How to Write a College Essay (with sample essays)

The Academic Interest Essay

Choosing your “academic interest” can be challenging, so here are a few questions that can push you in the right direction:

What is your biggest project? What topics do they cover? In what ways do you want to expand on the expertise you have built? 

Start with an anecdote or a life experience that has sparked this academic interest. Instead of describing your passion for the subject with sentences like “Every time I gaze at the night sky, I am reminded of the endless possibility in cosmic exploration”, give specific experiences, Eg “I was five years old when my brother showed me the wonders of space exploration. With glow-in-the-dark stickers on our shared bedroom ceiling, he would tell me about rockets flying to the sun and astronauts doing somersaults in zero gravity.”

Next, explain how you cultivated this interest. Mention some online courses, seminars, or workshops attended that helped you delve deeper into your interest. What fascinated you about the learning process? What did you learn in each step of the way? How did you apply this knowledge to your own projects in the form of blogs, high school research projects, portfolio building, internships, etc, and how do you see your knowledge being applied in the future? Your answers should narrow down to a specific academic interest that you would like to pursue at the institution you’re applying to. E.g.: “At Georgia Tech, I want to pursue a Bachelor in Aerospace Engineering to devote my time to its project-based work and demonstration-based learning around the field of rocket propulsion.”

Here is an example of an Academic Interest Essay and why it works:

“After living in two diametrically opposed economies—Sweden and India—studying economics has provided an intriguing window into complex market structures and the evolving interactions between humans and governmental bodies.

Knowledge gained from Thomas Piketty’s ‘Capital in the 21st Century’ and Shengwu Li’s lectures on game theory and optimization enabled me to explore more advanced ideas in my own writing projects like my report on the efficacy of the Indian Right to Education scheme and the John Locke essay competition, where I wrote about the potential economic consequences of Amazon increasing their worker pay rate by 20%. Furthermore, completing Duke University’s Data Analytics course taught me how to manage and interpret quantitative data.

This knowledge and experience served as the springboard for my research assistantship with Dr. Poornima Dore, a Director, and Researcher at Tata Trust, assisting her on a project to evaluate the economic composition of India. We realized that the generalization performed while agglomerating data in a country as diverse as India leads to the omission of certain economic growth factors and that using a regional unit (such as NSS regions) is a far better comparison. By measuring various factors such as diversity index, skill value, access to finance, and markets, this experience was seminal in exposing me to reasons why certain sectors grow or fail.

Keen to support those living in my community, I created Dhoondo, a bridge that helps blue-collar workers discover and enroll for government-backed life insurance schemes. Dhoondo has helped more than 200,000 GBP while becoming a finalist at Mastercard NFTE’s World Series of Innovation competition for Financial Literacy. Through these experiences, I grew interested in how governments tax higher income brackets and redistribute income through the form of low-premium insurance schemes.

I want to use my knowledge in Economics as a springboard to go deeper into development economics while exploring newer fields like game theory and industrial organization at university. I aim to leverage my interests in research, leadership, debate, and collaboration during my undergraduate degree to lay the foundation for a career in research and policy advising.”

Introduction of the topic: The academic interest cannot be an entire subject/major. It has to be a smaller topic within the field you want to pursue.  By mentioning the “the evolving interactions between humans and governmental bodies.” this student defines his interest in economic policy.

Personal Stake: A personal touch to an Academic Interest essay explains how this interest came about and why the topic matters to the student. This student mentions “…living in two diametrically opposed economies—Sweden and India.” and how this has sparked his desire to explore the topic.

Personal exploration into the topic: This is the action focused part of the essay. Once the student has explained how the interest came about, they have mentioned the various readings done to demonstrate what they have learned. The student has also taken an extra step to interact with their academic interest for their high school research and created something that demonstrates how their interest can be applied.

Personal Goal: This student’s last paragraph describes what he wants to do with his academic degree. His interest in policy advising provides a sense of the future, which completes the personal essay.

Ensure that your draft has all these parts, but don’t try to follow the essay above blindly, for that will not work across the writing styles and disciplines of all students. 

Here is another example of an Academic Interest essay in another subject.

“The great Indian novel has unreliable narrators; fact flips into fiction with every shift in political power. From exaggerated Rajput ballads to Francois Bernier’s problematic fabrication of ‘Mughal inferiority’, historical revisionism has long been a powerful tool wielded by governments, both colonial and contemporary, to cement power and shape popular opinion.

Personally, I’ve witnessed the pained expressions of my grandparents, survivors of the horrific Indo-Pakistan Partition, when they see colonial subjugation being misremembered as colonial benevolence. These family histories led me to explore the Indian colonial history they are intertwined with. 

The writings of diplomats like Shashi Tharoor and books like Empireland brought the question of former colonies qualifying for reparations into the mainstream. However, revisionism had already resulted in imperial conquest being seen as the ‘civilization’ of barbarian cultures, dismissing the victims’ setbacks entirely. This year, I have conducted further research on reparations, using international law precedents and examining prevalent reparation debates to support its legal justifiability. 

Studying South Asian Studies and History at Yale will enable me to explore the subjective nature of history, and the bias caused by those documenting it. Ultimately, I hope to document colonial South Asia’s story of undevelopment—and the need for repair.”

The Why Major Essay

Once you have chosen your major, you still need to pick a discipline/concentration. Talk to your mentor about the specifics so you can design a compelling Why Major Essay.

Why Major essays require a lot of deliberate research from the student. Stay in the academics section of the website when browsing for content to add to your essay. Depending on the word count, here are the things you can mention:

• Subjects from the core curriculum you’re looking forward to, as they will help build your foundational knowledge in the subject. Since there will also be subjects in the core that you may not have studied in school before, you can express your interest in expanding and learning something new from those.
• Courses you want to select in your specialisation. These courses should add to your knowledge regarding your academic interests. 
• An assistant or associate professor in your major whose academic interests match your future areas of study. You can also mention a professor you would like to be your research guide. 
• Programs, seminars, internships or research opportunities that you’re hoping to join.

Every choice in the essay must be explained by how you see the learning opportunity enabling your academic growth. Providing course codes in the essay is fine but not mandatory. You must, however, ensure that everything in your essay is meant for undergraduates at that institution and it is available for students of the major you’re applying to. Here is an example of a good Why Major Essay and why it works:

“Using games and logic puzzles to simplify educational concepts has been a driving force in my academic journey. At USC’s distinguished learning environment, I see the opportunity to transfer this love for problem-solving to a broader scale and use it to address global issues.

Studying at USC not only offers a stimulating curriculum altered to my varying interests but also opens doors to unparalleled research opportunities and fellowships. My chance to participate in Combinatorics and Local Analysis Seminars at the Kaprielian Hall and join programs such as the Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) Undergraduate Research and the Prison Education Project promises an atmosphere of constant personal and intellectual growth and collaboration. And during those late-night study sessions, I’ll often end up at Insomnia Cookies, where I'll try my hand at physics and world problems while sipping an americano.

Furthermore, being defiantly resistant to pigeonholing my interests, and a team player at heart, I am compelled by USC Dornsife’s interdisciplinary Thematic Option Honors Program taught through small-group seminars to answer the big ambiguous questions. 

The prospect of immersing myself in this experiential learning curriculum and supportive Trojan family fuels my desire to study at USC. I yearn to be part of its tradition of integrity and excellence, to take the baton from history's luminaries and lead the charge into an uncharted future. With USC’s resources and values, I can evolve from an eager learner into a fearless Trojan ready to make my mark on the world.”

Profile building: From the first sentence itself, this student establishes themself as someone with a knack for problem-solving. This one skill has been highlighted throughout the essay and will later prove useful.

Covering the academic opportunities: This answers the essay prompt in the most direct manner. By listing out the opportunities and how they align with the student’s interests, this student provides a detailed path that highlights their undergraduate journey.

Interacting with said choices: It is not enough to simply list your academic preferences. If you are a student who takes pride in your problem-solving skills, how do the resources at said university become suitable for you? “The prospect of immersing myself in this experiential learning curriculum … fuels my desire to study at USC”  This sentence becomes meaningful because the student has already established that USC’s environment of constant intellectual growth ‘fits’ their profile.

Personal Goals: Whether your personal goals are specific or at the early stages of exploration, a sentence conveying what you hope to pursue with your degree completes the essay.

In the case of a Why Major essay with a very small word limit, prioritise keeping the points discussed above, but in a concise manner. Here is an example:

“In the face of India's paradoxical economic growth and the deepening socio-economic divide, exacerbated by the pandemic, my aspiration to decipher the intricate web of Development Economics has only grown stronger. My ultimate aim is to contribute significantly towards the upliftment of developing nations crippled by poverty.

Equipped with expertise in development, economics, and policy-making, I envision myself making meaningful contributions at esteemed institutions such as the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund. By leveraging the insights gained from Econometrics, I aim to rectify the disparities in many of the currently inaccurate mathematical indices employed for development.”

Why Subject + Why Major

For a large academic essay asking to describe your academic journey, your biggest challenge will be adding meaningful content in the word count without rambling. 

Start with an event/situation, for instance a seminar/ talk that you attended that sparked an interest for the subject. Discuss a book you read or an online course (on platforms like Coursera) that you took that helped you grow an interest in the particular subject. You can also talk about how certain members of your family, your family's general interests, or a specific person helped you build an interest in your chosen major.

Next, list and explain all your activities where you tried to learn more about the subject. These are all the learning opportunities where you continued to absorb knowledge and experience new things. Talk about activities such as reading, online
courses, and other things where you learned more about the subject. The idea here is to talk about how you started learning more about your interested major and gained relevant information.

Following the natural progression of learning, talk about activities where you played a more active role in engaging with your major or areas related to it. For instance, talk about:
1. Any creative activities like blogs, podcasts, YouTube channels and the like that you may have created.
2. Internships/Shadowing Experiences: If you interned with /or shadowed a professional, you should talk about your experiences in this paragraph.
3. Academic Programs/Fellowships/Summer Programs: If you have attended any academic programs like summer school that are relevant to your major, please discuss them in this paragraph. 

Next, talk about the most valuable activity/activities that you have accomplished in your journey so far. These typically include: 

1. Research Papers/Projects: If you conducted research independently (or as part of a program), please mention it here. Also, do NOT forget to name your research mentor and the program (if any).
2. Personal Projects/Activities: If you have accomplished something noteworthy in the field of your major, for instance: winning an international science fair, establishing an organization, and the like, you can discuss it here. Please run this by your mentor/editor before you do this.

From here onwards, follow the instructions in the Why Major Essay. The point is to make this part of the essay college-specific, so set aside a generous portion of the word count to list classes/programs/professors that you like.

Here is an example of a large Academic Journey essay:

“As a child, watching Formula 1 at the Buddh International Circuit, I saw nothing more than a blur of colors and the roar of engines. Years later, armed with an understanding of statistics, the same sport unfolded as a symphony of data and strategy. This transformation in perception encapsulates my academic journey – a shift from surface observations to a deeper, analytical understanding of the world, a journey I'm eager to continue at Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences.

My passion for statistics first manifested during a high school algorithmic trading tournament. While my team suggested buying stocks at their low, instinct told me otherwise. And rightly so, a deeper analysis showed stocks often sped towards rock bottom even more rapidly, revealing a surprising 'magnet effect'. This experience, highlighting the critical need for evidence-based decision-making, makes courses like 'Statistical Decision Theory' at Cornell incredibly appealing. Furthermore, I anticipate delving into Professor Matteson's 'Statistics and Data Analysis for Financial Engineering' to explore predictive modeling in financial markets, thus directly building upon my project experience.

At the intersection of statistics and health, I developed monoBeat, an app to diagnose heart conditions from heartbeat recordings. Here, I confronted the challenge of model reliability and ethics in AI since it was crucial that the app based its diagnoses on genuine factors like heartbeat patterns, not irrelevant details like recording duration or mic quality. Ensuring the app did this opened my eyes to the complexity and responsibility embedded in machine learning. Cornell's "Causal Reasoning and Policy Evaluation" aligns perfectly with this interest, promising deeper insight into the causal relationships behind data.

Cornell's unique course offerings like 'Learning with Big Messy Data' resonate with my experiences in handling unstructured data. While working on a text analysis project, I grappled with inaccurately categorized book data, that had the author’s name in the title, blurbs in the genre section and books with somehow negative pages. Also, with an appreciation for the art of cleaning and interpreting messy datasets, the course 'Natural Language Processing' will equip me with advanced tools to further my skills in this area.

But it's not just the statistics courses that draw me to Cornell. My ambition to translate analytical insights into practical solutions finds a companion in an entrepreneurship minor. This minor, coupled with the experiential learning opportunities at eHub and the eLab accelerator, will provide a foundation to bring data-driven projects to fruition. I'm excited by the prospect of integrating statistical analysis with entrepreneurial action, creating innovations that are not only technically sound but also commercially viable.

Outside the classroom, I look forward to participating in clubs like Cornell Data Science and engaging with like-minded peers, exchanging ideas and perspectives. These interactions are vital for fostering a holistic understanding and applying statistical theory to real-world scenarios.

In sum, the Statistical Science program at Cornell, with its rich blend of courses, expert faculty, and interdisciplinary approach, aligns seamlessly with my academic pursuits and future aspirations. Whether it's decoding the data behind a Formula 1 race, unraveling the complexities of the stock market, or embracing the beauty of Ithaca's gorges with Cornell Outdoor Education, the next four years as a Cornelian promise to be transformative. Here, at the confluence of statistics, machine learning, and entrepreneurship, I see a path to not only deepen my understanding but also to contribute meaningfully to the Cornell community and beyond.”

Why Community essay

In your undergraduate years, it is expected that you graduate not only with a stellar academic record and career prospects but also grow intellectually, physically and personally in a large community. When writing a Why Community essay, ask yourself, what is the one way you want to start a learning journey and contribute to the college?

US colleges take great pride in their community activities, such as Northwestern’s tradition of painting The Rock, universities sending their students to Habitat for Humanity and alternative spring breaks doing service projects. To write a Why Community Essay, your research must be focused on the non-academic sections of the college website, i.e. the Student Life/ Life at xyz college, Student Organisations, Events, Traditions, etc.

Here's an example of a Why Community Essay:

“Haverford had me at hello. Speaking to the Admissions Officer visiting my school, I discovered our shared values. Growing up enraptured by my Granddad's military stories filled with leadership and civic duty, I'll deeply appreciate an environment based on the trust, fraternity and freedom of the Honor Code.

As an artist and children's author, everything I create is a small love note whispering, “You're a heroine too”, to the girl who needs to hear it. Haverford’s academic flexibility will nurture my storytelling as I continue to blend gender, fine art, and writing. The Creative Writing Concentration and the GSS minor with Bryn Mawr are especially attractive, with educators like Rajeswari Mohan sharing their inspiring work on female representation in literature. Furthermore, the HCAH, with its interdisciplinary focus, seems just the place to connect with diverse communities that could guide me towards my goal: founding an online story-sharing platform for women.”

Personal connection: Note the tone of the essay and the anecdote shared. This student expertly links her upbringing to the Honor Code of Haverford. In your case, focus on some aspect of your life (being an older sibling, growing up in a local complex with diverse ethnicities around etc) and use it to define something about the community at the college you’re applying to.

From the personal to the academic: While community essays are never explicitly academic, a seamlessly added sentence explaining how their sense of community will positively affect their pursuit of academic excellence helps to highlight a holistic profile. To add this transition into your essay, ask yourself, how does my degree benefit the people around me?

Here is another essay demonstrating the points discussed:

“Picture living in a joint family with over fifty people, where every adult would assemble at 9am in the family business's office. Business as a career choice was a predetermined path designed by my great-grandfather. However, for me, watching the adults comply without question was disconcerting. When my joint family was eventually decentralized, I realized the need for me to cultivate my own passion and create my own identity.

Rejecting the family business and pursuing architecture was a major transformation, but I also realize that the values of adaptability and unity inherited have become the foundation of my career. Today, as I set my sights on the community at VirginiaTech, I seek to design spaces that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also functional and reflective of the identity of my clients. In this way, I shall support access and inclusion by affirming the dignity and value of every person, respecting differences, and promoting mutual understanding and open expression.”

Community Service Essay

When a college wants to know how you foster service to others in your community, please note that this is not an essay asking about some distant volunteer work done just for the sake of credits. Your actions must be driven by some deeper connection to the people whose lives you want to uplift. The connection must be personal, and the actions must provide the reader with a general idea of how you will continue on this path of communal development.

“India’s Right to Education Act promises that all children aged 6-14 will receive free and compulsory education. Yet, the stark reality is anything but so. To remedy this situation, I dedicated 50 hours over the course of two months to tutor the children at my local government school. This was a very fulfilling learning experience that solidified my resolve to solve education inequality in the world.”

This essay creates a very inorganic connection between their motivation and actions. Also, their resolve at the end is unnecessarily grand and not specific. A simple way to fix this problem is by mentioning personal anecdotes where the student saw young children working tirelessly with little pay in their local eateries. They realised that this was the reality of most children in India and decided to partner with a local school to understand why children have little hope in education. There, they taught the students for two months and faced the local school’s infrastructural issues, faculty salary issues, adulterated midday meals offered and engaged in a long conversation with the school’s principal to understand how these things can be remedied. It made them realise that while there were middlemen making poor fund allocations to local schools in the state, the problem also lies in faulty policymaking. This has motivated the student to work with resources at XYZ University to reach a wide audience and advocate for underprivileged children who deserve better.

Here is an example of a good Community Service Essay.

“Last summer, I had the opportunity of working alongside a group of undergraduate students from Penn. They were visiting India as part of their research internship, under Dr. Toorjo Ghose from the School of Social Policy and Practice. 

The project was aimed at reducing HIV risk and substance abuse, and our fieldwork was carried out with Durbar, a sex workers’ labor union in the Sonagachi area of Kolkata. Despite the daunting field environment and academic pressure, Penn’s students demonstrated meticulous work ethic and unbridled enthusiasm. The team’s dedication inspired me to continue working for the upliftment of marginalized groups, especially women. 

I look forward to exploring the Penn Women’s Center, and, if given a chance, becoming part of the ASAP: Abuse and Sexual Assault Prevention Group. I would also be honored to officially be a part of Dr. Ghose’s research team, to advocate the legalization of sex work, and perhaps analyze the situation in the projects at New York and Philadelphia. 

Penn’s uniqueness lies in the fact that it places as much importance to community involvement as academic excellence. I hope to actively contribute to the gender discourse and join community projects aimed at prevention of violence against women.”

Why College Essay

Why College Essays are also research forward. These are somewhere between the Why Major essays and Community at College Essays, so typically, a college may ask for either a separate academic and personal essay, or one Why College essay. Why College Essays can be long or short, again, due to the slight content overlap that may occur in these three standard essays. Either way, make sure that you do not repeat anything in this essay that you have already mentioned elsewhere.

A good Why College essay is one that cannot be copy pasted from college to college. For example, “USC’s commitment towards fostering a global outlook and the presence of a vibrant international community will provide the resources necessary for studying there. Its forward-thinking approach, which encourages students to transcend conventional ideas in an ever-changing world, will enable me to understand the world and secure academic progress.”

If you remove USC and add any other college name, the essay still works because there is nothing specific to USC here. This should not be the case. Your interest may be singular; for example, you may be looking for a top-tier research institute, but both CalTech and MIT have their own merits that you must separately answer in their college essays (e.g., a specific mentor or a specific summer program).

Let’s follow an example:

“Nestled in one of the most vibrant cities in the United States, Tulane, from Tennessee Williams’ poignant writing to watching Mardi Gras beads thrown into trees, makes the most of its setting.  I plan to join its Biochemistry program and make the most of Tulane’s School of Public Health. CELL 4340 Neurobiology of Disease and CELL 4780 Developmental Genetics would help me learn about the development and pathogenesis of diseases. At the forefront of exciting research, I look forward to working with Dr Namita Rout. Her lab’s research on the gut microbiome's effect on HIV prognosis inspires me to pursue fields that find innovative solutions to the diseases that grip modern health. 

Tulane’s spirit of giving back reflects my desire to give back to my community. At my school, I launched the Sustainability Council to implement a model for a sustainable village with a biodiesel project aimed at promoting biofuel for school buses and energy sources. I would love to take sustainable societies to the next level through the Center for Applied Environmental Public Health so I can augment my knowledge of environmental toxicology and sustainability to derive solutions for society.

I imagine myself enjoying delicious food at Crawfest with my fellow Tulanians and soaking in the beautiful Zydeco music at the heart of the city. The Tulane Experience perfectly encapsulates what it means to be a citizen of a community whilst developing one's personal values, and it is one that I wish to be a part of.”

Specific details about the campus life: This student uses Tulane’s location to open their essay. They also end with a mention of Crawfest and “soaking in the beautiful Zydeco music”, thus making for a college experience that no other institution can replicate.

Personal and academic: Again, while Why College essays are not explicitly academic, for colleges that have only one Why College essay, you must also cover the academic resources at the college. Since the essay must be specific to the institution, make sure that you mention names of special classes you wish to take, or some research institute that offers a wide range of opportunities to undergraduates.

All in all, Why College essays must describe your eagerness to enter that institution specifically. Here is an example that is more upbeat in tone.

“…I'm drawn to UMass Amherst's vibrant campus groups, such as the Film Discussion Club, and I even wish to dabble in Greek life. I can't wait to utilise this university's marvellous location and discover the beautiful sites across the Holyoke Range in exhilarating treks. This university envelops my passions and interests in every possible way!”

Optional Essay 

Optional essays must be answered with careful consideration. If there is something that no other essay has revealed about you, you may write this. 

If there is something about your application that could be detrimental to your admission to the college, make sure you address that in the essay. Here is an example of an essay explaining a student’s drop in grades.

“When I started 11th grade, my excitement for my new subjects was overshadowed by a family crisis. My mother was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer, and as the oldest child, I took on significant responsibilities at home. Balancing caregiving duties with schoolwork, my grades plummeted, especially in computer science, a subject I was learning for the first time.

This adversity, however, ignited a determination I never knew I possessed. I developed a rigorous study schedule, utilizing every spare moment. I watched online tutorials during commutes and attended extra help sessions during lunch breaks. Late nights were spent practising programming after finishing household chores.

By year's end, my efforts paid off. My computer science grade became one of my strongest, and I was selected for the school's competitive programming team. This experience taught me resilience, time management, and the power of perseverance. It also sparked my interest in using technology to improve healthcare outcomes, a field I'm passionate about exploring at XYZ University.”

Still thinking about how to find the right "fit" when writing your essay? Click on this article.