<p>For some, it's politics or sports or reading. For others, it may be researching solar power fuel cells or arranging hip-hop mash-ups. What makes you tick? </p>
<p>This is a supplement essay for Tufts, and I was wondering how people interpret this. Usually, when someone asks what makes you tick, it refers to something that makes you angry; however, from the way this question is worded, it seems like they are asking about what makes you motivated or excited. What is your interpretation?</p>
<p>The question is asking “What makes you tick” or rather what makes you go. I’ve never heard the use of the word tick in such context as you’re referring to it. You’re interpreting it, I believe, as “that ticks me off”. That’s not the correct word. In such context it’s asking “tick” as in clock - a clock ticks because it has XYZ parts. So you as a person tick because of XZY things.</p>
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<p>Yes, I think that’s about right.</p>
<p>Are you strongly motivated by curiosity? Ambition? A desire to please your parents? A determination to escape poverty (or suburban boredom) and build a better (richer, more interesting) life? Are you competitive? Do you need to be best in everything, or is getting along with others more important to you? Do you crave novelty? Are you the kind of person who likes, once you’ve read a good book, to read every other book by the same author? If you’ve collected a few baseball cards (stamps, coins, whatever) do you then have a burning desire to collect the complete set? Are friendships extremely important to you? What about social status and recognition? Are you a rebel? Are you out to change the world? Or are you just a level-headed, well-rounded person who likes to help out and get projects moving?</p>
<p>This is an open-ended opportunity for you to give Tufts some idea of what you’d bring to the community and why they might like to have you around.</p>