<p>Are we supposed to answer the question or write an interesting essay that relates to the question?
All the advice I've read talks about "show, don't tell" which is great if you're writing a long essay, but MIT's essays have a small word limit...
I could write an interesting "show, don't tell" essay if I focused on one of my interests, but I would prefer to answer the question completely and show how wide and varied my interests are by writing a more straightforward essay.
Any advice?</p>
<p>Don’t write a bunch of different things. You only have 250 words. Choosing many things will make you look shallow, even if you’re not. Pick one thing and described it /very/ well. Ideally in a way noone else could. Then you would stand out among thousands of other essays (that says stuff like I love sports, I like math, I had a rough childhood, my favorite pet died, etc.). It’s up to you to find out what that thing is. Everyone’s different</p>