Hi, @rantrantrantrant. Just make sure the essay isn’t too generic (could someone else have written it? Are there too many generalizations?) You want to spark their interest - an essay doesn’t always have to be on a serious or intellectual topic. If you want to discuss it more, I’d suggest you start a separate thread. This one is more for general essay tips, so it might be better to have your own separate discussion on your essay thinking. Of course, you don’t want to give TOO much detail or actually post the essay, as someone else could take your ideas, or you could be accused of plagiarism.
I think a really compelling essay that speaks to the reader can make a difference. At the same time, it may be able to heal the sick, but it sure can’t raise the dead.
Thank you @intparent for this advice and for starting this thread in general. It’s been helpful! 
The best advice I ever heard was to have strangers read your essays. If they cannot read through it once and articulate back what you wanted to convey to a reader, then you should go back to the drawing board.
InGenius Prep has some great blogs!
Hey there! I had a question regarding essays focused on intellectual vitality or ideas that intellectually excite you. If it has to do with ideas that you’ve read about in books, is it wrong to give a bit of a background to those novels and a small synopsis so as to make the essay more understandable? Or is that a waste of words?
Would you please clarify whether you are asking for your main essay? That is not an approach that I have seen work well. That is a difficult topic/“focus” and if you choose to give background on novels, it will be very difficult to make the essay enough about you.
Anything can be done, but I would take a different approach. Your odds of missing the mark are high IMO.
No, not for the main essay - it’s for a supplemental asking about an intellectual idea that excites you.
How many words and for which college?
I was thinking of reusing the concept for a couple of colleges - so one would be 250 words and another about 500. The synopsis takes about 60 words.
The more information you share the more I can assist you. Which colleges? Exact questions?
60 on a 250 sounds off to me.
60 on 500, it might work.
I guess the real question is why the fact that your ideas stem from stuff you read matters so much? If you are a great writer, you can totally pull it off… but not easy IMO. Of course, if the question is " Describe ideas that you have read in books that have formed your thinking…
Anyway, I have a particular expertise in this area (and like helping), so happy to go down this path with you if you want.