Ways to Brainstorm about STEM Interests (for Free) before College Essays
Photo by Diane Serik on Unsplash
by Michelle
“After I finished that difficult lab in AP Biology, I realized I wanted to become a doctor.”
“I really want to major in Chemistry, because of that great summer internship I had at a research center at that college, and because of my experience in placing first in the science fair.”
One area that students can really struggle with in writing is how to show their interest in a STEM-related major beyond discussing schoolwork. While those may not be bad topics, it can make for an essay that is more boring and less memorable to admissions readers.
What if you knew there were some additional ways you can brainstorm about your STEM interests (for free) before writing your college essays?
From earlier blog posts, like ‘Writing an interesting college essay for Jaded Readers’ and ‘How to Record Experiences for Application Essays,’ Essay Narwhals know how small details can especially liven up a college essay. As students change out from the sensible rainboots of spring to the colorful flip-flops of summer, they may find they have a little more time to think deeply about their interest in STEM to bring out the small details that they need.
Then when you need to write about your love of a STEM field, you won’t have to worry that you don’t have anything unique or fun to say about it.
Read books/news articles/blog posts
More than just being good at studying and getting good grades, colleges also want to know WHY you have an interest in your major. While students certainly can explore STEM in Math Olympiads and summer programs, you can also go beyond that in your spare time just by thoughtful reading.
Interested in space? Maybe you want to spend some time reading the book Hidden Figures about three Black women in NASA during the space race. Or if wildlife and man versus nature is more your speed, you could check out Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by Mary Roach. Science book recommendation lists are also easy to find in the age of Google and Goodreads.
Think a book is too long to read? You can also browse short news articles and blog posts from trustworthy, rigorous sources that connect to your major of interest. Monterey Bay Aquarium is known for their Tumblr blog of shrimp pictures and sea otters, along with many ocean and biology facts. JSTOR Daily has blog posts on everything from the sciences to the arts to technology. The Smithsonian Magazine, Scientific American, or Wired and other news sites can help you keep on top of the pulse of whatever is the newest current events in science research or coding.
So when a college application essay asks you about a topic of debate in your STEM field, or about a problem that you want to work on in a STEM major, you will have a starting point to write from.
Note down examples of real people/or fictional characters in a similar STEM field.
Have a spare sheet of paper and some free time of say, 10 minutes? Why not jot down some names that you know of people in a career field related to your major?
Instead of writing down names of the most well-known figures like Marie Curie, you might want to level up and do some quick research on lesser known scientists, like the French mathematician Émilie du Châtelet or medieval mathematician/astronomer/physicist, Ibn al-Haytham.
Fictional characters count too. Spock of Star Trek and Ms. Frizzle of the Magic School Bus series have different approaches to scientific questions—which approach is more similar to yours?
What personality traits do you admire from these figures, either fictional or real, that you wish you can emulate while studying STEM in college?
Think of a totally different interest or question you have in another field, and see how your STEM field might connect to it.
What’s the connection between using egg whites in baking and chemistry? Or what about rock climbing and physics?
Do you have a hobby or activity that doesn’t seem STEM-related at first glance? Take a second look at it—how can you connect it to a STEM concept in the major you are most interested in?
Before you even get into the process of writing your essay, see if there is a different activity or interest you have and think up several ways to relate it to a STEM concept. It might become an idea worth bringing up later on in your writing.
As an example, one student I was working with wanted to write about their interest in physics, but didn’t know how to make their essay interesting. After talking with this student more, they brought up that they had a hobby of playing ping-pong with relatives; with a little more thinking, they were able to write a more interesting and engaging essay which drew connections between what they learned before in physics and how they applied it to the angles in which they would swing at the ball.
No matter if you are an Essay Narwhal who likes codes or computers, or one who prefers labs and petri dishes, think how you can use these small ways to dig more deeply into your STEM interests for better results in your writing!