An experience or concept I have learned - what are they looking for?

Describe an experience that you have had or a concept you have learned about that intellectually excites you. When answering this question, you may want to consider some of the following questions: Why does this topic excite you? How does it impact the way you or others experience the world? What questions do you continue to ponder about it?

Should I focus maybe on the subject I'm interested in majoring in, or could I branch out into other subjects that I find intellectually stimulating? I want o major in economics, but I'm not really sure I have enough to say to answer this topic. I'm also considering writing about the environment because that's something that really interests me as well. Basically, I would just like advice on how to approach this question. Thanks! :)

I think I would tackle it from the perspective of an extracurricular activity or experience that you have had--something that shows you as a self-motivated learner that goes after knowledge in the areas that interest you. Pick something that excites you, but also something that is academic in nature (they do use the word "intellectually")

Being the word nerd that I am, I might answer this prompt using my love of words as a basis for the essay. I could talk about how many words there are in the English language and the infinite ways they can be combined and touch on my love for other languages as well. I could use my participation on this site and my affinity for Scrabble as supporting points. I could talk about how I learn more about my own language by volunteering to teach English-language learners. What questions do I continue to ponder? The comma, while I have the basics down, still trips me up.

Take your own personal approach to the prompt. Make sure to touch on all aspects of it and in a way that puts you in a good light. Why economics? Have you had an experience that has led you in that direction? How do you know that you want to study economics? What have you done on your own to increase your knowledge in that field? The environment can be a pretty broad topic. Environmental activism? Natural habitat, endangered species, health of the oceans, air quality, overgrazing, preservation of open spaces? What have you done to learn more about the subject? What have you done with that knowledge you have garnered? What do you hope to do to have an impact in the future?

The only specific experience I can recall that I could possibly write about that also relates to economics was when I visited Mexico and had first hand experience with their economic situation and I was able to see how desperate some of the people there are.

However,I believe it would be easier for me to concentrate on the environmental approach because I am currently an intern at a marine research laboratory and have had more experiences through that, but I'm not sure it's really impacted me too much on a personal level.

BINGO!

Focus on the environmental and the marine research. Are you excited by it? How do you feel when you are on a boat, under the water, holding a sea creature? What have you learned? How does your work with the marine research laboratory impact how you experience the world? Think about the metaphors! With this internship, you have literally been able to delve below the surface and learn about a whole different world.

Which raises the question of why you want to be an economist rather than a marine biologist, but you usually don't have to pick a major in your first year anyway, so this shouldn't be an issue.