates intellectual discovery and exploration (ie, where changing your academic pathway, or exploring many interests, is easy or encouraged). Some schools that ask this type of question are Yale, Stanford, Tufts, Barnard, and Haverford.

Sample : The Stanford community is deeply curious and driven to learn in and out of the classroom. Reflect on an idea or experience that makes you genuinely excited about learning.

As you approach this topic, it’s important to remember that while you can be undecided (except for schools that ask that first question), you can’t be uninterested . Colleges want to hear your curiosity in these responses. It’s very likely you’ll change majors or pathways in college (frankly, it’s what most American colleges are built to encourage). But what leads to academic success is a spark of an interest, so make sure you’re demonstrating those sparks. Here’s how.

4 Tips on How to Write This Well

1) Share honest stories about yourself and how you became interested in these subjects.

Origins of interest sound like this:

"I've never seen my father angrier than the day I took our family television apart just to see how it worked. I was 12 years old, and Monday Night Football was just about to start. It wasn't the first time I'd done something like that, but it was the first time I wasn't able to put something back together quickly. It took me three hours, but I did it, just in time for my dad to see his beloved Giants lose. I never made that mistake again, but I've also never stopped trying to learn how things work."

The development of interests sounds like this:

"My junior year of high school, I volunteered to lead a fundraiser to send our soccer team to Europe to compete in a tournament. And while I enjoyed organizing the car wash and the donation drive and the now much maligned "shrimp-a-thon" (Sizzler doesn't mean it when they say, "All you can eat shrimp,” by the way), what I really enjoyed was crafting personal emails to ask for donations, and writing the regular update newsletters I sent to people who were supporting us, and updating the travel blog I wrote during our stay in Europe. Every day, I thought about new ways to share our story with people who might be interested. Yes, we raised money. But we also raised interest. People who had never cared about our team started caring. We developed a following of loyal supporters, and 18 guys who had never been to Europe finally got to go because of it. That experience was the first time I started to understand the power of the well-written word."

2) Pick stories that show you enjoying what you’re learning.

"I truly enjoy working on complex math problems. There is no better feeling than persisting through difficult formulas and eventually working out the right answer."

"My friends and I are the only people I know who have fights about math. Not physical fights (none of us are tough enough for that), but arguments. We spend a lot of our lunch hours sitting at what we call the ‘coolest table’ working through problem sets for the “Math Club,” and you’d be surprised how worked up we get about it. But I love it. I love that I can sit at a table with some of the smartest people at my school and argue about the best way to solve a complex math problem. And the best part is, nobody is ever angry when they’re proven wrong. We love math too much to be mad when someone shows us a faster, better way to solve the problem.”

3) If the question is asked as “why major” (sample question #1) or “what are your academic interests?” (sample question #2), then tie these interests to your future college plans.

Imagine yourself studying and learning in a particular college. Do you see a clear picture in your mind? Have you really investigated your chosen major? Have you looked at what classes are required, what will be expected of you, and what types of students seem to flourish there? And when you're answering those questions, how much of what interests you is specific to this school? If the question is more open-ended (version #2), you can paint a picture of multiple pathways – perhaps dabbling in music and biology or using their core curriculum to help you decide on psychology or political science.

4) If the question is like sample question #3 (intellectual curiosity), stay open-minded and get nerdy!

Remember that your answer to this style of prompt doesn’t necessarily have to align with your potential major choice. We’ve seen great responses to this question that nerd out about Spanish literature from future physics majors, or the paradoxes of time from future English majors. Don’t box yourself into writing about your intended major pathway necessarily. Think instead of what has made you truly excited about learning in the past – whether it’s when you connected the dots in a murder mystery and explored the interplay of psychology and creative writing, or that time you went down a rabbit hole about parallel universes and never got out. These responses should sparkle with inquisitive excitement.

For more on supplemental essays, make sure to check out our thorough overview here of how to crush supplemental essays, the Collegewise way.

About Us: With more than twenty years of experience, Collegewise counselors and tutors are at the forefront of the ever-evolving admissions landscape. Our work has always centered on you: the student. And just like we’ve always done, we look for ways for you to be your best self - whether it’s in the classroom, in your applications or in the right-fit college environment. Our range of tools include counseling , test prep , academic tutoring , and essay management, all with the support of our proprietary platform , leading to a 4x higher than average admissions rates.

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How to Write an Essay about Your Interests

Are you looking for a quick and simple way to write an essay about your interests? Then you’ve found the perfect tutorial for you!

Writing such an essay can be fun, but it can sometimes become challenging if you’re unsure how to approach it. So, in this tutorial, I will show you how to write an essay about your interests in five simple steps. We’ll write an example of such an essay, too.

Let’s dive in!

Step 1. Plan the word count for each paragraph.

Planning the word count for each of your essay’s paragraphs will help you organize your ideas, which makes it simpler and quicker for you to write any essay.

Essays have three important parts:

The introductory paragraph
Three body paragraphs
The concluding paragraph

So, for example, if you need to write a 300-word essay, you can follow the diagram below to distribute 300 words across the five paragraphs in your essay:

Step 2. Choose your essay’s main idea and its supporting points.

Before you start writing any essay, you need to come up with a main idea that will overarch your three supporting points.

To do this, you can think of three distinct interests that you want to talk about in your essay. Then, think about what they have in common. Do these interests help you relieve stress? Do they help you find a balance in your life?

Whatever you choose will be your essay’s thesis . It will be your basis — the main point.

For example, we can say, “My interests offer me a creative outlet.” This is enough for now because you’ll better understand how to expand it in the next step.

Next, you’ll divide the thesis using the Power of Three to support your claim.

The Power of Three will help you divide any essay’s main idea into three supporting points. It’s a three-part structure that helps you write your body paragraphs .

Let’s try it for our example with the thesis: “My interests offer me a creative outlet.”

I like drawing .
I like dancing .
I like scrapbooking .

Great! Now we’re ready for the next step.

Step 3. Write the introductory paragraph.

Writing an essay usually starts with the introductory paragraph . Here are the important components you must include:

The introduction , the first sentence, catches your readers’ attention and makes them want to know about your interests. The rest will be your thesis and its three supporting points.

Let’s look at an example:

Introductory Paragraph

“Having interests allows us to pursue our passions outside of work or school and engage in activities that help us relax, relieve stress, and stay happy. In my case, my interests offer me a creative outlet. Drawing has always been one of my passions since childhood, which is a great way to express myself visually. I also like dancing, which allows me to express myself through music and movement. And I also like scrapbooking, which helps me preserve my thoughts and memories in a creative and meaningful way.”

Note how it goes from general to specific . It started with a general statement, the introduction, followed by the thesis, and its three supporting points.

Step 4. Write the three body paragraphs.

After writing your introductory paragraph, you will write the body paragraphs that contain your main idea’s supporting points. Here’s a structure you can follow to make things simpler for you:

As you can see, writing a body paragraph for any essay starts with a topic sentence . Then, you will explain it briefly and illustrate it using example/s .

Paragraph 1

“I like drawing because it is a great way to express myself visually. With drawing, I can communicate my thoughts, ideas, and emotions. When I draw, I can convey a message without using words and express myself in a way that is both creative and meaningful. I like drawing whenever I feel upset or depressed. For instance, I drew an elaborate doodle when I felt anxious and stressed at work yesterday.”

In this body paragraph, the first sentence serves as the topic sentence, which gives context to our body paragraph.

The following sentences explain the supporting point. The rest of the paragraph illustrates the topic sentence with examples.

Paragraph 2

“Dancing is a creative outlet I enjoy. It allows me to express myself through music and movement. It also helps me feel in touch with my emotions and connect with myself and the world around me. When I danced to a slow and emotional song last Sunday, I felt like I was releasing my sadness and expressing myself through my movements.”

Paragraph 3

“I like scrapbooking because it allows me to express my creativity and preserve my thoughts and memories. It is a therapeutic activity that helps me relax, relive memories, and tell a story through pictures. For example, I took photos of beautiful scenery and my family when we hiked a mountain last year. When we returned home, I spent hours selecting the best pictures and choosing colorful papers, stickers, and embellishments to create stunning scrapbook pages.”

Like our first body paragraph, paragraphs 2 and 3 follow the same structure, which starts from a general statement and proceeds to more specific points.

Step 5. Write the concluding paragraph.

Restating what you’ve already stated in your introductory paragraph using different words is the simplest and quickest way to write a concluding paragraph.

It is a time-proven method, so it always works!

Let’s try it for our sample essay:

Concluding Paragraph

“Engaging in interests outside work or school can help us stay happy. For me, drawing, dancing, and scrapbooking are interests that allow me to express myself in a creative and meaningful way. Whether I am drawing to communicate ideas, dancing to connect with my emotions, or scrapbooking to preserve memories, my interests help me relax, unwind, and find a balance.”

Note how we only restated the points already made in the introductory paragraph, but they are worded differently, which makes writing the concluding paragraph pretty simple.

And that’s it! I hope this tutorial has been helpful.

Now go ahead and write a brilliant essay about your interests!

Tutor Phil is an e-learning professional who helps adult learners finish their degrees by teaching them academic writing skills.

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Perspective

When pto stands for 'pretend time off': doctors struggle to take real breaks.

Mara Gordon

A survey shows that doctors have trouble taking full vacations from their high-stress jobs. Even when they do, they often still do work on their time off. Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images hide caption

A survey shows that doctors have trouble taking full vacations from their high-stress jobs. Even when they do, they often still do work on their time off.

A few weeks ago, I took a vacation with my family. We went hiking in the national parks of southern Utah, and I was blissfully disconnected from work.

I'm a family physician, so taking a break from my job meant not seeing patients. It also meant not responding to patients' messages or checking my work email. For a full week, I was free.

Taking a real break — with no sneaky computer time to bang out a few prescription refill requests — left me feeling reenergized and ready to take care of my patients when I returned.

But apparently, being a doctor who doesn't work on vacation puts me squarely in the minority of U.S. physicians.

Research published in JAMA Network Open this year set out to quantify exactly how doctors use their vacation time — and what the implications might be for a health care workforce plagued by burnout, dissatisfaction and doctors who are thinking about leaving medicine.

"There is a strong business case for supporting taking real vacation," says Dr. Christine Sinsky , the lead author of the paper. "Burnout is incredibly expensive for organizations."

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Researchers surveyed 3,024 doctors, part of an American Medical Association cohort designed to represent the American physician workforce. They found that 59.6% of American physicians took 15 days of vacation or less per year. That's a little more than the average American: Most workers who have been at a job for a year or more get between 10 and 14 days of paid vacation time , according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

However, most doctors don't take real vacation. Over 70% of doctors surveyed said they worked on a typical vacation day.

"I have heard physicians refer to PTO as 'pretend time off,'" Sinsky says, referring to the acronym for "paid time off."

Sinsky and co-authors found that physicians who took more than three weeks of vacation a year had lower rates of burnout than those who took less, since vacation time is linked to well-being and job satisfaction .

And all those doctors toiling away on vacation, sitting poolside with their laptops? Sinsky argues it has serious consequences for health care.

Physician burnout is linked to high job turnover and excess health care costs , among other problems.

Still, it can be hard to change the culture of workaholism in medicine. Even the study authors confessed that they, too, worked on vacation.

"I remember when one of our first well-being papers was published," says Dr. Colin West , a co-author of the new study and a health care workforce researcher at the Mayo Clinic. "I responded to the revisions up at the family cabin in northern Minnesota on vacation."

Sinsky agreed. "I do not take all my vacation, which I recognize as a delicious irony of the whole thing," she says.

She's the American Medical Association's vice president of professional satisfaction. If she can't take a real vacation, is there any hope for the rest of us?

I interviewed a half dozen fellow physicians and chatted off the record with many friends and colleagues to get a sense of why it feels so hard to give ourselves a break. Here, I offer a few theories about why doctors are so terrible at taking time off.

We don't want to make more work for our colleagues

The authors of the study in JAMA Network Open didn't explore exactly what type of work doctors did on vacation, but the physicians I spoke to had some ideas.

"If I am not doing anything, I will triage my email a little bit," says Jocelyn Fitzgerald , a urogynecologist at the University of Pittsburgh who was not involved in the study. "I also find that certain high-priority virtual meetings sometimes find their way into my vacations."

Even if doctors aren't scheduled to see patients, there's almost always plenty of work to be done: dealing with emergencies, medication refills, paperwork. For many of us, the electronic medical record (EMR) is an unrelenting taskmaster , delivering a near-constant flow of bureaucratic to-dos.

When I go on vacation, my fellow primary care doctors handle that work for me, and I do the same for them.

But it can sometimes feel like a lot to ask, especially when colleagues are doing that work on top of their normal workload.

"You end up putting people in kind of a sticky situation, asking for favors, and they [feel they] need to pay it back," says Jay-Sheree Allen , a family physician and fellow in preventive medicine at the Mayo Clinic.

She says her practice has a "doctor of the day" who covers all urgent calls and messages, which helps reduce some of the guilt she feels about taking time off.

Still, non-urgent tasks are left for her to complete when she gets back. She says she usually logs in to the EMR when she's on vacation so the tasks don't pile up upon her return. If she doesn't, Allen estimates there will be about eight hours of paperwork awaiting her after a week or so of vacation.

"My strategy, I absolutely do not recommend," Allen says. But "I would prefer that than coming back to the total storm."

We have too little flexibility about when we take vacation

Lawren Wooten , a resident physician in pediatrics at the University of California San Francisco, says she takes 100% of her vacation time. But there are a lot of stipulations about exactly how she uses it.

She has to take it in two-week blocks — "that's a long time at once," she says — and it's hard to change the schedule once her chief residents assign her dates.

"Sometimes I wish I had vacation in the middle of two really emotionally challenging rotations like an ICU rotation and an oncology rotation," she says, referring to the intensive care unit. "We don't really get to control our schedules at this point in our careers."

Once Wooten finishes residency and becomes an attending physician, it's likely she'll have more autonomy over her vacation time — but not necessarily all that much more.

"We generally have to know when our vacations are far in advance because patients schedule with us far in advance," says Fitzgerald, the gynecologist.

Taking vacation means giving up potential pay

Many physicians are paid based on the number of patients they see or procedures they complete. If they take time off work, they make less money.

"Vacation is money off your table," says West, the physician well-being researcher. "People have a hard time stepping off of the treadmill."

A 2022 research brief from the American Medical Association estimated that over 55% of U.S. physicians were paid at least in part based on "productivity," as opposed to earning a flat amount regardless of patient volume. That means the more patients doctors cram into their schedules, the more money they make. Going on vacation could decrease their take-home pay.

But West says it's important to weigh the financial benefits of skipping vacation against the risk of burnout from working too much.

Physician burnout is linked not only to excess health care costs but also to higher rates of medical errors. In one large survey of American surgeons , for example, surgeons experiencing burnout were more likely to report being involved in a major medical error. (It's unclear to what extent the burnout caused the errors or the errors caused the burnout, however.)

Doctors think they're the only one who can do their jobs

When I go on vacation, my colleagues see my patients for me. I work in a small office, so I know the other doctors well and I trust that my patients are in good hands when I'm away.

Doctors have their own diagnosis: 'Moral distress' from an inhumane health system

But ceding that control to colleagues might be difficult for some doctors, especially when it comes to challenging patients or big research projects.

"I think we need to learn to be better at trusting our colleagues," says Adi Shah , an infectious disease doctor at the Mayo Clinic. "You don't have to micromanage every slide on the PowerPoint — it's OK."

West, the well-being researcher, says health care is moving toward a team-based model and away from a culture where an individual doctor is responsible for everything. Still, he adds, it can be hard for some doctors to accept help.

"You can be a neurosurgeon, you're supposed to go on vacation tomorrow and you operate on a patient. And there are complications or risk of complications, and you're the one who has the relationship with that family," West says. "It is really, really hard for us to say ... 'You're in great hands with the rest of my team.'"

What doctors need, says West, is "a little bit less of the God complex."

We don't have any interests other than medicine

Shah, the infectious disease doctor, frequently posts tongue-in-cheek memes on X (formerly known as Twitter) about the culture of medicine. Unplugging during vacation is one of his favorite topics, despite his struggles to follow his own advice.

His recommendation to doctors is to get a hobby, so we can find something better to do than work all the time.

"Stop taking yourself too seriously," he says. Shah argues that medical training is so busy that many physicians neglect to develop any interests other than medicine. When fully trained doctors are finally finished with their education, he says, they're at a loss for what to do with their newfound freedom.

Since completing his training a few years ago, Shah has committed himself to new hobbies, such as salsa dancing. He has plans to go to a kite festival next year.

Shah has also prioritized making the long trip from Minnesota to see his family in India at least twice a year — a journey that requires significant time off work. He has a trip there planned this month.

"This is the first time in 11 years I'm making it to India in summer so that I can have a mango in May," the peak season for the fruit, Shah says.

Wooten, the pediatrician, agrees. She works hard to develop a full life outside her career.

"Throughout our secondary and medical education, I believe we've really been indoctrinated into putting institutions above ourselves," Wooten adds. "It takes work to overcome that."

Mara Gordon is a family physician in Camden, N.J., and a contributor to NPR. She's on X as @MaraGordonMD .

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Here’s How Ivy League Schools Evaluate Student GPAs

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One of the main gates on the Brown University campus, decorated with the University crest. (Photo by ... [+] Rick Friedman/Corbis via Getty Images)

A stellar GPA is one of the building blocks of a successful Ivy League application, and as the school year winds down, many students are anxiously seeking to give theirs a final boost. While most students and families understand the importance of a 4.0, few are aware of how top colleges evaluate student GPAs or what they look for when reviewing student transcripts. Though your GPA may seem to be a simple metric, nothing could be further from the case—colleges consider more than just the number, accounting for complexities such as diverse grading systems across schools, trends in grade inflation, and level of course rigor.

Here are three important facts to keep in mind about your GPA as you choose your courses:

1. Your GPA doesn’t directly compare to that of students at other schools.

One common misconception among college applicants is that they can compare their GPAs with those of students attending different schools. However, the GPA is not a universal metric but rather a reflection of an individual's academic performance within their specific educational environment. As a result, comparing GPAs from different schools is like comparing apples and oranges. For instance, some schools offer a plethora of AP, IB, and honors courses, while others may have limited options or offer none at all. Additionally, the weight assigned to AP versus honors versus regular classes varies from school to school. So, your GPA may not hold the same weight as those of your peers at different schools, even if you all have 4.0s.

Admissions officers understand that schools vary in their rigor, curriculum, and grading policies. Therefore, they evaluate your GPA in the context of your high school, considering the courses offered and the academic challenges presented. Instead of fixating on how your GPA compares to your friends’ from other schools, focus on challenging yourself and taking advantage of all the opportunities available to you at your school.

2. GPAs across the country are inflated—and colleges know it.

The last few years have seen surges in high school student GPAs nationwide. While GPA inflation has been on the rise over the last decade, average ACT composite scores are steadily declining. “For the 1.4 million ACT test-takers in the high school class of 2023, the average composite score on the exam was 19.5 out of 36, the lowest score since 1991,” according to The New York Times . The parallel differences, coupled with academic differences across schools, suggest that GPA must be considered in tandem with multiple other factors. Simply put, an A no longer means what it used to on a transcript.

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Ivy League and other top colleges are well aware of this trend and evaluate student GPAs alongside other metrics such as standardized test scores and AP exam scores in order to better understand a student’s academic skill sets. While some Ivy League and other top schools remain test-optional , they still place emphasis on course rigor and the context offered by your high school profile in order to understand the grades on your transcript.

3. Colleges will recalculate your GPA.

Given the abundance of variables in GPA calculations, colleges often recalculate the metric to create a standardized baseline for comparison between students across different schools. The recalibration may involve adjusting for variations in grading scales or the weighting of honors, International Baccalaureate (IB) or Advanced Placement (AP) courses. The University of California system, for example, calculates students’ UC GPAs by converting grades to grade points (an A is equivalent to 4 points, a B to three points, etc.) for classes taken between summer after 9th and summer after 11th grade, and adding one point for each honors class, and dividing by total classes taken to yield final GPA.*

Other colleges also take additional factors that impact academic performance into consideration, and envelop GPA into a broader, holistic consideration. For instance, the Harvard University lawsuit over affirmative action revealed that Harvard rates students on a scale of 1–6 (with one being the most desirable) in academic, extracurricular, athletic and personal categories. A student’s GPA and test scores are folded together into an academic score which “summarizes the applicant’s academic achievement and potential based on grades, testing results, letters of recommendation, academic prizes, and any submitted academic work.”

This process aims to provide a fair and equitable evaluation of students from different educational backgrounds. Keep in mind that Harvard considers not only your grades, test scores, and academic rigor in this score, but also “evidence of substantial scholarship” and “academic creativity,” which can make the difference between a 1 and a 2 in the scoring system. These systems underscore the importance of taking advantage of every opportunity, showcasing your unique personality and creativity, and seeking to maximize opportunities to improve your performance within the academic landscape of your institution.

By understanding the complex way by which colleges evaluate students’ GPAs, you are better equipped to present a comprehensive and competitive picture of your academic achievements on your transcript and stand out in the competitive Ivy League admissions landscape.

*Variations exist for in-state versus out-of-state students and by high school. Be sure to calculate your GPA following the UC issued guidelines.

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Europe Is About to Drown in the River of the Radical Right

A close-up photograph of the European flag, on an indoor standing flagpole, with just some people’s hands peeking out from behind it and also pointing at it.

Ms. Ypi, a professor of political theory at the London School of Economics, wrote from London.

Europe is awash with worry. Ahead of parliamentary elections widely expected to deliver gains to the hard right, European leaders can barely conceal their anxiety. In a speech in late April, President Emmanuel Macron of France captured the prevailing mood. After eloquently warning of threats to the continent, he pronounced the need for a newly powerful Europe, a “Europe puissance.”

As I watched the speech , I was reminded of Niccolò Machiavelli’s comments in the opening pages of “The Prince,” his seminal 16th-century treatise on political power. In a dedication to Lorenzo de’ Medici, the ruler of the Florentine Republic, Machiavelli suggested that politics is in many ways like art. Just as landscape painters imaginatively place themselves in the plains to examine the mountains and on top of mountains to study the plains, so too should rulers inhabit their domains. “To know the nature of the people well, one must be a prince,” Machiavelli wrote, “and to know the nature of princes well, one must be of the people.”

Here was a politician grappling with the first part of Machiavelli’s sentence, an officeholder trying to comprehend the lay of the land. What is power in contemporary Europe, and how should it be exercised by the European Union? Mr. Macron answered in princely fashion, showing awareness of both the finite nature of every political community — Europe is “mortal,” he said — and its cyclical vulnerability to crisis. He concluded with a passionate defense of European “civilization” and urged the creation of a paradigm to revive it.

Yet for all his aspirations, Mr. Macron neglected the second half of Machiavelli’s sentence: that people also form views on their rulers, which rulers ignore at their peril. Mr. Macron brushed aside the many Europeans who feel the bloc is aloof and inaccessible, describing their disenchantment as a result of “false arguments.” The dismissal was no aberration. For decades, the leaders of the European Union have overlooked the people in the plains, shutting out the continent’s citizens from any meaningful political participation. This exclusion has changed the contours of the European landscape, paving the way for the radical right.

When Machiavelli reflected on the crises of his time — among them conflicts between major European powers, discontent with public officials and the collapsing legitimacy of the Roman Catholic Church — he turned to the Roman Republic for inspiration. When there is skepticism about values, he wrote, history is our only remaining guide. The secret to Roman freedom, he explained in the “Discourses on Livy,” was neither its good fortune nor its military might. Instead, it lay in the Romans’ ability to mediate the conflict between wealthy elites and the vast majority of people — or as he put it, “i grandi” (the great) and “il popolo” (the people).

While the inherent tendency of the great, Machiavelli argued, is to accumulate wealth and power to rule the rest, the inherent desire of the people is to avoid being at the elites’ mercy. The clash between the groups generally pulled polities in opposite directions. Yet the Roman Republic had institutions, like the tribunate of the plebs, that sought to empower the people and contain the elites. Only by channeling rather than suppressing this conflict, Machiavelli said, could civic freedom be preserved.

Europe has not heeded his advice. For all its democratic rhetoric, the European Union is closer to an oligarchic institution. Overseen by an unelected body of technocrats in the European Commission, the bloc allows for no popular consultation on policy, let alone participation. Its fiscal rules, which impose strict limits on the budgets of member states, offer protection for the rich while imposing austerity on the poor. From top to bottom, Europe is dominated by the interests of the wealthy few, who restrict the freedom of the many.

Its predicament, of course, is not unique. Businesses, financial institutions, credit rating agencies and powerful interest groups call the shots everywhere, severely constraining the power of politicians. The European Union is far from the worst offender. Still, in nation-states, the semblance of democratic participation can be sustained through allegiance to a shared constitution. In the European Union, whose founding myth is the free market, the case is much harder to make.

The transnational character of the bloc is often supposed to be behind Europeans’ dislike of it. Yet those who resist the current European Union do not do so because it is too cosmopolitan. Very simply, and not unreasonably, they resist it because it fails to represent them. The Parliament for which Europeans will be voting next month, to take one glaring example of the bloc’s lack of democracy, has little legislative power of its own: It tends to merely rubber-stamp decisions made by the commission. It is this representative gap that is filled by the radical right, turning the problem into simple binaries — either you or them, the state or Europe, the white worker or the migrant.

It is perhaps surprising that the bloc’s democratic deficit has become a rallying cry for the radical right, but it explains much of its success. A recent poll , for example, showed that Europe’s citizens are much more concerned about poverty, jobs, living standards and climate change than they are about migration. This suggests that the appeal of the radical right lies less in its obsessive hostility to migrants than in its criticism of the bloc’s failures to address people’s everyday concerns. European politicians could seek to remedy that by changing institutions to improve citizens’ bargaining power and make them feel heard. Instead, they prefer to give stern lectures.

The radical right may be on the rise in Europe, but it does not have to be this way. Politics is always at the mercy of fortune. Yet fortune, as Machiavelli emphasized in “The Prince,” is like a river whose overflow can be prevented by building dikes and dams. If European politicians are increasingly trapped in emergency management, it’s because they have failed in the first task of politics worthy of the name: to diagnose the causes of crisis, to explain who is represented and who is excluded and to defend those whose freedom is endangered.

The politics of the people presented by the radical right may be narrowly ethnocentric, but it is the only one on offer that speaks directly to people’s disillusionment. Our modern princes may choose to look away. Yet as long as the radical right continues to dominate the terms of mainstream debate, while its historical roots are discreetly ignored, no appeal to European values will stop the river in which we’re all about to drown.

Lea Ypi ( @lea_ypi ) is a professor of political theory at the London School of Economics and the author of “Free: Coming of Age at the End of History.”

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

Follow the New York Times Opinion section on Facebook , Instagram , TikTok , WhatsApp , X and Threads .

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You should also read…

1. Be interested in what you’re writing about

2. Include fascinating details

3. Emulate the style of writers you find interesting

4. Write in the active voice

5. Borrow some creative writing techniques

6. Think about your own opinion

7. Cut the waffle

8. Using a thesaurus isn’t always a good thing

9. Avoid repetitive phrasing

10. Use some figurative language

11. Avoid clichés

12. Employ rhetorical questions

13. Proofread

How to Write an Essay Introduction (with Examples)

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How to Write Interesting Essays That Won't Bore Your Professors

How to Write Interesting Essays in 7 Steps

Understand your prompt

Hook your readers at the start

Organize your ideas

Write short paragraphs

Avoid clichés and repetitive sentences

Take a look at this video by Tolentino Teaching that talks about avoiding cliches and decluttering your writing

Use examples, statistics, and visuals

Insert rhetorical questions

Writing a Great Academic Interest Essay (with Examples)

Key Takeaway

Academic Interest Essay Strategy

How to write an Academic Interest supplemental essay

Step 1: Read the prompt.

Step 2: Decide on an academic interest.

Step 3: Outline & Write

Academic Interest Supplemental Essay Mistakes

Academic Interest Supplemental Essay Examples

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