Swarthmore College's wording, checked October 26, 2026Swarthmore’s community of learners inspire one another through their collaborative and flexible approach to learning. Swarthmore students are comfortable with intellectual experimentation and connection of ideas across the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and interdisciplinary studies through a liberal arts education.“Tell us about a topic that has fascinated you recently – either inside or outside of the classroom. What made you curious about this? Has this topic connected across other areas of your interests? How has this experience shaped you and what encourages you to keep exploring?”
How to approach it
- 1Choose something recent and specific.
- 2Show the connections to other interests explicitly.
- 3End on what pulls you forward.
A structure that works
One way to shape this answer. It describes moves, not sentences: the words have to be yours.
- 1The topic and the moment it caught you.
- 2How it connects to your other interests.
- 3What keeps you exploring it.
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 whole field.
- No connections, when the question asks for them.
The checklist our grader uses for this question
When you check your Swarthmore 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. |
| Swarthmore's ask | Covers the topic, what made the applicant curious, connections to other interests, and what keeps them exploring. |
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Questions
More on Swarthmore and this kind of question
- Yale: A topic or idea that excites you · 200 words
- Stanford: What excites you about learning · 100-250 words
- Northwestern: Dream up a class or project · 200 words
- Caltech: Process: the thought behind the outcome · 200 words
- Caltech: Learning: a STEM rabbit hole · 200 words
- Caltech: Pursuing: sustained intellectual engagement · 200 words