Dartmouth College's wording, checked October 26, 2026“What excites you?”
How to approach it
- 1Pick one specific thing and show yourself in it.
- 2Explain why it excites you, which is what readers remember.
- 3Two words leave the choice entirely to you, so the choice is part of the answer. Pick what you would talk about unprompted.
- 4Use the 250 words on one thing. Depth is what makes excitement believable.
A structure that works
One way to shape this answer. It describes moves, not sentences: the words have to be yours.
- 1Start in the middle of the thing: a moment that shows the excitement without naming it.
- 2Explain what it is in a sentence or two, for a reader who does not share it.
- 3Go into why it holds you: the question inside it you keep returning to.
- 4Close with where you want to take it next.
Where the 250 words go
| Part | Words |
|---|---|
| The moment or example | about 100 |
| What it shows or changed | about 90 |
| Why it matters, or what you bring | about 60 |
Mistakes to avoid
- A list of passions.
- Picking an academic subject only because it seems expected.
The checklist our grader uses for this question
When you check your Dartmouth answers, this answer is read against these 5 areas. Each comes back Met, Partly or Missing with a quote from your draft as evidence, and together with the 250 words limit they set its readiness verdict.
| Area | What a reader looks for |
|---|---|
| Answers the question | The opening sentences answer what was asked, plainly, before background or a hook; every part of a multi-part question is answered. |
| One specific idea | It names one specific topic, question or idea early, narrower than a whole subject. |
| Evidence you pursue it | It shows what the applicant read, built, asked or tried on their own, beyond required class work. |
| Your own thinking | The reader sees how the applicant's mind works on it: a connection, an opinion, a question still open. |
| Dartmouth's ask | It does every part of what Dartmouth's question asks, in the college's own terms. |
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Questions
More on Dartmouth and this kind of question
- Yale: A topic or idea that excites you · 200 words
- Brown: A class you would teach · 100-150 words
- Stanford: What excites you about learning · 100-250 words
- Duke: Something you are excited about · 250 words
- Northwestern: Dream up a class or project · 200 words
- Caltech: Process: the thought behind the outcome · 200 words