Duke University's wording, checked October 26, 2026“What’s the last thing that you’ve been really excited about?”
How to approach it
- 1Pick something recent and specific, not your biggest passion.
- 2Show the excitement through detail (what you did at 11 p.m. because of it).
- 3Let the last lines say why it got to you.
A structure that works
One way to shape this answer. It describes moves, not sentences: the words have to be yours.
- 1Drop the reader into the moment you got hooked.
- 2What it is, briefly, for someone who has never heard of it.
- 3What you did because of it: the hours, the tangents, the person you would not stop telling.
- 4Why this, for you.
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
- Choosing something to impress rather than something true.
- Explaining the thing instead of your excitement about it.
- A long-held passion presented as the last thing, when the prompt asks about something recent.
The checklist our grader uses for this question
When you check your Duke 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. |
| Duke's ask | The last thing the applicant was really excited about, told with specifics that show why. |
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Questions
More on Duke and this kind of question
- Yale: A topic or idea that excites you · 200 words
- Brown: A class you would teach · 100-150 words
- Dartmouth: What excites you? · 250 words
- Dartmouth: Insight from reading (Matt Haig) · 250 words
- Dartmouth: Celebrate your nerdy side · 250 words
- Stanford: What excites you about learning · 100-250 words