165 Fun Essay Topics

Essay writing is a common way for instructors to assess students’ critical thinking, writing skills, and knowledge of a particular topic.

While writing an essay may not always be the most entertaining way to learn, it does help students become active learners who can construct well-supported arguments.

Many students often face various challenges when it comes to essay writing, but the truth is that essay writing can be a lot easier when choosing a fun essay topic to write about.

By choosing a fun essay topic that interests the students, writing assignments become more productive and less daunting.

Check out the four types of essays students can be assigned, along with a list of 165 fun essay topics to write about. By combining these helpful writing tips with the list of fun essay topics, students can easily create well-crafted essays.

The Four Types of Essay

Regardless of the assignment, essay formats can be categorized into four major types. Each type has its own unique purpose and structure. By understanding the structure, guidelines, and formatting of each essay type, students can be sure to ace each writing assignment.

Narrative Essay

The narrative essay is the most common type of essay students will encounter in their academic careers. A narrative essay tells a story and is often used to reflect on personal experiences.

The structure of a narrative essay typically includes an introduction, body, and conclusion. The introduction introduces the reader to the story while the body develops the story with necessary details. Finally, the ending wraps up the story and provides a final thought.

To write a solid narrative essay, students should start by introducing the characters and setting of the story. They should also include essential plot points that help develop the story. By providing readers with a clear understanding of the story, students can create an engaging experience for their readers.

Argumentative Essay

The argumentative essay is a typical assignment in many college courses, especially in fields such as history. An argumentative essay presents a claim and defends this claim from a variety of angles. Often, an argumentative essay will be supported by evidence or research that has been collected in advance.

The introductory paragraph of an argumentative essay should introduce the claim and provide a brief background to establish why this claim is necessary. The body of the argumentative essay includes evidence for both sides of the argument while allowing students to present their final argument that should be defended in the concluding paragraph.

The three types of arguments that can be included in an argumentative essay are affirmative, negative, and alternative. An affirmative argument supports the claim, while an opposing argument denies the claim. Finally, an alternative argument suggests a different solution to the problem.

To create a strong argumentative essay, students should use evidence from credible sources, develop their arguments logically, and use clear writing.

Expository Essay

An expository essay is often assigned for courses such as science and mathematics. Expository essays allow students to explore a particular topic in-depth through the use of facts, data, research, and examples.

To write an effective expository essay, students can organize their thoughts by first creating an outline with specific topics from which they will be able to gather information for each paragraph.

Students should include a thesis statement in the first paragraph that introduces the topic of the essay. The following paragraphs should explore the information researched, while the conclusion should summarize the main points.

To ensure accuracy and avoid plagiarism, students should use credible sources when gathering information for their expository essays.

Descriptive Essay

One of the most popular types of essays, the descriptive essay, allows students to describe a person, place, or thing in great detail. A descriptive essay paints a picture for the reader by using sensory details.

The structure of a descriptive essay typically includes an introduction, body, and conclusion. The introduction should consist of a brief description of the subject, while the body should provide detailed information about the topic. The conclusion should summarize the essay and solidify the main points.

To write an engaging descriptive essay, students should use sensory details, active verbs, and explicit language to create vivid images for their readers. By using these techniques, students will be able to turn their essays into striking and enjoyable writing pieces.

Overcoming the Challenges of Essay Writing

The challenges students face with any form of essay writing often cause trouble starting or finishing the essay. One way to overcome these challenges is to break the essay writing process down into smaller steps.

First, students should brainstorm ideas for their essay. Once they have a list of ideas, they can then decide on a topic.

Next, students should gather evidence and research to support their arguments. After that, students can outline their essay and write body paragraphs.

Finally, they can write the introduction and conclusion.

By breaking the essay writing process down into smaller steps, students can better focus on one task at a time and make the process less daunting. Additionally, this approach will help them to produce a high-quality essay that is well-organized and properly researched.

Any of these topics will provide students with a fun writing prompt that will keep them engaged with the assignment and allow the reader to understand the topic fully.

Fun Essay Topics for Narrative Essays

  • The best time I ever had
  • A party that went too far
  • The best day of my life
  • My favorite holiday
  • Memories of my childhood
  • My scariest experience
  • When I got in trouble at school
  • Why home is the best place to be
  • My favorite tradition
  • Ways to overcome a fear
  • The importance of respect towards others
  • My most embarrassing moment
  • The most embarrassing thing my parents ever did in public
  • A silly thing I did for attention
  • How I learned Santa Claus wasn’t real
  • My most embarrassing fashion moment
  • Something I have secretly always wanted
  • How I dance when nobody’s looking
  • How I broke a bone
  • When my parents embarrassed me as a teenager
  • My best first kiss
  • The worst thing that happened on Halloween
  • A day that changed my life
  • What I wished for on New Year’s Eve and what actually happened
  • The most fun I’ve ever had with my friends
  • Ways to escape from boredom

Fun Essay Topics for Argumentative Essays

  • Why movie remakes are a bad idea
  • The pros and cons of being bilingual
  • How to make learning more fun
  • The best way to break up with someone
  • What is the best animal on the planet
  • Why strawberry is the best ice cream flavor
  • Why the customer is always right
  • Is it ever okay to steal
  • Can insults be a good thing for a personas self-esteem
  • How to make the world a better place with active visualization
  • How to feel good about yourself no matter what
  • How teaching students with disabilities is more rewarding than teaching regular students
  • The benefits of drug use for everyone
  • How to make friends as an adult
  • Why having a pet is better than having kids
  • Why travel is the best way to learn
  • Why life is better without school
  • The benefits of a digital detox
  • How to deal with difficult people
  • The benefits of procrastination
  • Why being lazy isn’t such a bad thing

Fun Essay Topics for Expository Essays

  • How to make a perfect pizza
  • How to make the perfect scrambled eggs
  • How to make the perfect cup of coffee
  • Why being yourself is the best thing you can do
  • How to be happy every day
  • The benefits of a positive attitude
  • The importance of being organized
  • What happiness really means
  • Why giving back is important
  • The benefits of getting enough sleep
  • Why breaking the rules isn’t always a bad thing
  • The importance of being punctual
  • What I would change about the world
  • How to be creative every day
  • How to make life easier with planning ahead
  • Ways to deal with everyday stress
  • The problems with social media
  • How to be a good listener
  • How to make learning easier for everyone
  • The importance of playing games
  • Why every day should be game day
  • Ways to relax your brain and body on a regular basis

Fun Essay Topics for Descriptive Essays

  • My favorite place to go on a date
  • A perfect day at the beach
  • What it’s like to be a celebrity for a day
  • The best party I ever went to
  • What it’s like to sleep in my childhood bed again
  • The most amazing concert I ever attended
  • How it feels to stand in front of a cheering crowd
  • The best family vacation I ever went to
  • What it’s like to wake up in Paris
  • My favorite season after summer
  • What it’s like to see the Northern Lights
  • My first kiss
  • How it feels to hug someone you love for the first time
  • How it felt when my pet died
  • Why every pet should have a forever home
  • The best day of my life so far
  • What it’s like to have a dog for the first time
  • How much I love being from [insert city here]
  • Why every alcoholic drink should be on a pub crawl
  • What it’s like to die in your dreams
  • Where I go when I’m feeling sad
  • The best prank I ever played on someone
  • What it’s like to see your favorite band live in concert

Fun Essay Topics About Being a Teenager

  • Why every teenager should get their own car
  • Why popular girls aren’t always the best friends
  • How to deal with bullies at school
  • The pros and cons of being a freshman in high school
  • How it feels to date someone older than you
  • What I wish my life was like in high school
  • How it feels to be home-schooled
  • What I would do if I knew no one at school
  • The best movies to watch on a Friday night with your friends
  • Why you should never get in the car with someone who’s been drinking
  • My worst teenage dating experience ever
  • My worst breakup story
  • Why every teenager should have a summer job
  • What I love most about being a teenager
  • The best and worst things about being a teenager
  • How to survive your teenage years

Fun Essay Topics About Life

  • What living your dream means to you
  • If I could go back to any age, it would be…
  • How to stay happy and positive every day
  • What being successful really means to me
  • The most important lesson I’ve learned in life
  • Why I’m grateful for my struggles
  • The best way to spend a weekend afternoon
  • My favorite thing about life so far
  • What I would do with an extra hour each day
  • My favorite quote about life
  • The best way to relax after a long day
  • What I love most about my family
  • What I love most about my friends
  • My happiest memory from childhood
  • How I’ve changed over the years
  • What I hope to accomplish in the next ten years
  • The meaning of life from my dog’s perspective

Fun Essay Topics About Science

  • The best and worst things about science
  • How to make a volcano in your kitchen
  • The dangers of space travel
  • What would happen if the Earth stopped spinning
  • The future of genetic editing
  • What it’s like to be a scientist
  • The most exciting thing I learned in science class this year
  • Why every kid should go to space camp
  • What it’s like to live on Mars
  • How life would be without gravity
  • The best way to celebrate Earth Day every day of the year
  • What it feels like in a tornado
  • How to make your own solar system
  • The best and worst things about space travel
  • Ten amazing facts about the universe
  • The most interesting thing I learned about biology this year
  • Why science is important for everyone
  • The future of the world, according to science

Fun Essay Topics About History

  • Why every American should visit Europe
  • Why traveling to another country is the best way to learn history
  • My favorite historical figure ever
  • How I would spend my time in Colonial America
  • What I love most about Aztec history
  • The most important lesson I’ve learned from World War II
  • The pros and cons of living during the Renaissance
  • How Alexander Graham Bell changed the world
  • Why we should always question authority
  • The meaning of life, according to history teachers
  • What it’s like to live in Ancient Greece every day
  • The best and worst parts about living in Ancient China
  • The best story from Greek mythology I know by heart
  • Why we should always respect our teachers
  • The best way to celebrate Thanksgiving every day of the year
  • The timeline of history from the perspective of my pet pigeon
  • What it’s like to be a time traveler for 30 days

Fun Essay Topics About Pop Culture

  • Why I won’t be watching the Oscars this year
  • What’s the best movie on Netflix right now?
  • The top 5 movies of all time
  • My favorite scary movies ever made
  • Why every millennial should watch old black and white movies

Enjoy writing your next essay with any of these 165 fun essay topics that are sure to get your creative juices flowing!

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Journal Buddies Jill | January 24, 2023 November 3, 2022 | List of Prompts

31 Brilliant Creative Essay Prompts

Creative Writing Essay Prompts and a few Bonus Quick Tips — If you are helping your students explore how to write a creatively themed essay, you may want to try these creative writing prompts. Creative essay prompts are a great way to get students excited about writing . Discover more now…

Creative Essay Prompts

Creative essay prompts give writers a chance to express themselves, well…creatively. 😀 Plus, it’s a wonderfully fun way to write a completely new and unique essay.

Now, let me tell you, I am here to invigorate your perspective and fuel your creativity with 31 fabulous creative essay prompts for various genres to get you writing today. So get to it and take a look now and enjoy.

3 Quick Tips for Writing Your Own Creative Prompts

Why use creative essay prompts.

First, let’s explore a bit about why a writer would want to use a creative easy prompts.

Let’s say…

You’re fresh out of ideas and want to write a book, but you have no idea where to start.

I get it. One of the most challenging steps in becoming a successful writer is knowing where to start. Struggling to get your creative juices flowing can be a daunting task for writers of any age or skill level. Indeed, many student writers encounter writer’s block and personal writing doubts at some point in their academic careers.

That’s why…

Whether you’re looking for inspiration for a short, creative essay, your next Amazon bestselling novel, or a short story just for fun, there is an easy way to get started. Yep…simply explore my fabulous list of creative essay prompts. (Psst…note the emphasis on creativity in this particular list of essay writing ideas!)

Take a look now and then read on to learn more about writing your very own creative essay prompts.

31 Creative Essay Prompts to Write About

Oh yeah! I hope you enjoy this list of creative essay prompts and ideas. Hopefully, these creative essay prompts will spur your creativity and spark your imagination, and, above all, may these ideas help you write a wonderfully awesome creative essay.

  • Write a creative essay about the plot from a movie you saw just before sleeping is coming to life.
  • A stranger gives you an ominous-looking journal. You open it to investigate and discover…
  • A group of teenagers band together to fight an extraterrestrial threat.
  • You stumble upon a strange house on your morning run. Upon entering, you get a text message, “Meet me outside”.
  • You hear news of your next-door neighbor vanishing without a trace.
  • Your social media information has been hacked and that put your loved ones in danger.
  • You see a hooded figure at work staring at you from across the street. What do they want?
  • The stakes are raised when you find your best friends have ulterior motives.
  • Oddly, your parents tell you that they have no idea who you are!
  • After receiving a mysterious box on your doorstep, you open it and find a note that says, “Caution: May Bite.”
  • Write an essay on your plans to get to the bottom of an unsolved murder mystery from 20 years ago.
  • Your favorite place in the city has shut down; it’s up to you to raise funds to help it reopen.
  • You realize there is a different face staring at you from the mirror.
  • One morning, you wake up to find out that you have been chosen to go to any planet of your choice.
  • Write an essay on a horror story about a high schooler not making the state basketball team.

Student Creative Essay Writing

  • You find a way to look into the future through the internet.
  • Write an original poem about your spiritual journey.
  • You find yourself hiding in the closet with burglars ravaging your home. Your only defense is a stack of pencils.
  • You find your hard-to-kick habit is doing more damage than you thought.
  • You retrace your steps to find a treasure map your younger self left behind.
  • Two high school students write a novel, only to be transported into the world they created.
  • Write an essay about waking up to find all prisons have been closed and the prisoners released.
  • An introvert finds they’ve been talking to their childhood imaginary friend more and more.
  • You go back in time with a notebook of inventions you want to take credit for when suddenly The Butterfly Effect kicks in.
  • Write a creative essay about a science fiction tale set in a world where you can communicate with your pet.
  • You can use a time machine to either save yourself or your best friend; which do you choose?
  • A genie grants you three wishes, but with each comes consequences.
  • In the year 2122, global warming has left the Earth inhabitable. It’s up to you and your robot sidekick to fix things and make them right.

Now, while there are many creative essay prompts listed in the blog post, sometimes that one perfect prompt isn’t there for some writers.

If that’s the case for you, read on to discover three simple creative essay prompt writing tips.

Creating Your Own Unique Creative Essay Prompts

As I stated previously, sometimes there is not that one perfect prompt for a writer in our list — or other lists — of creative essay prompts and writing ideas.

In this case, you may find that using one of our great creative essay prompts as a starting point can make it easier for you to think up your own unique essay topic idea list.

For this reason, I suggest you use the three simple steps to create your very own prompt outlined below.

1.  Brainstorm a list  of potential topics. This can be anything from personal experiences to current events.

2. Once you have a list of potential topics,  narrow it down  by choosing the prompt that best fits your topic.

3. If you’re still having trouble finding the perfect prompt, take a look at essay samples for inspiration.

This simple process can help you find the one amazing writing idea that works best for you. Ok, that’s all for today.

Until next time, happy writing…

More Essay Writing Resources

  • 35 Essay Topics for High School
  • 33 Argumentative Essay Topics for Middle School
  • 46 Essay Prompts for Elementary Kids
  • 35 Essay Topics for Kids
  • 27 Spectacular Space Writing Prompts
  • Printable essay writing worksheets

If you enjoyed these Creative Essay Prompts please share them on social media via Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and/or Pinterest. I appreciate it!

Sincerely, Jill journalbuddies.com creator and curator

Creative Essay Writing Ideas

Tap to See Prompts 162 Creative Writing Topics and Ideas (Updated!) Power Up Your Pen: 157 Writing Prompt a Day Ideas 27 Amazing Picture Writing Prompts for Kids ------------Start of Om Added --------- @media (min-width: 320px) and (max-width: 767px) { .inside-right-sidebar { display: none !important; } } Search Now Offering You 18,000+ Prompts!

Jill -- Owner and Curator of JournalBuddies.com

Tap to See Prompts 162 Creative Writing Topics and Ideas (Updated!) Power Up Your Pen: 157 Writing Prompt a Day Ideas 27 Amazing Picture Writing Prompts for Kids Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Grade 7-8 Grade 9-12 All Ages ------------End of Om Added --------- Tags Creative Essay , Creative Essay Writing , Creative Essay Writing Prompts , Creative Essay Writing Topics , essay , Essay Ideas , Essay Prompts , Essay Tips , Essay Topics , essay writing , Essay Writing Ideas , Essay Writing Prompts , Essay Writing Tips , High School , Tips for Essays , writing essays div#postbottom { margin-top: 12px; } Search Now Offering You 18,000+ Prompts!

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Home — Blog — Topic Ideas — Funny Persuasive Essay Topics: 110 Writing & Speech Ideas

Funny Persuasive Essay Topics: 110 Writing & Speech Ideas

Funny Persuasive Essay Topics

Laughter really is the best medicine, and when it comes to the art of persuasion, funny persuasive speech topics can help you a lot. Imagine standing in front of an audience or sitting at your desk with an essay tip in hand, and instead of your usual serious and direct approach, you decide to inject a healthy dose of humor into your presentation. Welcome to a world of fun persuasive essay topics where wit meets persuasion to create a delightful and engaging conversation.

Humor has a unique way of capturing people's attention and breaking down barriers, making it an invaluable tool for any writer or speaker looking to convey a compelling message. Whether you're writing academic writing, preparing a public speaking speech, or engaging in a friendly debate, fun, persuasive essay topics can add extra punch to your presentation.

In this article, we share how persuasive speech topics funny can help you by exploring a wide range of funny persuasive essay topics that will tickle your audience to the bone and inspire thought-provoking discussions. These themes not only entertain, but also challenge traditional thinking, prompting critical reflection on various social issues and everyday mysteries.

Use the power of humor and persuasion and create a relaxed environment to inform and inspire your listeners. Whether you're an aspiring writer, an aspiring debater, or just a fun-loving person, this article will help you master the art of smoothly blending humor and persuasion.

So, get ready to embark on a journey of wit and wisdom where laughter meets logic, and learn how to make your readers or audience not only smile, but also nod in agreement. funny persuasive speech topics can be of great help to you and we will try to explore in detail the delightful world of funny persuasive essay topics and become masters of entertaining persuasion!

⭐ 10 Great Topics for a Persuasive Speech

  • The Power of Laughter: Why We Should Have a Daily Dose of Comedy
  • Embracing the "Messy" Life: Finding Joy in Imperfection
  • The Art of Procrastination: How to Turn It into a Productivity Hack
  • The Hidden Benefits of Daydreaming: Fueling Creativity and Inspiration
  • The Science of Silliness: How Being Goofy Can Boost Mental Health
  • The Therapeutic Value of Pet-Induced Happiness: Adopting a Furry Friend
  • Unconventional Superheroes: Celebrating Everyday Heroes Among Us
  • The Magic of Random Acts of Kindness: Spreading Joy and Positivity
  • Emojis as a Universal Language: Decoding Modern Communication
  • The Quirky World of Useless Facts: Fun Learning and Brain Gymnastics

Ideas for Finding Impressive Persuasive Essay Topics

Finding impressive persuasive essay topics can be both exciting and challenging. The key is to identify topics that not only pique your interest but also resonate with your audience. Here are some effective strategies to help you discover compelling and attention-grabbing persuasive essay topics:

Explore Your Passions

Start by brainstorming topics that really interest you. Think about issues that you care deeply about or topics that evoke emotion. And perhaps the idea of how to start an essay funny will easily come to you. When you are passionate about a subject, it becomes easier to persuade others effectively.

Stay Informed

Keep yourself updated with current events, social issues, and trending topics. Reading newspapers, magazines, and reputable online sources will expose you to a diverse range of persuasive essay ideas.

Address Controversial Topics

Controversial issues often spark intense debates, making them excellent candidates for persuasive essays. Be sure to research both sides of the argument and present a well-balanced view.

Consider Your Audience

Think about the perspective and interests of your target audience. Understanding their viewpoints will help you choose topics that resonate with them and tailor your arguments effectively.

Look into Local Issues

Exploring problems within your community or region can add a personal touch to your essay. Local topics often strike a chord with readers, making your arguments more impactful.

Brainstorm with Others

Discussing ideas with friends, family, or classmates can generate fresh perspectives and potential topics. Collaborating with others can lead to unique and thought-provoking essay ideas.

Utilize Online Resources

There are numerous websites dedicated to providing persuasive essay topic ideas. Browse through these resources to gain inspiration and find unique angles for your essay.

Examine Ethical Dilemmas

Ethical issues often raise thought-provoking questions. Consider topics that challenge the moral compass and explore potential solutions.

Analyze Past Persuasive Essays: Reviewing successful persuasive essays can give you an idea of popular and impactful topics. However, ensure your essay presents a fresh angle to avoid repetition.

Consider Global Concerns

Addressing global challenges like climate change, poverty, or human rights can showcase your awareness of critical issues and demonstrate your commitment to creating positive change.

Remember to choose a topic that aligns with your expertise and research interests. Impressive persuasive essay topics rely on strong arguments, reliable sources, and compelling evidence. Take the time to delve into your chosen subject, gather relevant information, and craft a persuasive essay that leaves a lasting impact on your readers. With these strategies and a dash of creativity, you'll undoubtedly discover persuasive essay topics that inspire engaging discussions and win hearts.

List of 100 funny persuasive topics for you

Below we offer you a list of 100 funny and persuasive paperwork themes. We propose to divide this list into 5 main sections in which we structure the ideas for your presentation.

Fun and at the same time compelling topics on ecology

  • The Comedic Side of Eco-Friendly Living: How to Laugh While Saving the Planet
  • Eco-Fun: Hilarious Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
  • The Case for Eco-Comedy: Using Humor to Advocate for Environmental Conservation
  • Laughter for a Greener World: How Funny Persuasion Can Promote Sustainability
  • Eco-Jokes and Conservation: Uniting Humor and Environmental Awareness
  • The Funny Side of Recycling: Turning Trash into Laughs and Treasures
  • Laughing Our Way to a Cleaner Future: Humorous Strategies for Eco-Consciousness
  • The Green Giggle: How Environmentalists Can Embrace Humor in Their Advocacy
  • Eco-Friendly Pranks and Jokes: Promoting Environmental Consciousness with Laughter
  • LOL for Nature: Spreading Environmental Awareness through Hilarious Persuasion
  • Comedy for Conservation: Using Humor to Inspire Eco-Friendly Choices
  • Earth-Friendly Funnies: Incorporating Humor in Environmental Education
  • Giggles for Green Living: Making Sustainability Fun and Engaging
  • The Humorous Side of Wildlife Conservation: Laughing Our Way to Preservation
  • Eco-Laughs: Humorously Debunking Environmental Myths and Misconceptions
  • Jokes for the Environment: How Humor Can Catalyze Positive Change
  • Laughing at Our Eco-Mistakes: Finding Humor in Imperfect Green Living
  • Eco-Friendly Comedy Nights: Entertaining and Educating for a Greener World
  • LOL for Earth: Humorous Approaches to Raise Environmental Awareness
  • Smiles for Sustainability: How Laughter Can Drive Green Initiatives

Options for funny persuasive cultural topics

  • Cultural Comedy: Using Humor to Bridge Cultural Differences
  • Laughing Across Cultures: How Humor Unites Humanity
  • The Power of Cultural Satire: Addressing Stereotypes through Comedy
  • Embracing Cultural Quirks: Celebrating Diversity with Laughter
  • Funny Traditions Around the World: Exploring the Humorous Side of Culture
  • Cultural Comedy Nights: Promoting Cultural Exchange through Humor
  • The Hilarity of Language Barrier: Overcoming Misunderstandings with Laughter
  • Cultural Comedy in Media: Analyzing Humorous Portrayals of Different Cultures
  • Humor as a Cultural Connector: Using Laughter to Foster Understanding
  • Cross-Cultural Stand-Up: Uniting Audiences with Diverse Comedy
  • The Art of Cultural Parodies: Celebrating and Appreciating Diversity through Satire
  • Breaking Cultural Norms with Humor: Redefining Traditions Playfully
  • Humorous Cultural Misconceptions: Dispelling Myths and Prejudices
  • Comedy and Cross-Cultural Communication: Embracing Humor in Global Interactions
  • Funny Travel Tales: Laughing at Cultural Blunders and Experiences
  • Humorous Cultural Stereotypes: Addressing Taboos with Comedy
  • Laughing with Respect: Using Humor to Honor and Appreciate Cultures
  • Cultural Humor in Everyday Life: Finding Joy in Diversity
  • Stand-Up for Cultural Awareness: Using Comedy for Positive Change
  • Cultural Comedy in the Workplace: Building Inclusive and Happy Teams

💼 Funny persuasive topics about jurisprudence

  • The Courtroom Chuckle: Using Humor in Legal Persuasion
  • Gavel Giggles: Humorous Approaches to Legal Argumentation
  • The Art of Legal Wit: How to Win Over the Jury with Laughter
  • Humor in Law School: Surviving the Rigors with a Smile
  • Funny Legal Language: Unraveling the Quirky Side of Legalese
  • Laughing at the Law: A Comedic Exploration of Legal Cases
  • Humorous Legal Precedents: Unusual Rulings and Courtroom Tales
  • The Power of Legal Satire: Addressing Legal Issues with Comedy
  • Courtroom Comedy: Entertaining While Making a Case
  • The Jokes of Justice: Humor in Legal Practice and Advocacy
  • Wit and Wisdom in Legal Writing: Injecting Humor into Briefs
  • Hilarious Deposition Moments: Finding Laughter in Serious Situations
  • Stand-Up for Justice: Using Comedy to Raise Legal Awareness
  • The Comedy of Contracts: Unusual and Amusing Legal Agreements
  • Lawyers with Laughs: Celebrating Funny Legal Professionals
  • Humorous Courtroom Quips: Funny Quotes and Anecdotes from Trials
  • Legal Roast and Toast: Honoring Legal Professionals with Humor
  • Law and Order Chuckles: How Comedy Can Influence Legal Reforms
  • Legal Parodies and Pranks: Exploring the Lighter Side of Jurisprudence
  • Hilarity in the Halls of Justice: Using Humor for Effective Legal Communication

Funny and compelling relationship topics for your talk

  • The Hilarious Side of Dating: Navigating Awkward Encounters with Humor
  • The Comedy of Relationship Quirks: Finding Laughter in Love
  • Couple's Comedy Night: Using Humor to Strengthen Relationship Bonds
  • Laughing Through Relationship Challenges: How Comedy Can Ease Tensions
  • Relationship Roast and Toast: Celebrating Love with Lightheartedness
  • Love and Laughter: Embracing Humor in Intimate Relationships
  • Funny Relationship Advice: Unconventional Tips for a Happy Partnership
  • Stand-Up for Love: Using Comedy to Communicate and Connect in Relationships
  • The Art of Relationship Satire: Playfully Addressing Common Couple Issues
  • Couples' Comedy Retreat: Building Stronger Bonds with Humorous Activities
  • Humorous Love Letters: Adding Fun to Romantic Communication
  • Relationship Pranks and Jokes: Fostering Playfulness in Love
  • The Joy of Inside Jokes: Creating a World of Laughter in Relationships
  • Funny Apologies in Relationships: Making Amends with Humor
  • Humor in Long-Distance Relationships: Keeping Love Alive with Laughter
  • The Comedy of Marriage: Exploring the Lighter Side of Matrimony
  • Relationship Comedy Nights: Entertaining and Educating for a Stronger Connection
  • Laughing with Your Partner: The Benefits of Shared Humor in Relationships
  • Relationship Spoofs and Parodies: Celebrating Love with Playful Imitations
  • Funny Relationship Confessions: Embracing Imperfections in Love

Funny Persuasive Food Themes

  • Food Funnies: Using Humor to Spice Up Your Culinary Persuasion
  • Laughing at Food Trends: Exploring the Quirky Side of Gastronomy
  • The Comedy of Cooking: Finding Humor in Kitchen Mishaps
  • Stand-Up for Foodies: Using Comedy to Celebrate Culinary Adventures
  • The Hilarity of Food Etiquette: Embracing Table Manners with a Smile
  • Food Pranks and Jokes: Playful Culinary Shenanigans
  • Humorous Food Critiques: Reviewing Meals with a Dash of Wit
  • The Comedy of Food History: Unearthing Funny Culinary Anecdotes
  • Funny Food Pairings: Unexpected and Amusing Flavors
  • Cooking with Laughter: Incorporating Humor in Culinary Education
  • LOL for Foodies: Celebrating the Joy of Eating with Humor
  • Food Satire and Spoofs: Exploring the Lighter Side of Culinary Culture
  • The Art of Food Puns: Wordplay in the World of Gastronomy
  • Food Roast and Toast: Honoring Delicious Dishes with Humor
  • The Joy of Food Cartoons: Bringing Culinary Comedy to Life
  • Cooking Comedy Night: Entertaining and Educating through Culinary Humor
  • Humorous Food Challenges: Laughter in Culinary Competitions
  • Foodie Fails and Bloopers: Embracing Kitchen Mishaps with a Smile
  • The Funny Side of Food Advertising: Creative and Hilarious Marketing
  • Kitchen Stand-Up: Using Comedy to Spice Up Cooking Shows

📒 Tips for Making Your Speech or Writing Funny

Humor is a powerful tool that can captivate an audience and leave a lasting impression. Whether you're delivering a speech or writing an article, injecting humor can add charm and engage your readers or listeners. Here are some valuable tips to help you infuse humor into your speech or writing effectively:

  • Know Your Audience: Understand the preferences and feelings of your audience. Adjust your humor to resonate with them and avoid potentially offensive jokes. It is logical that the structure of your report will be different in different situations. If you need to come up with funny persuasive speech topics for college students, then you should choose topics that students are interested in and that will be popular among young people. If you are preparing topics for discussion with research associates, there should be much less humor before.
  • Use Personal Anecdotes: Share funny and intimate personal stories that are related to your topic. Authenticity can make your humor more appealing. And then the ideas of how to start an essay funny will come to you quite easily.
  • Wordplay and Puns: Incorporate clever wordplay and puns to add a witty touch to your content. Play with language to elicit laughter.
  • Timing is Key: Master the art of comedic timing. Pause before delivering the punchline to build anticipation and maximize the impact.
  • Embrace Observational Humor: Find humor in everyday situations and observations. This type of humor is relatable and can easily connect with your audience.
  • Exaggeration and Hyperbole: Playfully exaggerate situations or characters to create humor. However, ensure it remains within a reasonable and believable context.
  • Relieve Tension: Use humor to lighten serious topics or tense moments. It can ease the atmosphere and make your audience more receptive.
  • Incorporate Visuals: If possible, use visuals, such as funny images or gifs, to complement your humor and enhance the comedic effect.
  • Practice Delivery: Rehearse your speech or read your article out loud to gauge the flow of humor and make necessary adjustments.
  • Be Yourself: Embrace your unique sense of humor. Authenticity can make your humor more genuine and endearing.
  • Use Callbacks: Reference earlier jokes or anecdotes to create callbacks that bring added humor to your content.
  • Avoid Offending: Steer clear of offensive humor or jokes that may alienate your audience. Aim for inclusive and lighthearted humor.
  • Research Comedy: Study the work of comedians and writers known for their humor. Analyze their techniques and incorporate them into your style.
  • Test the Waters: If you're unsure about a joke's reception, try it out with a small, trusted audience to gauge their reaction.
  • Edit and Refine: Polish your speech or article to ensure the humor flows naturally and aligns with your overall message.

By following these tips, you can bring humor to your speech or writing, captivating your audience and leaving them with a smile. Who knows, maybe after that your colleagues will turn to you for advice, asking you how to start writing funny essay examples. Remember that humor is a powerful tool that can make your content more memorable and impactful. So, enjoy the laughter and watch your audience take your message in a whole new way!

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Should You Be Funny In Your College Essay + Examples

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What’s Covered:

Why are college essays important, should you be funny in your college essay, tips for adding humor to your college essays, essay examples, how to make sure your humor is effective.

College essays are an important part of your application profile. They humanize you and provide you with the opportunity to prove that you’re an interesting individual beyond your grades and test scores. 

Some ways students humanize themselves include reflecting on their values, clueing readers into their backstory, showing off their personalities, or any combination of these. 

One question that may come up with regards to showing off your personality is: can I be funny in my college essay?

Read along to hear our expert opinion on the subject and tips for writing a funny essay, the right way. You can also check out a few examples of essays that have successfully included humor to give you a good idea of what’s appropriate for your writing.

To put it simply, college essays are needed because top colleges have lots of qualified candidates and, to get accepted, you need to stand out. It is estimated that, at top schools, there are at least four academically-qualified applicants for every open spot. This means that students hoping to gain admission to top schools must supplement outstanding grades with other outstanding qualities.

Ways to make yourself stand out include extracurriculars, recommendations and interviews, and essays. At the nation’s top schools, reports tell us that these non-academic factors are weighted respectively as accounting for 30%, 10%, and 25% of your overall admissions chances. The fact that essays account for 25% of your admissions chances means that they could be your key to acceptance at your dream school.

If you are interested in the specific factors that determine how important essays are for individual candidates at individual schools, check out this post .

Essays are heavily weighted in the admissions process because they are the only place where admissions officers get to hear directly from you. An individual’s voice says a lot about them—how mature they are, how comfortable they are with their experiences, and even how likable they are. These are important factors for admissions officers who are trying to see how you would fit in on their campus!

The gist of our answer: if your personality is funny, feel free to be funny! As we’ve said, an important opportunity provided to you by the college essay is the opportunity to show your personality. Humor, if done correctly, can be an important part of that.

That said, if you are only attempting humor because you think it is what admissions officers want to hear or because you think it will help you stand out, abandon ship and find a way to shape your essay that is true to your personality. Try writing down how you view your personality or ask friends and family for adjectives that describe your personality, then show that personality through your voice. It will be more natural this way!

Some elements of personality that could define your voice, if humor isn’t for you:

  • Thoughtful/reflective
  • Extroverted/social
  • Charismatic
  • Clever/witty
  • Honest/authentic
  • Considerate
  • Practical/rational

Additionally, if you cannot follow some basic guidelines (listed below) for how to incorporate humor into your essay, you might want to change your course.

1. Be Appropriate

First things first: be appropriate. Humor is, of course, subjective, but make sure your subject matter would be considered appropriate by absolutely anyone reading it. Think about the most traditional person you know and make sure they would be okay with it. No jokes about sex, drugs, lying, crimes, or anything inappropriate—even if the joke is “obviously” against the inappropriate thing you are mentioning.

2. Don’t Be Overly Informal

You want your essay to position you as mature and intelligent, and the way you control language is a sign of maturity and intellect. That said, lots of humor—particularly the humor of young people and internet humor—are based on informality, intentional grammatical errors, and slang. These types of humor, while arguably funny, should be excluded from college essays!

As you write, remember that you know nothing about your admissions officer. Of course, you do not know their age, race, or gender, but you also don’t know their sense of humor. The last thing you want to do is make a joke with an intentional grammatical error and be perceived as unintelligent or make a joke with slang that confuses your reader and makes them think you don’t have a firm grasp of the English language.

3. Avoid Appearing Disrespectful or Inconsiderate

Humor often involves making fun of someone or something. It is very important that you do not make fun of the wrong things! In the last example, the student made fun of themself and their failed cooking experience. That is totally acceptable.

Things that you should not make fun of:

  • Other people (particularly those in positions of authority)
  • Political ideas
  • Religious ideas
  • Anything involving ethics, morals, or values

When you make fun of others, you risk sounding cold or unsympathetic. Admissions officers want to admit candidates who are mature and understand that they can never understand the struggles of others. That means you shouldn’t make a cutting joke about your old boss or an unintelligent politician who was running for your city mayor, even if they are the villain in your anecdote.

Similarly, avoid jokes about types of people. Avoid stereotypes in your jokes. 

In general, it is hard to write a humorous essay about a controversial subject. Controversial issues are typically issues that require deep thought and conversation, so if you intend to engage with them, you should consider a more reflective approach, or consider integrating reflection with your humor.

Here is an example of a student successfully poking fun at themself with their humor, while alluding to controversy:

My teenage rebellion started at age twelve. Though not yet technically a teenager, I dedicated myself to the cause: I wore tee shirts with bands on them that made my parents cringe, shopped exclusively at stores with eyebrow-pierced employees, and met every comforting idea the world offered me with hostility. Darkness was in my soul! Happiness was a construct meant for sheep! Optimism was for fools! My cynicism was a product of a world that gave birth to the War in Afghanistan around the same time it gave birth to me, that shot and killed my peers in school, that irreversibly melted ice caps and polluted oceans and destroyed forests. 

I was angry. I fought with my parents, my peers, and strangers. It was me versus the world. 

However, there’s a fundamental flaw in perpetual antagonism: it’s exhausting. My personal relationships suffered as my cynicism turned friends and family into bad guys in my eyes. As I kept up the fight, I found myself always tired, emotionally and physically. The tipping point came one morning standing at the bathroom sink before school.

This student engages with controversial subject matter, but the humorous parts are the parts where she makes fun of herself and her beliefs— “ Darkness was in my soul! Happiness was a construct meant for sheep! Optimism was for fools!” Additionally, the student follows up their humor with reflection: “ However, there’s a fundamental flaw in perpetual antagonism: it’s exhausting. My personal relationships suffered as my cynicism turned friends and family into bad guys in my eyes.”

This student is both funny and mature, witty and reflective, and, above all, a good writer with firm control of language.

4. Don’t Force It

We have already mentioned not to force humor, but we are mentioning it again because it is very important! 

Here is an example of a student whose forced humor detracts from the point of their essay:

To say I have always remained in my comfort zone is an understatement. Did I always order chicken fingers and fries at a restaurant? Yup! Sounds like me. Did I always create a color-coded itinerary just for a day trip? Guilty as charged. Did I always carry a first-aid kit at all times? Of course! I would make even an ambulance look unprepared. And yet here I was, choosing 1,000 miles of misery from Las Vegas to Seattle despite every bone in my body telling me not to.

The sunlight blinded my eyes and a wave of nausea swept over me. Was it too late to say I forgot my calculator? It was only ten minutes in, and I was certain that the trip was going to be a disaster. I simply hoped that our pre-drive prayer was not stuck in God’s voicemail box. 

As this student attempts to characterize themself as stuck in their ways (to eventually describe how they overcame this desire for comfort), their humor feels gimmicky. They describe their preparedness in a way that comes off as inauthentic. It’s funny to imagine them carrying around a first aid kit everywhere they go, but does the reader believe it? Then, when they write “ Was it too late to say I forgot my calculator? ” they create an image of themself as that goofy, overprepared kit in a sitcom. Sitcom characters don’t feel real and the point of a college essay is to make yourself seem like a real person to admissions officers. Don’t sacrifice your essay to humor.

5. Make Sure Your Humor Is Clear

Humor is subjective, so run your essay by people—lots and lots of people—to see if they are confused, offended, or distracted. Ask people to read your essay for content and see if they mention the humor (positively or negatively), but also specifically ask people what they think about the humor. Peer feedback is always important but becomes particularly useful when attempting a humorous essay.

Essay Example #1

Prompt: Tell us an interesting or amusing story about yourself from your high school years. (350 words)

Cooking is one of those activities at which people are either extremely talented or completely inept. Personally, I’ve found that I fall right in the middle, with neither prodigal nor abhorrent talents. After all, it’s just following instructions, right? Unfortunately, one disastrous night in my kitchen has me questioning that logic.

The task was simple enough: cook a turkey stir fry. In theory, it’s an extremely simple dish. However, almost immediately, things went awry. While I was cutting onions, I absentmindedly rubbed at my eyes and smeared my mascara. (Keep this in mind; it’ll come into play later.) I then proceeded to add the raw turkey to the vegetable pot. Now, as any good chef knows, this means that either the vegetables will burn or the turkey will be raw. I am admittedly not a good chef.

After a taste test, I decided to take a page out of the Spice Girls’ book and “spice up my life”, adding some red chili paste. This was my fatal mistake. The bottle spilled everywhere. Pot, counter, floor, I mean everywhere . While trying to clean up the mess, my hands ended up covered in sauce.

Foolishly, I decided to taste my ruined meal anyway. My tongue felt like it was on fire and I sprinted to the bathroom to rinse my mouth. I looked in the mirror and, noticing the raccoon eyes formed by my mascara, grabbed a tissue. What I had neglected to realize was that chili paste had transferred to the tissue—the tissue which I was using to wipe my eyes. I don’t know if you’ve ever put chili paste anywhere near your eyes, but here’s a word of advice: don’t. Seriously, don’t .

I fumbled blindly for the sink handle, mouth still on fire, eyes burning, presumably looking like a character out of a Tim Burton film. After I rinsed my face, I sat down and stared at my bowl of still-too-spicy and probably-somewhat-raw stir fry, wondering what ancient god had decided to take their anger out on me that night, and hoping I would never incur their wrath ever again.

What the Essay Did Well

This essay is an excellent example of how to successfully execute humor. The student’s informal tone helps to bridge the gap between them and the reader, making us feel like we are sitting across the table from them and laughing along. Speaking directly to the reader in sentences like, “ Keep this in mind; it’ll come into play later, ” and “ I don’t know if you’ve ever put chili paste anywhere near your eyes, but here’s a word of advice: don’t. Seriously, don’t,”  is a great tactic to downplay the formality of the essay.

The student’s humor comes through phrases like “ Now, as any good chef knows, this means that either the vegetables will burn or the turkey will be raw. I am admittedly not a good chef.” As this student plays on the common structure of “As any good (insert profession here) knows,” then subverts expectations, they make an easy-to-understand, casual but not flippant joke.

Similarly, the sentence “ I decided to take a page out of the Spice Girls’ book ,” reads in a light-hearted, funny tone. And, importantly, even if a reader had no idea who the Spice Girls were, they would recognize this as a pop-culture joke and would not be confused or lost in any way. The phrase “ raccoon eyes”  is another humorous inclusion—even if the reader doesn’t know what it’s like to rub their eyes while wearing mascara they can picture the rings around a raccoon and imagine the spectacle.

As you can see from this essay, humor works well when you engage universal and inoffensive concepts in ways that are casual enough to be funny, but still comprehensible.

Essay Example #2

Prompt: Due to a series of clerical errors, there is exactly one typo (an extra letter, a removed letter, or an altered letter) in the name of every department at the University of Chicago. Oops! Describe your new intended major. Why are you interested in it and what courses or areas of focus within it might you want to explore? Potential options include Commuter Science, Bromance Languages and Literatures, Pundamentals: Issues and Texts, Ant History… a full list of unmodified majors ready for your editor’s eye is available here. —Inspired by Josh Kaufman, AB’18

When I shared the video of me eating fried insects in Thailand, my friends were seriously offended. Some stopped talking to me, while the rest thought I had lost my mind and recommended me the names of a few psychologists. 

A major in Gastrophysics at UChicago is not for the faint hearted. You have to have a stomach for it! I do hope I am accepted to it as it is the only University in the U.S. with this unique major. My passion for trying unique food such as fish eye has made me want to understand the complexities of how it affects our digestive system. I understand that Gastrophysics started with a big pang of food, which quickly expanded to famish. Bite years are used to measure the amount of food ingested. I look forward to asking, “How many bite years can the stomach hold?” and “How do different enzymes react with the farticles?” 

Gastrophysics truly unravels the physics of food. At UChicago I will understand the intricacies of what time to eat, how to eat and how food will be digested. Do we need to take antiparticle acid if we feel acidity is becoming a matter of concern? At what angle should the mouth be, for the best possible tasting experience? When I tried crocodile meat, I found that at a 0 degree tilt, it tasted like fish and chicken at the same time. But the same tasted more like fish at a negative angle and like chicken at a positive angle. I want to unravel these mysteries in a class by Professor Daniel Holz in gravitational gastrophysics, understanding the unseen strong and weak forces at play which attract food to our stomachs. 

I find that Gastrophysics is also important for fastronomy. I want to learn the physics of fasting. How should we fast? Hubble bubble is a good chewing gum; an appetite suppressant in case you feel pangs of hunger. I have read how the UChicago Fastronauts are stepping up to test uncharted territories. Intermittent fasting is a new method being researched, and UChicago offers the opportunity for furthering this research. Which is better: fasting for 16 hours and eating for 8, or fasting for 24 hours twice a week? It is just one of the problems that UChicago offers a chance to solve. 

I can also study the new branch it offers that uses farticle physics. It is the science of tracking farticles and how they interact with each other and chemicals in the stomach space. It could give rise to supernovae explosions, turning people into gas giants. It would also teach about the best ways to expel gas and clean the system and prevent stomach space expansion. 

I want to take Fluid dynamics 101, another important course in Gastrophysics; teaching about the importance of water and other fluids in the body, and the most important question: what happens if you try to drink superfluids? 

I hope to do interdisciplinary courses with observational gastrophysicists and work with environmental science majors to track how much methane is given by the human and animal gastrointestinal tract in the atmosphere and how much it contributes to the global climate change. I believe, with the help of courses in date science, they have been able to keep a track of how much methane is entering each day, and they found that during Dec 24-Jan 3 period, a spike in the methane and ethane levels could be seen. Accordingly, algorithms are being programmed to predict the changes all year round. I would love to use my strong mathematical background to explore these algorithms. 

These courses are specially designed by the distinguished faculty of UChicago. Doing interdisciplinary research in collaboration with biological science students to determine what aliens may eat, with fart historians to know more about the intestinal structure of medieval Italians, Japanese, Chinese, Swedish and French people to better their lives is what I look forward to. The Paris study abroad program is an immersion course into fastronomy, where I will have the opportunity to test my self-control with all the amazing French food and desserts around! 

My stomach rumbles now, so I am going out to try out new food – hopefully it will be in Chicago a few months later. 

This is a fun essay! This student’s voice is present and their goofy personality is especially evident. Not only did they change the name of their major, but this student incorporated word play throughout the essay to showcase their imagination. Phrases like “ the big pang of food ”, “ bite years ”, “ fastronauts ”, and “ farticle physics ” keep the tone lighthearted and amusing.

Incorporating this style of humor takes a lot of creativity to be able to still convey your main idea while also earning a chuckle from your readers. While some jokes are a bit more low-brow—” farticles ” or “ fart historians ” for example—they are balanced out by some that are more clever and require a bit of thinking to get the A-ha moment (referencing the Hubble telescope as “ Hubble bubble chewing gum “). You might not feel comfortable including less sophisticated jokes in your essay at all, but if you do want to go down that path, having more intellectual sources of humor is important to provide balance.

Another positive of the essay is the continued thread of humor throughout. Sometimes humor is used as a tool in the introduction and abandoned in favor of practical information about the student. This essay manages to tell us about the student and their interests without sacrificing the laugh factor. Weaving humor throughout the essay like this makes the humor feel more genuine and helps us better understand this student’s personality.  

Essay Example #3

Prompt:   Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more? (650 words)

Scalding hot water cascades over me, crashing to the ground in a familiar, soothing rhythm. Steam rises to the ceiling as dried sweat and soap suds swirl down the drain. The water hisses as it hits my skin, far above the safe temperature for a shower. The pressure is perfect on my tired muscles, easing the aches and bruises from a rough bout of sparring and the tension from a long, stressful day. The noise from my overactive mind dies away, fading into music, lyrics floating through my head. Black streaks stripe the inside of my left arm, remnants of the penned reminders of homework, money owed and forms due. 

It lacks the same dynamism and controlled intensity of sparring on the mat at taekwondo or the warm tenderness of a tight hug from my father, but it’s still a cocoon of safety as the water washes away the day’s burdens. As long as the hot water is running, the rest of the world ceases to exist, shrinking to me, myself and I. The shower curtain closes me off from the hectic world spinning around me. 

Much like the baths of Blanche DuBois, my hot showers are a means of cleansing and purifying (though I’m mostly just ridding myself of the germs from children at work sneezing on me). In the midst of a hot shower, there is no impending exam to study for, no newspaper deadline to meet, no paycheck to deposit. It is simply complete and utter peace, a safe haven. The steam clears my mind even as it clouds my mirror. 

Creativity thrives in the tub, breathing life into tales of dragons and warrior princesses that evolve only in my head, never making their way to paper but appeasing the childlike dreamer and wannabe author in me all the same. That one calculus problem that has seemed unsolvable since second period clicks into place as I realize the obvious solution. The perfect concluding sentence to my literary analysis essay writes itself (causing me to abruptly end my shower in a mad dash to the computer before I forget it entirely).  

Ever since I was old enough to start taking showers unaided, I began hogging all the hot water in the house, a source of great frustration to my parents. Many of my early showers were rudely cut short by an unholy banging on the bathroom door and an order to “stop wasting water and come eat dinner before it gets cold.” After a decade of trudging up the stairs every evening to put an end to my water-wasting, my parents finally gave in, leaving me to my (expensive) showers. I imagine someday, when paying the water bill is in my hands, my showers will be shorter, but today is not that day (nor, hopefully, will the next four years be that day). 

Showers are better than any ibuprofen, the perfect panacea for life’s daily ailments. Headaches magically disappear as long as the water runs, though they typically return in full force afterward. The runny nose and itchy eyes courtesy of summertime allergies recede. Showers alleviate even the stomachache from a guacamole-induced lack of self-control. 

Honestly though, the best part about a hot shower is neither its medicinal abilities nor its blissful temporary isolation or even the heavenly warmth seeped deep into my bones. The best part is that these little moments of pure, uninhibited contentedness are a daily occurrence. No matter how stressful the day, showers ensure I always have something to look forward to. They are small moments, true, but important nonetheless, because it is the little things in life that matter; the big moments are too rare, too fleeting to make anyone truly happy. Wherever I am in the world, whatever fate chooses to throw at me, I know I can always find my peace at the end of the day behind the shower curtain.

While the humor in this essay isn’t as direct as the others, the subtle inclusion of little phrases in parentheses throughout the essay bring some comedy without feeling overbearing. 

The contrast of elegant and posh Blanche DuBois and “ germs from children at work sneezing on me ” paints an ironic picture that you can’t help but laugh at. The ability to describe universal experiences also brings a level of humor to the essay. For example, the reader might laugh at the line, “ abruptly end my shower in a mad dash to the computer before I forget it entirely,”  because it brings to mind moments when they have done the same.

This student also achieves a humorous tone by poking fun at themselves. Admitting that they were “ hogging all the hot water, ” leading to “ (expensive) showers, ” as well as describing their stomachache as a “ guacamole-induced lack of self-control, ” keeps the tone casual and easy-going. Everybody has their flaws, and in this case long showers and guacamole are the downfall of this student.

While the tips and tricks we’ve given you will be extremely helpful when writing, it’s often not that simple. Feedback is ultimately any writer’s best source of improvement—especially when it comes to an element like humor which, naturally, can be hit-or-miss! 

To get your college essay edited for free, use our Peer Review Essay Tool . With this tool, other students can tell you if your humor is effective/appropriate and help you improve your essay so that you can have the best chances of admission to your dream schools.

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, 113 perfect persuasive essay topics for any assignment.

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Do you need to write a persuasive essay but aren’t sure what topic to focus on? Were you thrilled when your teacher said you could write about whatever you wanted but are now overwhelmed by the possibilities? We’re here to help!

Read on for a list of 113 top-notch persuasive essay topics, organized into ten categories. To help get you started, we also discuss what a persuasive essay is, how to choose a great topic, and what tips to keep in mind as you write your persuasive essay.

What Is a Persuasive Essay?

In a persuasive essay, you attempt to convince readers to agree with your point of view on an argument. For example, an essay analyzing changes in Italian art during the Renaissance wouldn’t be a persuasive essay, because there’s no argument, but an essay where you argue that Italian art reached its peak during the Renaissance would be a persuasive essay because you’re trying to get your audience to agree with your viewpoint.

Persuasive and argumentative essays both try to convince readers to agree with the author, but the two essay types have key differences. Argumentative essays show a more balanced view of the issue and discuss both sides. Persuasive essays focus more heavily on the side the author agrees with. They also often include more of the author’s opinion than argumentative essays, which tend to use only facts and data to support their argument.

All persuasive essays have the following:

  • Introduction: Introduces the topic, explains why it’s important, and ends with the thesis.
  • Thesis: A sentence that sums up what the essay be discussing and what your stance on the issue is.
  • Reasons you believe your side of the argument: Why do you support the side you do? Typically each main point will have its own body paragraph.
  • Evidence supporting your argument: Facts or examples to back up your main points. Even though your opinion is allowed in persuasive essays more than most other essays, having concrete examples will make a stronger argument than relying on your opinion alone.
  • Conclusion: Restatement of thesis, summary of main points, and a recap of why the issue is important.

What Makes a Good Persuasive Essay Topic?

Theoretically, you could write a persuasive essay about any subject under the sun, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you should. Certain topics are easier to write a strong persuasive essay on, and below are tips to follow when deciding what you should write about.

It’s a Topic You Care About

Obviously, it’s possible to write an essay about a topic you find completely boring. You’ve probably done it! However, if possible, it’s always better to choose a topic that you care about and are interested in. When this is the case, you’ll find doing the research more enjoyable, writing the essay easier, and your writing will likely be better because you’ll be more passionate about and informed on the topic.

You Have Enough Evidence to Support Your Argument

Just being passionate about a subject isn’t enough to make it a good persuasive essay topic, though. You need to make sure your argument is complex enough to have at least two potential sides to root for, and you need to be able to back up your side with evidence and examples. Even though persuasive essays allow your opinion to feature more than many other essays, you still need concrete evidence to back up your claims, or you’ll end up with a weak essay.

For example, you may passionately believe that mint chocolate chip ice cream is the best ice cream flavor (I agree!), but could you really write an entire essay on this? What would be your reasons for believing mint chocolate chip is the best (besides the fact that it’s delicious)? How would you support your belief? Have enough studies been done on preferred ice cream flavors to support an entire essay? When choosing a persuasive essay idea, you want to find the right balance between something you care about (so you can write well on it) and something the rest of the world cares about (so you can reference evidence to strengthen your position).

It’s a Manageable Topic

Bigger isn’t always better, especially with essay topics. While it may seem like a great idea to choose a huge, complex topic to write about, you’ll likely struggle to sift through all the information and different sides of the issue and winnow them down to one streamlined essay. For example, choosing to write an essay about how WWII impacted American life more than WWI wouldn’t be a great idea because you’d need to analyze all the impacts of both the wars in numerous areas of American life. It’d be a huge undertaking. A better idea would be to choose one impact on American life the wars had (such as changes in female employment) and focus on that. Doing so will make researching and writing your persuasive essay much more feasible.

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List of 113 Good Persuasive Essay Topics

Below are over 100 persuasive essay ideas, organized into ten categories. When you find an idea that piques your interest, you’ll choose one side of it to argue for in your essay. For example, if you choose the topic, “should fracking be legal?” you’d decide whether you believe fracking should be legal or illegal, then you’d write an essay arguing all the reasons why your audience should agree with you.

Arts/Culture

  • Should students be required to learn an instrument in school?
  • Did the end of Game of Thrones fit with the rest of the series?
  • Can music be an effective way to treat mental illness?
  • With e-readers so popular, have libraries become obsolete?
  • Are the Harry Potter books more popular than they deserve to be?
  • Should music with offensive language come with a warning label?
  • What’s the best way for museums to get more people to visit?
  • Should students be able to substitute an art or music class for a PE class in school?
  • Are the Kardashians good or bad role models for young people?
  • Should people in higher income brackets pay more taxes?
  • Should all high school students be required to take a class on financial literacy?
  • Is it possible to achieve the American dream, or is it only a myth?
  • Is it better to spend a summer as an unpaid intern at a prestigious company or as a paid worker at a local store/restaurant?
  • Should the United States impose more or fewer tariffs?
  • Should college graduates have their student loans forgiven?
  • Should restaurants eliminate tipping and raise staff wages instead?
  • Should students learn cursive writing in school?
  • Which is more important: PE class or music class?
  • Is it better to have year-round school with shorter breaks throughout the year?
  • Should class rank be abolished in schools?
  • Should students be taught sex education in school?
  • Should students be able to attend public universities for free?
  • What’s the most effective way to change the behavior of school bullies?
  • Are the SAT and ACT accurate ways to measure intelligence?
  • Should students be able to learn sign language instead of a foreign language?
  • Do the benefits of Greek life at colleges outweigh the negatives?
  • Does doing homework actually help students learn more?
  • Why do students in many other countries score higher than American students on math exams?
  • Should parents/teachers be able to ban certain books from schools?
  • What’s the best way to reduce cheating in school?
  • Should colleges take a student’s race into account when making admissions decisions?
  • Should there be limits to free speech?
  • Should students be required to perform community service to graduate high school?
  • Should convicted felons who have completed their sentence be allowed to vote?
  • Should gun ownership be more tightly regulated?
  • Should recycling be made mandatory?
  • Should employers be required to offer paid leave to new parents?
  • Are there any circumstances where torture should be allowed?
  • Should children under the age of 18 be able to get plastic surgery for cosmetic reasons?
  • Should white supremacy groups be allowed to hold rallies in public places?
  • Does making abortion illegal make women more or less safe?
  • Does foreign aid actually help developing countries?
  • Are there times a person’s freedom of speech should be curtailed?
  • Should people over a certain age not be allowed to adopt children?

Government/Politics

  • Should the minimum voting age be raised/lowered/kept the same?
  • Should Puerto Rico be granted statehood?
  • Should the United States build a border wall with Mexico?
  • Who should be the next person printed on American banknotes?
  • Should the United States’ military budget be reduced?
  • Did China’s one child policy have overall positive or negative impacts on the country?
  • Should DREAMers be granted US citizenship?
  • Is national security more important than individual privacy?
  • What responsibility does the government have to help homeless people?
  • Should the electoral college be abolished?
  • Should the US increase or decrease the number of refugees it allows in each year?
  • Should privately-run prisons be abolished?
  • Who was the most/least effective US president?
  • Will Brexit end up helping or harming the UK?

body-sparkler-us-flag

  • What’s the best way to reduce the spread of Ebola?
  • Is the Keto diet a safe and effective way to lose weight?
  • Should the FDA regulate vitamins and supplements more strictly?
  • Should public schools require all students who attend to be vaccinated?
  • Is eating genetically modified food safe?
  • What’s the best way to make health insurance more affordable?
  • What’s the best way to lower the teen pregnancy rate?
  • Should recreational marijuana be legalized nationwide?
  • Should birth control pills be available without a prescription?
  • Should pregnant women be forbidden from buying cigarettes and alcohol?
  • Why has anxiety increased in adolescents?
  • Are low-carb or low-fat diets more effective for weight loss?
  • What caused the destruction of the USS Maine?
  • Was King Arthur a mythical legend or actual Dark Ages king?
  • Was the US justified in dropping atomic bombs during WWII?
  • What was the primary cause of the Rwandan genocide?
  • What happened to the settlers of the Roanoke colony?
  • Was disagreement over slavery the primary cause of the US Civil War?
  • What has caused the numerous disappearances in the Bermuda triangle?
  • Should nuclear power be banned?
  • Is scientific testing on animals necessary?
  • Do zoos help or harm animals?
  • Should scientists be allowed to clone humans?
  • Should animals in circuses be banned?
  • Should fracking be legal?
  • Should people be allowed to keep exotic animals as pets?
  • What’s the best way to reduce illegal poaching in Africa?
  • What is the best way to reduce the impact of global warming?
  • Should euthanasia be legalized?
  • Is there legitimate evidence of extraterrestrial life?
  • Should people be banned from owning aggressive dog breeds?
  • Should the United States devote more money towards space exploration?
  • Should the government subsidize renewable forms of energy?
  • Is solar energy worth the cost?
  • Should stem cells be used in medicine?
  • Is it right for the US to leave the Paris Climate Agreement?
  • Should athletes who fail a drug test receive a lifetime ban from the sport?
  • Should college athletes receive a salary?
  • Should the NFL do more to prevent concussions in players?
  • Do PE classes help students stay in shape?
  • Should horse racing be banned?
  • Should cheerleading be considered a sport?
  • Should children younger than 18 be allowed to play tackle football?
  • Are the costs of hosting an Olympic Games worth it?
  • Can online schools be as effective as traditional schools?
  • Do violent video games encourage players to be violent in real life?
  • Should facial recognition technology be banned?
  • Does excessive social media use lead to depression/anxiety?
  • Has the rise of translation technology made knowing multiple languages obsolete?
  • Was Steve Jobs a visionary or just a great marketer?
  • Should social media be banned for children younger than a certain age?
  • Which 21st-century invention has had the largest impact on society?
  • Are ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft good or bad for society?
  • Should Facebook have done more to protect the privacy of its users?
  • Will technology end up increasing or decreasing inequality worldwide?

feature_information_technology

Tips for Writing a Strong Persuasive Essay

After you’ve chosen the perfect topic for your persuasive essay, your work isn’t over. Follow the three tips below to create a top-notch essay.

Do Your Research

Your argument will fall apart if you don’t fully understand the issue you’re discussing or you overlook an important piece of it. Readers won’t be convinced by someone who doesn’t know the subject, and you likely won’t persuade any of them to begin supporting your viewpoint. Before you begin writing a single word of your essay, research your topic thoroughly. Study different sources, learn about the different sides of the argument, ask anyone who’s an expert on the topic what their opinion is, etc. You might be tempted to start writing right away, but by doing your research, you’ll make the writing process much easier when the time comes.

Make Your Thesis Perfect

Your thesis is the most important sentence in your persuasive essay. Just by reading that single sentence, your audience should know exactly what topic you’ll be discussing and where you stand on the issue. You want your thesis to be crystal clear and to accurately set up the rest of your essay. Asking classmates or your teacher to look it over before you begin writing the rest of your essay can be a big help if you’re not entirely confident in your thesis.

Consider the Other Side

You’ll spend most of your essay focusing on your side of the argument since that’s what you want readers to come away believing. However, don’t think that means you can ignore other sides of the issue. In your essay, be sure to discuss the other side’s argument, as well as why you believe this view is weak or untrue. Researching all the different viewpoints and including them in your essay will increase the quality of your writing by making your essay more complete and nuanced.

Summary: Persuasive Essay Ideas

Good persuasive essay topics can be difficult to come up with, but in this guide we’ve created a list of 113 excellent essay topics for you to browse. The best persuasive essay ideas will be those that you are interested in, have enough evidence to support your argument, and aren’t too complicated to be summarized in an essay.

After you’ve chosen your essay topic, keep these three tips in mind when you begin writing:

  • Do your research
  • Make your thesis perfect
  • Consider the other side

What's Next?

Need ideas for a research paper topic as well? Our guide to research paper topics has over 100 topics in ten categories so you can be sure to find the perfect topic for you.

Thinking about taking an AP English class? Read our guide on AP English classes to learn whether you should take AP English Language or AP English Literature (or both!)

Deciding between the SAT or ACT? Find out for sure which you will do the best on . Also read a detailed comparison between the two tests .

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Christine graduated from Michigan State University with degrees in Environmental Biology and Geography and received her Master's from Duke University. In high school she scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT and was named a National Merit Finalist. She has taught English and biology in several countries.

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130 New Prompts for Argumentative Writing

Questions on everything from mental health and sports to video games and dating. Which ones inspire you to take a stand?

have fun essay

By The Learning Network

Note: We have an updated version of this list, with 300 new argumentative writing prompts .

What issues do you care most about? What topics do you find yourself discussing passionately, whether online, at the dinner table, in the classroom or with your friends?

In Unit 5 of our free yearlong writing curriculum and related Student Editorial Contest , we invite students to research and write about the issues that matter to them, whether that’s Shakespeare , health care , standardized testing or being messy .

But with so many possibilities, where does one even begin? Try our student writing prompts.

In 2017, we compiled a list of 401 argumentative writing prompts , all drawn from our daily Student Opinion column . Now, we’re rounding up 130 more we’ve published since then ( available here as a PDF ). Each prompt links to a free Times article as well as additional subquestions that can help you think more deeply about it.

You might use this list to inspire your own writing and to find links to reliable resources about the issues that intrigue you. But even if you’re not participating in our contest, you can use these prompts to practice the kind of low-stakes writing that can help you hone your argumentation skills.

So scroll through the list below with questions on everything from sports and mental health to dating and video games and see which ones inspire you to take a stand.

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201 Interesting & Fun Essay Topics for Students [UPD 2024]

have fun essay

Looking for unique essay topics to spark your interest and impress your tutors? Who said that academic writing could not be fun? Choose an interesting essay topic, and you will start enjoying it. You will surely find some topics matching your interests among these top 146 best essay topics.

In this article, you’ll find out:

  • What is an interesting essay topic?
  • How to choose good topics to write about for an essay?
  • 146 captivating essay topics that will inspire you!
  • 📋 What Is an Interesting Topic?
  • 💡 Interesting Things for an Essay
  • 🖊️ Good Topics
  • 👻 Fun Topics
  • 💭 Thought-provoking Topics
  • ➕ Other Interesting Topics
  • ✍️ Proposal Topics
  • ✔️ Possible Mistakes

🔗 References

📋 what is an interesting essay topic.

You might be wondering how to define what topic can be called ‘interesting.’ When choosing a topic for your essay, use these tips to understand whether you should pick a particular topic.

  • Choose a topic that interests you. It is essential, as you might spend quite some time researching, thinking, and writing about it. When you’re truly passionate about your essay topic, you’re more likely to succeed. Also, keep in mind that readers will definitely feel if you enjoyed the writing process.
  • Pay attention to the formulation of your topic. It might be challenging to formulate a good topic. It shouldn’t be too broad and, at the same time, too narrow.

have fun essay

Let’s have a look at one example:

Good Topic Bad Topic
This topic is well formulated, as it is narrow enough. A reader understands what the essay is about. The topic is too broad. It is unclear what the essay is about. A more detailed focus is needed.
  • If you’re still unsure what topic you should pick, get inspired with our list!

💡 Interesting Topics to Write an Essay About

Here is a list of interesting essay topics for students who like to write about debatable issues and are always taking sides in disputes.

Each of these topics provokes everyone to join the discussion—and may start debates that last for an hour or more! With such exciting topics, people are captivated to read your essays, whether the essay topic is persuasive or not, and offer their ideas to support or contradict your point of view.

  • Extreme sports . Is adrenaline worth the risk?
  • Sciences . Is genetic engineering the answer to ending global hunger?
  • Justice . If athletes cannot use steroids, is it fair for models to use Photoshop?
  • Philosophy . Philosophical issue: Should abortion be legal?
  • Social standards . Do all people need to be of the same size, and does beauty need any standards?
  • Family, life, & experiences. How to put a baby to bed?
  • Gaming . If there are video game competitions, can gaming be regarded as a sport?
  • History . Was Korean War a Civil War or an International War?
  • Social networks. Do they improve communication skills or reduce social activity in the real world?
  • Psychology. Should children be punished?
  • Schools . Should phones and social media be banned in classrooms?
  • Family psychology . Are women better parents than men?
  • Education . Nature versus nurture – what wins?
  • Entertainment & Media . Social media marketing for generation Y.
  • Genetics and crime . Can “bad” genes be an excuse for divorce and crime?
  • Behavior studies . Do violent video games cause behavior problems?
  • Social studies. Does money determine success?
  • Politics & Government. Marijuana legalization: It’s time to make it.
  • Sociology. Should marijuana be legalized?
  • Culture. What is cultural pluralism?

🖊️ Good Essay Topics to Boost Your Creativity 

Here are another ten essay topics to practice in university – working with such texts is a pleasure. They are perfect for sharpening your imaginative thinking and persuasive skills, and they are captivating enough to discuss with friends or relatives. Let’s go!

  • The games people play and the masks they wear: Sincerity versus politeness.
  • Is it ethical to advertise products to children?
  • Is it acceptable to use white lies in advertisements?
  • Environmental pollution is a global problem. Should everyone make a small contribution to the struggle against it?
  • Is one volunteer really worth ten pressed men? How can motivation improve outcomes?
  • What do you think of “Calvin Klein”? Is fashion more important than individuality?
  • Is there a problem of a generation gap in modern families?
  • Should children follow in their parent’s footsteps?
  • Zoos claim to contribute to the conservation of species. Can a zoo be a better habitat for a giraffe than a savanna?
  • Should people keep pets? Do companion animals feel comfortable in homes?

👻 Fun Essay Topics

Sometimes you might like to write just for your own pleasure or to share some fun facts with your classmates. We’re here to help with ideas! Have a look at these fun essay topics.

  • Why do the worst students often become famous and successful?
  • The perfect plan to lose all friends.
  • What would happen if animals ruled the world?
  • What are animals thinking about?
  • How to ask people for money?
  • Why do all elderly people need to attend computer courses?
  • Why should parents sign contracts with their children?
  • Why is it a good idea to refuse to count the time?
  • How to stop procrastinating?
  • How to win the lottery?

Fun Essay Topics for Middle School

Are you looking for some fun essay ideas to spark your creativity? Check out our list of exciting essay topics for middle school students.

  • If I could have a superpower, it would be…
  • My favorite fictional character and why I admire them.
  • The best video game I’ve ever played.
  • If I were a time traveler, I would visit…
  • A new holiday: what would it celebrate?
  • Designing my own theme park: attractions and rides.
  • My ideal school: what would it look like?
  • The day I discovered a hidden treasure.
  • A guide on how to train a dragon.
  • My favorite mythical creature and its adventures.
  • My own comic book: characters and plot.
  • The best book I’ve ever read and why it’s my favorite.
  • If animals could speak, what would they say?
  • If I were the mayor of a magical town.
  • A day in the life of a time-traveling explorer.

Fun Essay Topics for High School

Look no further if you’re searching for some engaging and lighthearted inspiration for your essay! To help you craft an outstanding paper, we’ve collected fun topics to write about for an essay.

  • The influence of superhero movies on modern culture.
  • The psychology of nostalgia and its influence on consumer trends.
  • The psychology of humor and its effects on human interaction.
  • The art of storytelling: from ancient myths to modern narratives.
  • The world of cosplay: creativity, craftsmanship, and community.
  • The magic of sports: teamwork, rivalry, and personal growth.
  • The evolution of online memes and their social impact.
  • The role of fantasy literature in shaping our imaginations.
  • The art of street photography and its reflection of urban life.
  • The rise of DIY culture and its impact on creativity and self-expression.
  • The joy of exploring diverse cuisines and culinary traditions.
  • The art of self-expression through slam poetry and spoken word.
  • Road trips and the freedom of open exploration.
  • Decoding the art of special effects in movies.
  • Vintage fashion and its resurgence in modern style.

Fun Essay Topics for College Students

Wondering what topic to choose for your next writing assignment? Check out these fun topics for essays that will spark your creativity and engage your readers.

  • The psychology of decision-making in a complex, interconnected world.
  • The key skills for thriving in an ever-changing job market.
  • The evolution of language in the digital age: memes, emojis, and new forms of communication.
  • The chemistry and creativity of cocktails.
  • The power of art therapy in promoting mental wellness and self-expression.
  • How virtual communities shape individual identities and personal growth.
  • The connection between music and memory: how sound shapes our experiences.
  • The impact of street art on urban culture and the public sphere.
  • The world of eSports: competitive gaming, community, and professional leagues.
  • Virtual reality and modern entertainment experience.
  • The future of work: remote teams and flexible schedules.
  • The psychology of superstitions and their role in decision-making.
  • The impact of AI on music composition.
  • The science of sleep: sleep disorders, circadian rhythms, and optimizing rest.
  • Selfies in the digital age and the evolution of self-representation.

Things to Write an Essay About for Fun

Essay writing can be an enjoyable experience when you have the right topic to explore. Let’s dive into our list of intriguing ideas on what to write an essay about for fun!

  • Music . You can write about your favorite genre, a specific musician or band, the impact of music on society, or the emotional and psychological effects of music.
  • Fantastic literature . You can explore the themes and motifs in fantasy or science fiction literature, analyze a specific book or series, or discuss the role of fantastic literature in shaping culture and imagination.
  • Childhood memories . You can write about a specific memory from your childhood, reflect on how your childhood experiences have shaped you, or explore the importance of preserving childhood memories.
  • Traveling . You can write about a memorable travel experience, discuss the impact of travel on personal growth and cultural understanding, or provide tips and advice for fellow travelers.
  • Cooking . You can share your favorite recipes, discuss the cultural significance of certain dishes, or explore the therapeutic and creative aspects of cooking.
  • Memes and internet slang . You can analyze the evolution and impact of internet memes and slang, discuss their role in shaping digital communication, or explore the humor and social commentary embedded in internet culture.
  • Conspiracy theories . You can examine the psychology behind conspiracy theories, debunk common misconceptions, or analyze the societal implications of widespread belief in conspiracy theories.
  • Pets . You can share heartwarming stories about your pets, discuss the benefits of pet ownership, or explore the bond between humans and animals.
  • Anime and cosplay . You can review a specific anime series or movie, discuss the cultural influence of anime, or explore the creativity and community of cosplay.
  • Board or video games . You can review a specific game, discuss the impact of gaming on society and individuals, or explore the art and design elements of games.

💭 Thought-provoking Essay Topics

If you still don’t know what essay topics to write about, check out this thought-provoking list – there are many ideas to consider and choose from. Plus, this set of questions is not only perfect for essays; they also make interesting speech topics to discuss with your audience.

  • Errors in any sphere are unavoidable. Do doctors, judges, and teachers have the right to make mistakes ?
  • Leaders are born, and managers are made?
  • How can capital punishment be acceptable if judges’ errors are inevitable?
  • What is effective risk management in an organization?
  • Emotional Intelligence role in successful leadership.
  • Why use stick and carrot motivation? Wouldn’t sticking to policies be enough?
  • What team efficiency depends on?
  • Digital marketing challenges in organizations.
  • It is said that women are from Venus, and men are from Mars. Are men and women really that different?
  • How can the Federal Reserve affect prices?
  • Social media influences on marketing: Current trends.
  • Can women be regarded as the weaker sex today?
  • How can Emotional Intelligence be used in leadership?
  • What is consumer behavior’s role in global business?
  • Modern theater and remakes of classic plays – new interpretation or outrage?
  • International business: Do cultural differences matter?
  • Is Graffiti Art or Vandalism?
  • Can the way to success be laziness?
  • Human resource management: How does it look in the modern world?
  • Does an artist need the talent to create abstract pictures?
  • Team building: Does it make sense?
  • What does a human resource manager do?
  • Live to eat or eat to live? Healthy diets versus favorite dishes.
  • How leadership’s role has evolved in the 21st century?
  • What is bad customer service?
  • Apple’s management and leadership development.

➕ Other Interesting Essay Topics

Interesting essay topics for an argumentative paper.

Argumentative essays require a decent number of arguments. Choosing the right topic is essential. Even though any paper is purely individual, there are still specific rules to follow. Otherwise, an article may not have any scientific power.

More than that, the author will have to prove their arguments constantly. Also, there will be discussions of specific facts with other people who might disagree with what’s written.

Thus, any simple argumentative essay should have the specific features of this type of work to achieve as much effectiveness as possible. Here is a list of topics you can choose for your argumentative paper:

  • Patients in the hospital need better care. This essay will describe the problems of modern nursing care.
  • The search for oil is one of the priorities today. This persuasive research paper is associated with the problem of oil search and striving for leadership.
  • The credibility of data in the media is questionable. The theme is connected with the problem of understatement or lies in the media.
  • Nobody wants to deal with obsessive sellers. An argumentative and persuasive essay on this topic should describe the best methods to sell goods and not to annoy potential buyers.
  • Deviant behavior is a consequence but not a cause. An argumentative essay format of this topic implies revealing the problems that can lead to the occurrence of deviant behavior in adolescents and adults.
  • The more you take sports, the better it is. Argumentative essay subjects, in this case, should relate to sport and reveal the advantages of a healthy lifestyle and regular sports activities.
  • Consultations with colleagues at work can increase the level of trust in the team. When writing a good argumentative essay on this topic, you can try to reveal the connection between interaction and good relations.
  • People who cannot communicate with others feel depressed. The problem of the lack of communication and the consequences that can arise are described in such an article.
  • Excessive passion for video games affects mental health. You can write an argumentative essay or persuasive essay; the topic will reveal the danger that great affection for video games brings.
  • Personal experience is useful in the process of getting an education. When it is an argumentative research essay on such a theme, the benefits of personal experience and knowledge should be discussed to persuade your readers of the necessity of self-study.
  • Other authors’ works can be helpful when writing scientific papers. The advantages of citing respected authors’ thoughts will be described in such persuasive essay papers.
  • Industrial spheres prevail over others. In this paper, you will present your opinion concerning the distribution of industrial enterprises on the planet.
  • Territories of wildlife are increasing. To write an excellent argumentative essay on this topic, you should give specific statistical data to demonstrate your knowledge of environmental pollution and information concerning human activity.
  • Swimming is one of the healthiest hobbies. Try to reveal the benefits of swimming for human health.
  • Teaching is the profession of patient people. The paper aims to disclose teachers’ features of character and their positive traits.

Random essay Topics

An argumentative research paper is not the only format for university work. Authors write articles on different themes, using a variety of techniques and methods to achieve specific goals.

In the process of disclosing a particular topic, it is not always possible to use the same methods. For example, sometimes, you need to compare two or more phenomena or concepts. And sometimes, you have to consider specific points critically.

If you want to learn more about different types of essays in college, we recommend you consider the following tips . They will help you learn creative writing and make your texts unique and exciting for readers. We recommend the following topics:

  • Compare and contrast the issues of successful and unhappy marriages. A comparative essay is often used when considering specific issues related to sociology, and this topic is one of them. This type of work is sometimes called a discursive essay.
  • The consequences of the Chernobyl disaster. Just as in a compare-contrast essay, several research objects can be used here. A cause-effect piece on this theme is a comprehensive study of factors that arise for reason of a famous disaster that happened in 1986.
  • All the world’s religions are similar. The topic should present the similarity of various religious concepts. Here, argumentative issues are used, and excellent argumentative essays imply adequate author’s criticism based on verified confirmations.
  • Animal species in Australia: A great variety of the local fauna. A descriptive essay on this topic gives a detailed description of the reasons why there are so many unique animal species on this continent and includes listing some of them. Such essay subjects must be relevant only to the nature of Australia.
  • Possible factors that influence the effectiveness of employees’ work. It can be an exploratory essay that is different from many other types of articles. Its essence is a continuous study of all the possible phenomena that influence people’s results rather than an assessment or criticism of particular nuances. This type of work is not similar to a persuasive research paper where a specific point of view is proved. On the contrary, the author seeks to find the most accurate results on a given topic.
  • The evaluation of the effectiveness of electronic control systems at industrial enterprises. This topic implies another approach in comparison with an argumentative essay paper; there is no need to give clear arguments, just a personal opinion.
  • The great Shakespeare’s masterpiece. This literature essay aims at studying a particular text and the author’s assessment of the events described in his famous plays.
  • The leadership of the enterprise should be involved in working on increasing productivity. A perfect argumentative essay will contain arguments in favor of the leadership that is actively involved in the affairs of a specific company and is bothered by its successes.
  • The implementation of electronic resources for the preparation of students. This topic implies an admission essay that, as a rule, is used as an official document in universities and colleges. The essence of such a paper is to assess an applicant’s abilities.
  • Financial indicators of the success of specific business strategies. This theme is associated with a persuasive paper that is also called argumentative. This type of writing has much in common with an expository essay, where you also need to provide statistics or accurate data to confirm a particular point of view.

Critical Essay Topics

Here is another list for you. 10 best critical essay topics! Get inspired!

  • Crimes and governmental influence.
  • Corporate social responsibility: Business benefits.
  • The growth of the tech industry and environmental issues associated with it.
  • What is the right balance between open and closed innovation?
  • Homelessness in the UK: Is it a big issue?
  • Innovation influences the business environment.
  • Is it possible to influence climate change?
  • Canadian small businesses in public perception.
  • Reasons for food allergy development.
  • Consumer behavior and international marketing.

Animal Persuasive Essay Topics

To write an excellent argumentative essay and fully reveal the stated issue, it is worthwhile to guide specific rules for writing this type of work.

However, it is significant to use credible sources and reliable arguments and choose a theme that will be interesting to readers. You can use one of the following topics about animals:

  • Governments should protect animal rights.
  • Animal testing should be banned.
  • Zoos can be good for animals.
  • It should not be allowed to use animals for entertainment.
  • It should be forbidden to have exotic pets.
  • Using animals for fashion purposes is inhumane.
  • Hunting for entertainment should not be allowed.
  • Governments should strictly control factory farm conditions.
  • Cruelty towards animals should be legally punished.
  • Endangered species should be better protected.

Cool Essay Topics: Nursing

Another excellent list for you! If you want to focus on nursing, go through these cool essay topics!

  • Ethical questions in healthcare management.
  • Should euthanasia be allowed?
  • What is assisted suicide?
  • Medical ethics in the workplace.
  • Medication error disclosure in South Carolina.
  • What are nursing leaders for?
  • The issue of racism in healthcare leadership.
  • Moral dilemmas in nursing.
  • The importance of pain management in nursing.
  • Healthcare collaboration for patient quality care.
  • Medication errors in nursing practice.
  • Electronic clinical decision support tools for nurses.
  • Importance of theory in nursing.
  • The problem of obesity in childhood.
  • Racial and cultural inequalities in health.

✍️ Interesting Proposal Essay Topics

In case you have a task to write a proposal essay, get inspired by this list! We’ve picked the most interesting proposal essay topics for you!

  • Why are foreign languages important in school education?
  • Should the sale of drugs be strictly controlled?
  • How should children be taught manners?
  • What is the best way to tell children about the dangers of our world?
  • What can be done to protect animals from human cruelty?
  • How to solve the water pollution problem?
  • How can cyberbullying be reduced?
  • What is the best way to reduce smoking among teenagers?
  • What can be done to lower corruption in sports?
  • What can be done against fake news?

✔️ Interesting Topics for Essays: Possible Mistakes

You can write a creative essay without using a large number of sources. Nevertheless, when writing an English argumentative essay or an article in any other language, it is essential to avoid typical mistakes that inexperienced authors often make.

Moreover, to write compelling essays, some people choose somewhat tricky topics that can become the cause of problems:

  • The evaluation of the development of an accounting department next year. Such an analytical essay can be full of unnecessary information, which hardly conveys the general essence of the article and can be easily excluded from the text without the loss of sense.
  • The comparison of the country’s total gross product over the past decade. It is quite a problematic theme that requires specific knowledge in the sphere of economics. Persuasive essay writers sometimes choose too complex topics. It is essential to know how to reveal this or that issue and to find reliable sources of information.
  • The events of the American Civil War in chronological order. Great persuasive essays like this one can be appreciated only if the data used in them is accurate; in such a paper, you should give correct information and not miss any significant point to give your readers the most useful data.
  • The development of baseball and the formation of the game rules. This topic aims at describing the history of baseball development, but it is likely to have a limited number of readers. Argumentative subjects should be close to the target audience; otherwise, the theme will be uninteresting.
  • The development of printing in pictures and tables. Such a topic means that you will have to use many graphic elements. The format for an argumentative essay should not differ from generally accepted standards.
  • The opinions of famous philosophers about the upbringing of children. If it is an excellent discursive essay, it should have an appropriate number of quotes cited appropriately. Without them, the argumentative paper will look too weak, and you will be blamed for the lack of identical pieces of evidence.
  • The peculiarities of English literature in the 17-19th centuries. This theme is directly connected with literature, and any English persuasive essay should be relevant and competently written. Any grammatical, punctuation, or other errors are inadmissible; otherwise, the argumentative article will be considered unsuccessful and will not be able to comply with the rules of writing.
  • Five great thoughts regarding the unacceptability of racism. An excellent persuasive essay on this topic will discuss outstanding people’s opinions about a stated problem and, at the same time, will be completely free from plagiarism. In no case can you use other people’s thoughts and texts without first quoting them in the text.
  • Difficulties of various professions: the experience of different people. This topic means that you will have to use some opinions of different respondents to convey the general idea of such a paper fully. In the process of writing an argumentative essay, help can be provided by colleagues or other authors. Remember: great argumentative essays contain your arguments supported by evidence; otherwise, your work will be considered to be false.
  • A comparative study of the sources confirming the need to introduce electronic knowledge assessment systems. This theme will be connected with the review of various articles and online resources to compare authors’ results and give a specific conclusion. It will be useful to pay attention to electronic libraries and other services where various scientific articles and other works of respected scientists are collected. If you do not do it, your paper can have insufficiently relevant arguments.

We hope that our article helps you to start your own paper! Now you have more than 100 interesting essay topic ideas. So, it’s time to choose one and write a brilliant paper. Good luck!

  • The Basics of Essay Writing – UNSW
  • Write Your Essay – UNSW
  • Writing an Essay – Monash University
  • Expository Essays – Purdue University
  • Essay Writing – Deakin University
  • Components of a Good Essay – Evansville.edu
  • Essay Introductions – University of Maryland
  • What is an Essay? – Curtin University

I was stuck until I read this and now I am confident that I will get a good grade.

avatar of Jeremy W.

AOs write the “What do you do for fun?” essay by Jeremy Weprich

Ever wondered what admissions officers do when they're not reading applications?

July 9, 2021

  • in Admissions ,
  • Best from staff

We know you lead a busy life, full of activities, many of which are required of you. Tell us about something you do for the pleasure of it. (250 words maximum)

If you are familiar with the MIT application, you’ve likely encountered our short answer essay questions , including the one written above. Rather than asking applicants to write a long “personal statement,” we prefer asking a few short essay questions intentionally designed to help us get to know the student as a real person.

But this isn’t a blog about how to write a college essay. If you’re looking for that, we have plenty of great essay advice on our site already. Instead, this post is to help you get to know the Enigmatic Admissions Officers of MIT™ who are responsible for reading your applications. We get to learn so much about all of you, so I thought it was our turn to share a bit about ourselves.

While we share many of the same values, our admissions officers are remarkably different from one another. Our staff includes trained engineers, educators, performing artists, philosophers, writers, researchers, and more. Some of us listen to Bartók while others prefer BTS; some of us cultivate rare orchids while many of us desperately attempt to keep our succulents alive. And as you’ll see, some of us write carefully crafted prose, while others take a much more casual approach to writing.

We know from reading your applications each year that asking people what they like to do for fun is a fantastic window into their world. It’s a rare and wonderful thing to get to read about the joys of others—and best of all, there are no right or wrong answers. ⁠ 01 I regularly think about an applicant from years ago who wrote about his deep obsession with King's Hawaiian Rolls. I hope he's doing okay.

Every summer I receive a visit from a person I’ve never met, a person who technically doesn’t exist. Let me explain. When I took AP Literature (many moons ago) I encountered Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie for the first time. I fell in love with Adichie’s detailed, perceptive prose, her humor, and most of all, Ifemelu—the confident, witty, blog-writing main character. The story follows Ifemelu as she grows up in Lagos, Nigeria and immigrates to the United States for university, eventually becoming a successful writer and moving back to Nigeria to rediscover home. It’s a coming-of-age tale, a love story, and a record of how we all evolve based on social context and age. I reread this book every June, and each time, something new resonates with me—the nerve-wracking freedom of moving to a new city, the overwhelming rush of first love, the difficulty of reconciling one’s childhood self with an emerging adult self. Rereading the book has become a means to measure how I’ve grown as a person—similar to how I marked my height in pencil on my doorframe each year as a kid. By now Ifemelu feels like a friend, and the week I spend with her each summer feels like a highly-anticipated visit during which I remember all the reasons I connected to her in the first place and discover new axes of connection (and new parts of myself). Back to reading now—Ifemelu’s only here for a few more days (246 more pages).

One word. Dance. I will dance anywhere at any time. Whether it’s at a party, a supermarket in line, my room at 3am, or even at work during selection committee (ask Kellen, he’ll vouch this), I absolutely love dancing. It’s one of the purest, most authentic ways for me to express my emotions. There’s just something about finding the rhythm in a song, and absolutely crushing the beat with movement that’s insatiable. Hip hop, afro beats, soca, bachata, dembow, kizomba, swing, I love so many different styles of dance. I come from a family of dancers, so I suppose it’s a bit of a hereditary trait. Regardless, I can guarantee you that if you see me on campus, at some point you will catch me subtly hitting a woah, woo walking across the street, or dougie-ing in line at Dunkin Donuts. Dance and pleasure go hand in hand for me, and it’s what I go to most often for fun.

I glide out on the ice in the 10-degree Vermont winter morning. I can see my breath and my fingers are already starting to go numb, but I have the biggest smile on my face. It’s the best weekend of the year—the Vermont Pond Hockey Championship. I’ve been playing hockey since I was about 4 years old; one of the very few skaters with a pony-tail sticking out of their helmet. Since then, I’ve developed friendships that have lasted well into my adult life, created memories I’ll never forget, and learned a lot about what it means to be a part of a team. This annual weekend in Vermont is the culmination of that—a chance to hang out with my best friends playing a sport that has given me so much. The joy isn’t always calculated by our win/loss record (like the year we went 0-4…ouch) but by the laughs we have and the minutes spent together. Being on the ice is an escape for me: there’s no school work, work, or personal commitments on my mind. It’s just me and the game, and the only thing on my mind is what the optimal position is to defend the net. Every time I’m on the ice I try to skate to my best ability, knowing that my hard work benefits everyone on the team and even if we lose, we’ve done our best. But I’ll be honest…it definitely feels better to win!

As I’ve grown older my interests have evolved and changed with every new fad and craze. I am what you call a “marketer’s dream”, who buys trinkets at the check-out line. From pop music, anime, cargo shorts, bowl cuts, and playing basketball at my local park, to scholarly research, work, and trying to fit a workout into my daily routine, one thing has remained constant since my childhood. While I still jam out to the top songs of the 1990s and 2000s on a weekly basis, I have never been able to say bye, bye, bye to that mouse-like critter with yellow fur, pointy ears, and red circular spots. From collecting cards, watching Ash Ketchum continually lose in big tournaments, and spending thousands of hours on their video games, Pokémon has always managed to keep my interest in one way or another since its 1996 debut. These days, you can find me out on runs and long walks while playing Pokémon Go on my way to catching them all, or on my Nintendo Switch trying to become the next Pokémon master. Now in my 30s, I get to share my love for Pokémon with my nieces who have jumped on the poke-express with open arms. At least they know what to expect to get for their birthdays and Christmas. It’s amazing to see how Pokémon has been able to captivate audiences of all ages for so many years, which is perfect for someone who is a kid at heart.

When I was recruited to do this post my first thought was, what is fun? Everyone characterizes it differently. A great example of this is SpongeBob’s idea of fun vs. Plankton’s idea of fun.*

SpongeBob SquarePants

*I mean, SpongeBob is iconic and if you haven’t applied SOME lesson from SpongeBob to your life—you’re doing it wrong.

Aside from learning life lessons through watching episodes of SpongeBob, having fun means to reach complete serenity. Activities that take my mind away from work, the news, media, etc. are things I have fun doing.

If I had to choose one that I’m loving at the moment…I’d choose walking on trails. In the Boston area, there are plenty of trails and parks to walk through on a nice day. Now, I’m not a hiker—I don’t do this on a consistent basis but it’s the perfect getaway for me.

One of my favorite trails overlooks the Neponset River. You can find people roller skating, biking, skateboarding, running or walking and taking in the scenery. I actually found this trail through one of our colleagues, Bintou (thanks Bintou!). It’s been a go-to spot whenever I need a breath of fresh air.

149 West Market St in Newark, New Jersey holds a secret gem. While Google will tell you this is the home of the local T-Mobile, I knew this as the best place to buy jewelry. In front of T-Mobile was a local vendor who sold the best fashion jewelry I know. Even when I moved out of state and went back to visit family, I always made sure I had time to find his stand. However, when I needed him most he vanished. I tried to find alternate earring vendors but they were more costly and not as stylishly captivating. Naturally, I would lose an earring here and there, so my collection continued to dwindle. At this point, I had no choice but to start learning how to make my own earrings. Part of the fun in learning to make my own earrings is that I get to express myself and my passions. One passion that I have is in sustainability. For one project, I decided to use a couple of old ripped jeans. With these jeans I made a large flower-esque pair of earrings. When I look around, all I see is inspiration for my next earring creation. So far, I have made earrings using Christmas ornaments, the book-bind of an old journal, extra braiding hair, and I even used the faux-fur pom-pom that attaches to purses. Being able to enhance my expressive style through my own earring creations has been one of my favorite pastimes.

All right, so let me set the scene. It’s like 3 am on some random Saturday during my junior year of college and I just bought two cheeseburgers from a local gas station called Sheetz (it was a thing that we did, no further questions). I came back to my dorm room, sat on the couch, and turned the TV to Cartoon Network. An episode of a show called Lupin the 3rd had just started, and everything just seemed to fall into place. I don’t think I’ve ever been that content in my life. Needless to say, I was hooked. Now, this wasn’t the first time I watched anime by any means. I grew up on Dragon Ball Z and watched a decent amount of Toonami in middle and high school. But, that was probably the moment I realized that this was my wave. From there, Adult Swim’s anime block became my nightly ritual. From Fullmetal Alchemist to Samurai Champloo , to Cowboy Bebop and Paranoia Agent , the time I would have normally dedicated to sleeping or homework, transitioned to strictly anime and homework (rip sleep). As time went on and graduation passed by, my friends all grew out of their anime phase, but I didn’t. I even wrote a blog about how binging Naruto at a nursing home got me through what could have been a really depressing part of my life. So, yea. Anime. That’s a thing I like. Now excuse me while I catch up on Tokyo Revengers .

I applied to only one college my senior year of high school. It was an art school and I wanted to go there because someone told me once that if I just focused on what I liked to do for fun, I’d always be able to find a job. I liked making art. I took oil painting lessons and painted a still life that still hangs in my grandparent’s house. I taught myself how to draw with charcoal and colored pencils. That summer, in order to put together a portfolio that would serve as my application, I would lug a big pad of paper and sit on top of the cars in the junk yard and draw them. I drew boulders in the quarry in my town with colored pencil. I opened the door of my closet and drew all the shoes on the floor. I drew the edge of my unmade bed. Once I got accepted, it turned out I didn’t like drawing or painting much anymore. Instead, I made super 8 films and wrote poems. But my friends and I had the most fun hosting dinner parties in our Brighton apartment. We’d make big trays of chicken enchiladas and homemade guacamole, we’d decorate and light candles, and pick out the perfect music soundtracks. Because we were art-school kids, these parties were visual and creative. To this day, I still have the most fun using my artistic skills to entertain friends and family, to garden, and to cook.

Still life oil painting

Still life painting by Kris Guay

In the heart of the Black Hills National Forest, South Dakota you will find a winding gravel road full of potholes that, if you’re not careful, will take the front end off your car. Cell phone reception drops immediately leaving you completely unplugged from the modern world.

A secret place awaits you there. A place where you step back in time to when people lived quieter, slower-paced lives. There, nestled back against Aspen and Pine trees sits a small, green cabin with a tin roof, an outhouse, a screened-in porch, and a babbling creek directly across the road. Electricity and running water don’t exist here. Oil lanterns and a big pot belly stove are your only sources of light and warmth. Water comes from hauling buckets from the creek and cooking is done on an original wood burning cookstove with cast iron skillets. When it rains, the water’s percussion against the tin roof instantly puts you to sleep. The swing on the porch invites voracious readers. We play board games, hike, go swimming, and sit on the porch listening to coyotes as the sun sets over the canyon.

This is my paradise, my favorite place on earth. This is where I unplug from the stresses of life and briefly forget my adulting responsibilities. The little green cabin in the middle of the forest is where I recharge, reset, and get back to the core of who I am and who I want to be.

I like to lift heavy things. For about 8 years now, I’ve been following a powerlifting program roughly similar to the publicly available StrongLifts 5×5 . What I like about lifting heavy things is that it is a combination of technical and creative, intense and enduring, and that it is both emotionally and physically exhausting. I feel more calmer, focused, and more levelheaded after lifting. I like that there is measurable progression: if you can lift more weight, or the same weight at more sets/reps, and even if I’m stalled in other parts of my personal or professional life, here I can (usually) move forward. As the essayist Alyssa Keiko wrote , “it never gets easier, you just get stronger.” Plus, I can easily pick up my mom and swing her around like a baby now, and she smiles and laughs, and that makes me happy.

I slowly make my way through the metal doors, moving slowly, as to not draw too much attention. Taking a deep breath, I remind myself of my goal—one that will involve patience and determination. With each step, I make my way toward the future and the past:

  • Stonewashed denim, with frayed hems that catch in the breeze
  • A sequined gown straight out of Studio 54… that would also make a splash in Dua Lipa’s latest music video
  • Military inspired jackets with gleaming epaulets
  • Battered concert tees of my favorite 80s bands

Suddenly, without any warning, my attention is drawn elsewhere—Italian loafers, chunky bangles, vibrant leather bags, with just a hint of irregular stitching. Then, out of nowhere, I spot her: hiding in an overstocked rolling rack, between a faux pas and my future self—the perfect dress. 50% off. In the cart she goes. Bargain shopping is not for the faint of heart, but for those willing to take the risk… the possibilities are endless.

Ever since Riley, now a 75-pound Golden Retriever puppy (see photo), arrived home on May 15, 2020, it has been full-fledged “Life with Riley” for my family and me. I am most focused on playing, training, and walking/jogging with her around Cambridge. On any morning, you can see us around Harvard Yard, Fresh Pond, or even occasionally MIT (~8 mile round trip walk). My immediate goal is to be able to get Riley to ride the Red Line and behave in the new MIT Admissions Office. Another goal is to have her certified as an MIT Puppy Lab dog.

Training Riley has not been easy as she normally has full freedom to roam in the house and yard. I have enough bite/scratch marks to prove it. I have witnessed her chase a wild turkey up Littauer Center’s roof (can provide video upon request). Some of Riley’s acquaintances almost got Riley into trouble. Cooper (a 90-pound Golden) stole a big juicy bagel sandwich from a surprised guy up the pedestal on Widener Library. Luckily Riley was too slow to follow the full operation.

While I have been training Riley (she understands “pre-flight check”, “get off me”, “sit” and “crate”), she has also been training me. I understand when she needs to go, when she is hungry, and when she doesn’t want to return home. An unexpected side effect of training Riley has been that she gained 10 extra pounds from all the rewards that I have to give her.

Golden retriever puppy

Note: while participants were required to adhere to the same word limit as the MIT application, I allowed them to submit photos along with their responses. On the actual MIT application, images cannot be included with short essay responses.

  • I regularly think about an applicant from years ago who wrote about his deep obsession with King's Hawaiian Rolls. I hope he's doing okay. ⁠ back to text ↑

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The Write Practice

Writing for Fun: A Guide to Playfulness for Serious Writers

by Sue Weems | 0 comments

Writing is a lot of work, and there are definitely parts of the process that aren’t fun. But if writing has become a drudgery, if it’s become something you dread every day, then maybe it’s time for a little play to reinvigorate your love for writing. What if you were writing for fun?

Writing for Fun: A Guide to Playfulness for Serious Writers

I’ve spent most of my teaching career with high school and college students, but I had the opportunity to work as an elementary librarian for a few years, running book and writing clubs and basically playing in the literary sandbox with kids. It was a blast.

The kids who came to my book and writing clubs embraced the experimental in their work, willing to play with words in a way I’d not seen in the majority of my teen and adult students. I remember a student who would read the same line or page in a book with multiple voices, each one adding a new line or slightly altering the message and tone until we couldn’t hear his voice anymore over our laughter. 

It was pure joy. 

Joy: lost and found

As I went back to my high school and college classrooms, I found that most of my students loathed writing. If I announced a writing project or exploration, it was met with groans. The questions that these writers asked included, “How long does it have to be?” and “Am I done?” Writing had become pure torture.

Somewhere along the way, someone made them feel like they weren’t writers. They stopped trusting their own creativity and voice.

As I began to unpack why, most reported that all the fun had been drained out of writing with uninteresting prompts and five-paragraph essays. They didn’t have time or the option to write about things that interested them. Too often we prioritize academic niche writing at the expense of every other form that we consume and enjoy daily. 

My first goal is always the same: help them rediscover their voice and ability to play with language. Put another way, help them rediscover writing for fun . I gently nudge writers toward topics and forms they like, in hopes they would rekindle some of that childhood curiosity and creativity. We begin to see pages in notebooks filled where blank lines had once sat hopeless. 

Invariably, I begin to hear conversations that include, “Listen to this!” and “OMG, I’ve never written this much before.” 

A few students still eye me warily, sure I'm about to force them to turn their fun into something they’ll dread. Instead, we find the lines that sing, we find one thing to improve, and we keep going. 

Volume and deliberate practice yield results. And the way to more volume? The way to keep going? Is to make the writing practice fun.

But what about (cough, cough) serious writing

That’s fine and well, you might say, but what about the *serious writing*? I teach that too, but students need freedom in topics and form as much as possible. And I would argue that *serious writing,* like all good writing, is created from a place of fervency (some call it exigence)—the topic matters, and the form rises to meet the needs of the writer and the audience. 

But don’t underestimate the power of play. We don’t outgrow it.

My college classes are finishing an argumentative writing course right now, and their culminating project asks them to engage a form creatively that uses the same skills we applied to formal academic writing: research, curation, analysis, and synthesis.

Some students are analyzing true crime podcasts. Others are building public service announcements. Some are writing fiction and others are honing creative skills like learning a complex piano piece and tracking development. 

I’ve heard comments such as, “I hadn’t thought of this as writing!” and “I can’t believe I get to do this for school. I’m learning so much. Thank you!” 

Turns out the best way to take your writing seriously is to play. 

For adults: Meet your mentor, a kid

How do we do it, then? Is it really as simple as, “OK, today I’m going to play”?

For kids, it is—they don’t think so much about the rules and what sells and what’s expected. If you’ve ever played a game with a child who was improvising the day as she went along, you’ve experienced this. 

 For adults, I’ll wager we’re all sitting at our laptops trying to force ourselves into some childlike state, fingers poised over the keyboard. “Play, darn it! Write for fun!” Really, we need to start by letting our minds wander.

What games did you love as a kid? Make a list or describe a game the way you remember it. Then write a variation.

Add something absurd. Add an alliterative line. Smile as you write or type.

Take a snack break. Smell something near you and describe it to your dog. 

Read something that makes you laugh. Read something that takes your breath away. Describe what happened or mimic the form.

Don’t think about what you’re going to do with the writing that emerges. Just play. The experience is its own reward. 

For kids: The Write Summer Camp 2020

Do you have a child age 7 to 14 whom you would love to see keep their writing joy and develop it this summer? 

We’ve gathered a group of bestselling authors, professional writers, and award-winning teachers to create a fun, interactive, week-long writing experience.

Camp sessions are all held online, and we combine the right blend of writing instruction, encouraging feedback, and lots of writing fun for kids. 

During your child’s Write Summer Camp experience, they’ll get to:

  • Learn from professional writers
  • Find and develop ideas for writing
  • Write their own story, ready to share by the end of camp
  • Practice revising their own work using feedback
  • Build their creative muscles and writing confidence

We're inviting kids ages 7 to 14 to play with writing this summer. Sound like fun?

Learn more and apply »

No matter your age, you can always rekindle the joy of play in your writing. Relax and give yourself permission to be silly. Let your curiosity and whimsy guide you.

Remember, the more you write for fun and enjoy the process, the more others will enjoy reading it!

When have you found joy in writing? What are your favorite ways to play in your writing? Share in the comments . 

Take fifteen minutes . Make a list of your favorite childhood games or describe a game the way you remember it.

Then write a variation. Add something absurd. Add an alliterative line. Smile as you write or type. Take a snack break. Smell something near you and describe it to your dog.

Alternately? Just sit on the floor and tinker with something for ten minutes , and then come back and describe the experience. 

Share your play in the comments below , and be sure to leave feedback for your fellow writers!

How to Write Like Louise Penny

Sue Weems is a writer, teacher, and traveler with an advanced degree in (mostly fictional) revenge. When she’s not rationalizing her love for parentheses (and dramatic asides), she follows a sailor around the globe with their four children, two dogs, and an impossibly tall stack of books to read. You can read more of her writing tips on her website .

title on chalk board

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Why You Need More Fun in Your Life, According to Science

by Michael Rucker | Dec 11, 2016 | Having Fun | 0 comments

Most of us want to have more fun, it just seems like it is not as easy as it used to be. The reasons are many: guilt (because others aren’t having fun), perceived inappropriateness (because others around us cannot have fun) or lack of time (because our commitment to others won’t let us have fun). Yet, science gives an encouraging nod that we need to make time for fun and should perhaps prioritize it.

Why You Need More Fun in Your Life, According to Science

—George Bernard Shaw

Since the term “ fun ” can be ambiguous and is often used in different contexts, let us first look at the standard definition of the word. Oxford Dictionary of Current English defines fun as: amusement, especially lively or playful . Staying true to the definition we generally connect the word fun to things that are entertaining and enjoyable to do. Fun is also sometimes used interchangeably with play — although there is a distinction, as some argue that play is a state of mind; a certain attitude we can incorporate into any and every activity (Brown, 2009).

It is important to keep in mind that what is fun for you, might not be fun for somebody else. Therefore, fun can be difficult to investigate using standardized scientific methods. As such, scientific conclusions about the benefits of having fun come from subjective observations and less rigorous studies. Nonetheless, there are enough studies that indirectly link to the concept of fun and play that a case can be made that we all need more fun.

Here are five reasons science suggests you should have more fun:

  • Having more fun improves your relationships, both at work and in life

Research shows that when we have fun with others, these experiences have a positive effect on building trust and developing communication. Having fun gives us an opportunity to connect and be creative. When we laugh together, this sends an external non-verbal message that says: “We are alike, we share values” (Everett, 2011).  It can also make us look more vulnerable, but at the same time approachable and friendly, which can help build connections and bonds. Drs. John and Julie Gottmann, relationship experts from the Seattle’s Gottman Research Institute, have been studying happy and unhappy couples (and their patterns of behavior) in a systematic way. They found that couples who are happy know how to have fun together. It appears that when we have the ability to create and partake in acts of humor and affection, our conflict resolution skills improve as well.

Studies show that fun activities at work can improve our relationships with co-workers. These strong bonds developed with our colleagues have been linked to improved performance and productivity (Kansal, Puja, & Maheshwari, 2012).

  • Fun makes us smarter

According to science, one way to improve our memory and concentration is to have more fun. Partially, this has to do with the stress reduction that happens when we engage in something we enjoy. However, the benefits of fun activities seem to stretch further than that. The British Cohort Study — a study that has been following 17,000 people born in 1970 — found that reading for fun improves our language skills, and more surprisingly our proficiency in math as well. It appears that fun activities that introduce us to new ideas and concepts foster self-directed learning. The rewards we gain from these experiences might expand beyond the obvious benefits. Scientists are now also exploring if reading for fun can also protect us against cognitive decline as we age.

  • Fun reduces stress

You probably do not need science to inherently know this already: engaging in enjoyable activities can be an especially powerful antidote to stress. It has been recognized in several studies that spontaneous laughter has a stress-buffering effect that helps us better cope with stress. According to one study, individuals who laughed less had more negative emotions when compared to those who laughed more. In contrast, those who laughed more showed fewer negative feelings even when stressful situations increased (Kuiper & Martin, 1998). Interestingly, this same study found that there is no correlation between having a good sense of humor and displaying stronger or more intense emotions. As such, therapeutic laughter programs are now being developed and evaluated, and are sometimes offered as treatments for depression, stress and anxiety (Kim et al., 2015). It appears that there is some truth to the adage, “laughter is the best medicine.”

  • Finding more fun in physical activity balances your hormone levels

It has been well-established that high-stress levels negatively influence our hormones and neurotransmitters (especially cortisol and noradrenalin). Stress also affects our endocrine, metabolic and immune functions. Hormones can have an amazing effect on our mood — this is true for both genders (Koelsch et al., 2016). Certain hormones, such as cortisol, insulin, testosterone and estrogen, can be particularly influential and cause havoc when we have an imbalance. One way to naturally balance hormones is to engage in a pleasurable physical activity (e.g. Abbenhardt et al., 2013). In other words, adaptation is not reliant on intense physical activity but rather consistent recreational exercise. When it comes to exercise, find what fun means to you and bake it into your routine.

  • Fun can make you more energetic and youthful

Stress is draining — it can suck the life out of us, making us tired and cranky. When we effectively reduce our stress levels, this can often provide us with a new boost of vitality. Having fun and playing have traditionally been connected with children and the early years of our development. However, many philosophers and psychologists emphasize the importance of play as we get older. Plato professed that life must be lived as play, and George Bernard Shaw famously said: We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.

Fun at Work

Having fun at work might be just as important as having fun in your personal life. Everett (2011) concludes that since we will spend more than 90,000 hours of our lives at work, we might as well have fun there. Some of the benefits of playing on the job include:

– Higher recruitment and retention rates . Organizations that nourish creativity and playfulness in employees have less difficulty recruiting and retaining good staff, and it is an encouraging trend that more modern organizations are balancing work and play than in prior decades (Everett, 2011). For example, here in the Bay Area Google is known for having a fun workplace and is also a very desirable company to work for. Sponsoring fun activities has also been recognized as a measure to prevent burnout (Meyer, 1999).

– Increased job satisfaction . Employees must feel satisfied to be productive. There are many factors that contribute to job satisfaction, which logically also correlates to overall life satisfaction. When we can laugh and have fun at work, we can also build better relationships and help create connections with our workmates. Doing fun things together creates a joint history with our fellow employees. When we have fun together we tend to relate to and identify with our co-workers better. Some authors believe that “teams that play together, stay together,” so it is important to create an organizational culture that supports that (Berg, 2001).

– Increased customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction is generally closely linked with employee satisfaction. Workers who have something to smile about are usually better equipped to make customers smile than their melancholy counterparts. Fun seems to be contagious — as shown by studies looking at work environments. For example, when a fun work philosophy was adopted at Sprint, this resulted in their call center agents handling 30 percent more calls, and customers expressing an increased level of satisfaction with their services (Karl & Peluchette, 2006).

Everett (2011) also points out that forcing employees to have more fun should not be made mandatory. Activities that are force generally cease to be fun and can actually contribute to feelings of stress among employees. It is important to consider that people’s perceptions of fun (and what fun means to them) may vary and that they do not necessarily want to have fun in a certain way, at a certain time.

[FUN FACT]: Did you know that according to a study from 1998, adults only laugh on average 17 times a day (Kuiper, & Martin, 1998)?  In the spirit of having more fun, if you have a good joke, leave it in the comments so we can help push up this average.

Sources & further reading:

Abbenhardt, C., McTiernan, A., Alfano, C., Wener, M., Campbell, K., Duggan, C., & … Ulrich, C. (2013). Effects of individual and combined dietary weight loss and exercise interventions in postmenopausal women on adiponectin and leptin levels. Journal of Internal Medicine , 274 (2), 163-175.

Berg, D. H. (2001). The Power of a Playful Spirit at Work. Journal for Quality & Participation , 24 (2), 57-62.

Brown, S. (2009). Play: How it shapes the brain, opens the imagination, and invigorates the soul. New York: Avery.

Everett, A. (2011). Benefits and challenges of fun in the workplace. Library Leadership and Management , 25 (1), 1-10.

Kansal, M., Puja, & Maheshwari, G. (2012). Incorporation of fun and enjoyment in work: Builds the way for success and generation of long term benefits. ZENITH International Journal of Business Economics & Management Research , (12), 98-113.

Karl, K., & Peluchette, J. (2006). How does workplace fun impact employee perceptions of customer service quality?. Journal Of Leadership & Organizational Studies , (2), 2-11.

Kim, S., Kim, Y., Kim, H., Lee, S., & Yu, S. (2012). The Effect of Laughter Therapy on Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in Patients with Breast Cancer Undergoing Radiotherapy (CP). Quality Of Life Research , 20, 84.

Koelsch, S., Boehlig, A., Hohenadel, M., Nitsche, I., Bauer, K. & Sack, U. (2016). The impact of acute stress on hormones and cytokines, and how their recovery is affected by music-evoked positive mood. Scientific Reports , 6 doi:10.1038/srep23008

Kuiper, N., & Martin, R. (1998). Laughter and stress in daily life: Relation to positive and negative affect. Motivation and Emotion , 22 (2), 133-153.

Meyer, H. (2000). Fun for everyone. IEEE Engineering Management Review , 28 (2), 45-48.

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Have Fun With Short Essay Writing Essay

  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment

Short essay writing is something that we learn from the very first day that we learn our ABC’s. Upon learning how to combine these letters into words and then attending school to learn how to form sentences on a page, short essay writing becomes a part of our lives while teaching us a number of things that we would not normally learn in school.

  • It helps students develop vital learning skills. Short essay writing helps students learn the rudiments of writing. It introduces the potential writer to a world of topics and interests that they can use as vital learning tools.
  • It is an imaginative exercise. Since a short essay is normally no more than two pages in length, the writer tends to talk about light-hearted topics like how they enjoy a particular hobby or interest. Sometimes, the short essay is all about an interesting event that happened in his life. Whatever the topic, a short essay tends to indulge the writer’s imagination as he tells of stories or activities that others may find of interest to read about.
  • Short essay writing could be the start of something big . Most of the popular novelists today did not attend formal writing classes. Yet, they became well-known names in their business. How did that happen? Quite simply, they spent most of their early years as short essay writers. Ask any of these well-known names now, and they will tell you all about their little notebooks filled with their early short essay works.

Whatever a person’s reason for short essay writing, the one constant is that the activity is one that promotes learning on a wide scale. Short essay writers are highly imaginative people who know how to use the gift of gab on two pages or less.

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  • Narrative Essay: Disadvantages of Writing
  • Academic Writing. Selecting an Essay Topic
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What’s the Point If We Can’t Have Fun?: An essay by David Graeber

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  • 10 Ways to Have Fun While You Study

have fun essay

Studying can be a trying experience. You can do everything right: buying yourself treats, planning your time carefully, making sure your room is well-ventilated and your chair properly adjusted for your back, and still feel like you’re counting down the days until the end of this study period, or until you leave school, or – quite possibly – until you retire. So here’s the challenge – how can you make studying not only tolerable, but actively fun? This is a skill many students only learn when they go to university and begin to study a subject they actively love . When you’re still studying subjects that you’re indifferent to, and some that you long never to have to study again, enjoying yourself has to be in spite of the subject, not because of it. One day you might come to like the subjects you loathe at the moment, but it’s not likely to happen when you’re cramming them ahead of exams. Here are our top tips for finding ways to have fun while studying – whatever the subject may be.

1. Listen to good music

This is a classic study tip for a reason – everything is more fun when it’s set to music you love. Some people have the gift of being able to concentrate even while listening to songs with tricky and compelling lyrics; some can even write an essay while singing along. Before you just go for your favourite songs, it’s probably worth considering whether you are one of those people. Beware – you might end up writing an essay that reads, “The importance of this soliloquy in Hamlet is that it shows how Ophelia has gone from the other side, I must have called a thousand times…” Even if you’re not conscious of being distracted by your choice of music, skipping a song that’s annoying you or spending ages trying to find the right playlist could cut into your study time more than you realise. But if you can make this tip work, it does help a great deal. For most people, music without lyrics is a better option. That doesn’t necessarily mean Mozart – film soundtracks are fun and motivational, and you can pretend that you’re in a training montage while you’re studying. Plus a good soundtrack goes on for ages, reducing the amount of time you’ll have to spending finding just the right choice of song.

2. Turn it into a game for yourself

Scrabble board with word learn

We’ve written about how to gamify your studies before, but it’s worth repeating because, done well, it really can help. The study aids of puzzles, quizzes and flashcards all tap into the fact that we often learn better with games, and are more motivated too. Have you ever spent time trying to get full marks on Sporcle when the work you’re supposed to be doing languishes unattended? Then you’ll know how breaking something down into an achievable and measurable goal makes it much more fun. The sort of game you choose will depend on your interests and your subject – history lends itself better to creating a sprawling 4-hour board game than, say, statistics, where you might instead use the principles you’ve learned on real-world events, such as sports. The process of coming up with a game might take longer than playing the game itself, but so long as you’re engaging with your subject and going over what you need to learn as you do it, it’ll still be valuable.

3. Turn it into a game with others

Studying with friends is a bit of a minefield. It can be motivating and helpful, as you share ideas that you might not have thought of individually. Or you can end up having so much fun that not much studying actually happens.

Children with party blowers

All the same, if you can make it work (perhaps if there’s one very strict friend in the group who keeps you all on track), turning studying into a game with friends might just be the best way to combine studying with fun for the maximum amount of both. “Invent a game and play it with your friends” is a recipe for time-wasting much more than that kind of activity on your own, so be sure to keep it simple. Quizzes and treasure hunts are one way to go (for instance, where you get the next clue once you’ve figured out the answer to an exam question). If you’re up for more of a challenge, you could try a study-themed truth or dare, in which your friends ask you suitably tricky questions for the ‘truth’, and if you can’t answer – or get the answer wrong – you have to do a dare. Just make sure that the dare doesn’t seem to be the easier option than trying to get the answer right. You could set study-themed dares; for instance, in English literature, if you can’t come up with a quote to support a particular point for the truth, you have to write two paragraphs themed around that point for the dare.

4. Use nice stationery

Notebook with pen and desk items

Are you a stationery person? You’ll know if you are: if browsing in Paperchase seems more interesting than browsing in Topshop; if the delight of

every August is buying fresh supplies for September; if you own more blank notebooks for use on some future special occasion than you own filled notebooks that weren’t quite special enough to save.

If you have a desk full of lovely pens, pencils, note-paper, notebooks, stickers and goodness knows what else, now is the time to use them, and delight in them. Write in fancy fountain pen if that sounds like something you’d enjoy; it’s a bad idea to use it in your exam, but being forced to slow down a little when taking notes as you’re studying might help the information sink in better. Cover your notes in stickers if it means you’re more likely to reread them. After all, if it’s not to be used when you have important studying to do, why bother hoarding lovely stationery in the first place?

5. Try roleplay

For any subject with stories and characters – Theatre Studies, English Literature and History are the obvious examples – one way to get your head around the topics is to pretend that you are one of the characters, and roleplay as them for a while. What would Henry VIII choose for lunch? How would Marianne from Sense and Sensibility choose to have your room arranged? If Othello were suddenly transported into your body, would he be pleased, or disappointed?

Women wearing Georgian wig

Thinking these things through might seem silly, but they can test your knowledge of the subject you’re studying in a way that just going over your notes might not, opening up new avenues that you could explore – for instance, might it matter how old Henry VIII was at the time? What does that tell you about how his outlook changed during his lifetime? If you’re studying with a friend, you could try to have a conversation in character. You might not have enjoyed this kind of activity in the classroom, but if you really know your stuff, it becomes more rewarding and enjoyable – when you’re not just saying “I want something delicious because I’m a king” but thinking about the foods Henry VIII enjoyed specifically, what religious restrictions there might have been on his food choices, and how open he was to other people influencing his decisions.

6. Study somewhere different

Red and blue bench

Studying often gets boring simply because you don’t get a change of scene, unless you count going from your room to the library and back. Studying outside in the summer is tricky – there’s sunburn, glare on laptop screens and ants to interrupt you – but if you can find a shady spot in a garden or park, it can make the whole process feel less stressful, as well as making you less jealous of the people who get to have fun outdoors. If being outside isn’t an option, you could be somewhere else in your house. We don’t advise bringing your laptop into the bath but you could read a book or textbook there. Some people learn better by association, so you could assign different subjects to different rooms, and make sure you study each subject in the designated place. After all, the golden rule of studying is that nothing is silly if it helps you learn.

7. Challenge yourself

When you’re studying, as with when you’re at the gym, it’s sensible to pace yourself. Don’t demoralise yourself by taking on more than you can handle; instead, go slow and steady, with regular breaks, so that you can cope for the long haul. Except that’s really boring, isn’t it?

It’s a bad idea to challenge yourself to ridiculous things at the gym, because you can cause yourself long-term injury. But you’re not going to break your brain because you tried to do something that was a bit too tricky. If you’re bored witless by going over the same notes and the same ideas – but that’s what you have to study, so you’re stuck with it – try to find motivation in making it a challenge. You might see how quickly you can write a two-page essay, or whether you can solve a Maths problem in three-quarters of the time you’re supposed to. Don’t make the challenge impossible, but making your studying hard enough that you need to engage your brain properly can be helpful in making it less dull.

8. Write comics, short stories or songs

There are endless songs written that could have been designed to help you study. Think about Tom Lehrer’s Elements song or Flanders and Swann’s First and Second Law . Putting something into rhyme or setting it to music helps a great deal in remembering it, not only through the end product but also through the process of composing your poem or song in the first place. If songs don’t suit you, try a different creative activity, like drawing a comic or writing a story. This might be a comic that maps out a particular scenario in History, or it could be a story where the conclusion rests on a particular principle in Physics. Add in some puns and wordplay on difficult concepts to make them easier to remember and you’ll have created a useful study aid and enjoyed yourself doing it.

9. Intersperse studying with other activities

Paint and brushes

If despite all of the above, you’re really struggling to make studying fun, you can at least make some part of the day when you’re studying fun. Load up some episodes of your favourite TV show, see how you can break your favourite hobby into bite-size chunks, or arrange a quick catch-up with some friends to make sure your studying marathon doesn’t feel overwhelming. Engaging with studying and doing your best to find a subject interesting is hard work even if it comes naturally to you, so do remember to take breaks in order to refresh yourself. Figure out what length of break works best for you: some people like to take half an hour, but for others, a longer study period and a full hour’s break is better. For others, even half an hour is too much, and means they find it hard to go back to focusing on studying. Assess what suits you, and don’t do something a particular way just because it seems to work for your friends.

10. Feel free to be ridiculous

There are very few perks to the high-pressure time of studying for exams. One of them should be that you have the freedom to be ridiculous. If you’re going around the house singing songs about Chemistry while pretending to be Henry VIII, you’re already looking pretty ridiculous, so let your embarrassment go. Ultimately, if it helps for you to instruct a sock puppet in the beliefs of major world religions, or you feel like eating nothing but Brie for lunch helps you focus better on the French language – then go for it, and make studying fun.

Image credits: headphones ; scrabble ; children with party whistles ; woman in wig ; garden bench ; kettlebells ; cat on piano ; paints ; studying . 

Mike Verano LPC, LMFT

Are We Having Fun Yet?

The healing power of play..

Posted June 10, 2024 | Reviewed by Gary Drevitch

  • What Is Therapy?
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  • Dropout rates from traditional psychotherapy can be as high as 20%.
  • Play therapy is traditionally offered only to children.
  • Adult play therapy can increase compliance, decrease resistance, and enhance the healing relationship.

“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; We grow old because we stop playing.” —George Bernard Shaw

During a recent stress management training I was reviewing some go-to methods for stepping out of old habitual patterns and referenced play as an important element for overall health. To make the point on how we often think of play, and therefore fun, as something we leave behind in childhood I quoted the following lines from a poem by Rabindranath Tagore:

Child, how happy you are sitting in the dust, playing with a broken twig all the morning. I smile at your play with that little bit of a broken twig. I am busy with my accounts, adding up figures by the hour. Perhaps you glance at me and think, "What a stupid game to spoil your morning with!" Child, I have forgotten the art of being absorbed in sticks and mud-pies.

This prompted a discussion on how we often grow up thinking we have to take life seriously and suffer the consequences of playing the “stupid game” of adulthood. What followed was a discussion on the psychotherapeutic approach of play therapy and its reflexive connection to working with children. Those in attendance wholeheartedly agreed that more adults would enter and commit to ongoing therapy if they were able to use some of the tried-and-true methods of children’s therapy such as playing with sand, using dolls or stuffed animals, painting or drawing, and role playing, to name just a few.

Very few people answer the question, “How was your therapy session?” with, “It was fun, I had a great time.” Dropout rates from traditional psychotherapy sessions have been estimated to be around 20%. While reasons vary, with insurance coverage a leading cause, many people leave therapy because they find it ineffective or “not a good fit." As a mental health practitioner with four decades of experience, I’ve seen the “one and done” phenomenon throughout my career and have struggled to find ways to encourage follow-up visits.

Reserving play therapy for children ignores what we know about the benefits of both this form of therapy and play itself. Benefits of play therapy include optimizing learning, enhancing relationships, and improving health and well-being. Therapeutic uses of play therapy have been utilized to address:

  • Grief and loss
  • Posttraumatic stress
  • Obsessions and compulsions
  • Attention deficit hyperactivity
  • Mood issues
  • Developmental issues
  • Arrested emotional development

To be clear, my idea of adult play therapy (APT) is not inner-child work. This concept only reinforces the idea that this is a child’s activity and a form of regression . It’s not helpful to try and help clients take on the stressors of adult living by taking them back to a time when such issues did not exist. What is helpful is to give credence to, and permission for, a more playful approach to life. After all the word itself from Old English plegian means to "move lightly and quickly, occupy or busy oneself, amuse oneself.”

Widening the scope of APT is a win/win for both client and psychotherapist as the therapeutic exchanges take on a lighter tone, are less threatening, have both behavioral and cognitive elements, and are less likely to create an adversarial relationship that often develops when client and therapist seem to be heading in different directions. Additionally, the go-to techniques of play therapy engage multiple senses in the healing process, which we have learned is vital to recovery from the traumas many have experienced.

Finally, time outside the therapeutic hour can easily and joyfully be used to invoke the playful spirit in-between sessions and comfortably shared with friends and loved ones—seldom the case with traditional therapeutic techniques.

Many great thinkers have agreed with Abrham Maslow’s contention that “Almost all creativity involves purposeful play” and have reinforced the idea of the power of play. Let’s stop thinking they we're only talking about children and understand that play is the essence of life and not something to leave behind.

According to the National Institute of Play, “Science has shown that play is very productive for humans at any age; we need play to keep our brains flexible, ward off depression, sustain optimism , and sharpen our social-emotional skills.” They suggest a 3-step model for living a more playful life that includes:

have fun essay

  • Find your play personality .
  • Consider how you like to play.
  • Try something that sounds fun.

If even this sounds like more work, I strongly recommend jumping to step 3 and seeing what happens. If it helps you can add the following anacronym to support your 1 or 3-tep model: FUN=Feeding Unmet Needs.

To find a therapist, visit the Psychology Today Therapy Directory .

https://nifplay.org/play-for-you/make-play-part-of-an-adult-life/#:~:te… .

https://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp.159.5.845

https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/play-therapy

Mike Verano LPC, LMFT

Mike Verano, LPC, LMFT, CEAP, CCISM, CCTP, CFRC, is a licensed therapist, author, and public speaker.

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May 2024 magazine cover

At any moment, someone’s aggravating behavior or our own bad luck can set us off on an emotional spiral that threatens to derail our entire day. Here’s how we can face our triggers with less reactivity so that we can get on with our lives.

  • Emotional Intelligence
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IMAGES

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  2. ⛔ Fun essay topics for high school. 65 Essay Topics for High School

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  3. I played Hogwarts Legacy again but I´m very sad to say

  4. What does have fun mean?

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COMMENTS

  1. 100+ Funny Argumentative Essay Topic Ideas

    Answer: The easiest way to make your essay longer is to add more items and call it a list. Here are some ideas: 1. Ten ways to annoy your parents. 2. Twelve ways to get out of cleaning your room. 3. Fifteen ways to get your parents to give up on trying to get you to do any chores around the house.

  2. 165 Fun Essay Topics

    By choosing a fun essay topic that interests the students, writing assignments become more productive and less daunting. Check out the four types of essays students can be assigned, along with a list of 165 fun essay topics to write about. By combining these helpful writing tips with the list of fun essay topics, students can easily create well ...

  3. Essay Writing Tips: 10 Steps to Writing a Great Essay (And Have Fun

    Body #1: Most students think writing an essay is tedious because they focus on external rewards. Body #2: Students should instead focus on internal fulfillment when writing an essay. Body #3: Not only will focusing on internal fulfillment allow students to have more fun, it will also result in better essays.

  4. Funny Persuasive Essay Topics: 177 Writing & Speech Ideas

    In the academic world, working on a persuasive essay on a fun topic is one of the best ways to enjoy paper writing. By discussing something entertaining, you can connect with your reader on a more personal level. We will write a custom essay specifically. for you for only 11.00 9.35/page. 808 certified writers online.

  5. 31 Brilliant Creative Essay Prompts » JournalBuddies.com

    Creative essay prompts give writers a chance to express themselves, well…creatively. 😀 Plus, it's a wonderfully fun way to write a completely new and unique essay. Now, let me tell you, I am here to invigorate your perspective and fuel your creativity with 31 fabulous creative essay prompts for various genres to get you writing today.

  6. Funny Persuasive Essay Topics: 110 Writing & Speech Ideas

    Authenticity can make your humor more appealing. And then the ideas of how to start an essay funny will come to you quite easily. Wordplay and Puns: Incorporate clever wordplay and puns to add a witty touch to your content. Play with language to elicit laughter. Timing is Key: Master the art of comedic timing.

  7. Should You Be Funny In Your College Essay + Examples

    Tips for Adding Humor to Your College Essays. 1. Be Appropriate. First things first: be appropriate. Humor is, of course, subjective, but make sure your subject matter would be considered appropriate by absolutely anyone reading it. Think about the most traditional person you know and make sure they would be okay with it.

  8. 53 Stellar College Essay Topics to Inspire You

    Once you've chosen a general topic to write about, get out a piece of paper and get to work on creating a list of all the key details you could include in your essay. These could be things such as the following: Emotions you felt at the time. Names, places, and/or numbers. Dialogue, or what you or someone else said.

  9. How to Write an Interesting, Funny, and Unique College Essay

    The only requirement you have to meet is that your essay fits into that space. Other than that you can do almost anything. You can write 40 haikus. You can write a screenplay, a lyric essay, or a poem. You can write a monologue or a comedy scene or a recipe. You can be playful, serious, funny, introspective, or all of the above.

  10. How to Write Humor: Funny Essay Writing Tips

    Humor brings people together and has the power to transform how we think about the world. Of course, not everyone is adept at being funny—particularly in writing. Making people laugh takes some skill and finesse, and, because so much relies on instinct, is harder to teach than other techniques. However, all writers can benefit from learning more about how humor functions in writing. Below ...

  11. 10 Tips to Write an Essay and Actually Enjoy It

    Conclusion. To make it through high school and college, you're going to have to write essays, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy the time you write them. The secret is to stop trying to write a good essay. Instead, write an interesting essay, write an essay you think is fascinating. ". "Write with the door closed, rewrite with the door ...

  12. 113 Perfect Persuasive Essay Topics for Any Assignment

    List of 113 Good Persuasive Essay Topics. Below are over 100 persuasive essay ideas, organized into ten categories. When you find an idea that piques your interest, you'll choose one side of it to argue for in your essay. For example, if you choose the topic, "should fracking be legal?" you'd decide whether you believe fracking should ...

  13. 130 New Prompts for Argumentative Writing

    Try our student writing prompts. In 2017, we compiled a list of 401 argumentative writing prompts, all drawn from our daily Student Opinion column. Now, we're rounding up 130 more we've ...

  14. 201 Fun & Interesting Essay Topics

    Choose an interesting essay topic, and you will start enjoying it. You will surely find some topics matching your interests among these top 146 best essay topics. We will write a custom paper. for 11.00 9.35/page. based on your instructions. 568 certified writers online. Get help.

  15. AOs write the "What do you do for fun?" essay

    We know from reading your applications each year that asking people what they like to do for fun is a fantastic window into their world. It's a rare and wonderful thing to get to read about the joys of others—and best of all, there are no right or wrong answers.⁠ 01. We know you lead a busy life, full of activities, many of which are ...

  16. 5 Hacks to Make Writing an Essay Way More Fun

    Have fun, and good luck with your essay! Psst... 98% of Kibin users report better grades! Get inspiration from over 500,000 example essays. About the Author. Susan M. Inez is a professor of English and writing goddess based out of the Northeast. In addition to a BA in English Education, an MA in Composition, and an MS in Education, Susan has 20 ...

  17. Writing for Fun: A Guide to Playfulness for Serious Writers

    My first goal is always the same: help them rediscover their voice and ability to play with language. Put another way, help them rediscover writing for fun. I gently nudge writers toward topics and forms they like, in hopes they would rekindle some of that childhood curiosity and creativity. We begin to see pages in notebooks filled where blank ...

  18. Why You Need More Fun in Your Life, According to Science

    Having more fun improves your relationships, both at work and in life. Research shows that when we have fun with others, these experiences have a positive effect on building trust and developing communication. Having fun gives us an opportunity to connect and be creative. When we laugh together, this sends an external non-verbal message that ...

  19. 19 College Essay Topics and Prompts

    1. Be considerate with humor. Showing off your sense of humor lets your personality show through your words and can make reading the essay more entertaining. Try including a few sentences that you think will bring a smile to the reader's face, or use adjectives to insert some colorful comedy. 2.

  20. Have Fun With Short Essay Writing

    Short essay writing helps students learn the rudiments of writing. It introduces the potential writer to a world of topics and interests that they can use as vital learning tools. It is an imaginative exercise. Since a short essay is normally no more than two pages in length, the writer tends to talk about light-hearted topics like how they ...

  21. How to Have Fun While Studying (with Pictures)

    Ensure adequate ventilation. Nothing sends a person to sleep faster than lack of air. Get fresh air into your room regularly - even in winter! Make sure it circulates, even if this means using a fan in winter to blow around warm air; this is better than stale, stagnant air. 6. Have good temperature levels.

  22. Having Fun

    Explore. Featured Essays Essays on the Radio; Special Features; 1950s Essays Essays From the 1950s Series; Browse by Theme Browse Essays By Theme Use this feature to browse through the tens of thousands of essays that have been submitted to This I Believe. Select a theme to see a listing of essays that address the selected theme. The number to the right of each theme indicates how many essays ...

  23. What's the Point If We Can't Have Fun?: An essay by David Graeber

    He gives a few examples of play that don't immediately have an obvious survival function, and from that leaps all the way to conclusions about physics. Most things that give people pleasure have an obvious survival tie in. You die if you don't eat or drink. You die if you leave the herd. Your genes die if you don't reproduce.

  24. 10 Ways to Have Fun While You Study

    Here are our top tips for finding ways to have fun while studying - whatever the subject may be. 1. Listen to good music. This is a classic study tip for a reason - everything is more fun when it's set to music you love. Some people have the gift of being able to concentrate even while listening to songs with tricky and compelling lyrics ...

  25. NYT 'Connections' Hints and Answers Today, Friday, June 14

    Related: 300 Trivia Questions and Answers to Jumpstart Your Fun Game Night. ... ARTICLE, ESSAY, PAPER, REPORT 2. THINGS THAT ARE PINK: BUBBLE GUM, CARNATION, ERASER, FLAMINGO 3.

  26. Are We Having Fun Yet?

    Benefits of play therapy include optimizing learning, enhancing relationships, and improving health and well-being. Therapeutic uses of play therapy have been utilized to address: Dementia. Grief ...