Let’s be honest for a second. When someone drops the word economics, most of us picture a tired professor waving chalk at a graph that looks like it’s trying too hard. Or maybe a panel of Very Serious Adults in uncomfortable suits whispering about inflation while you fight to stay awake. And honestly, who can blame you? That’s the intro most of us get.
But here’s the thing I didn’t really grasp until way later: economics isn’t just “money talk.” Well, sure, money’s in the mix, but the heart of it is people. It’s a choice. It’s all the little (and not-so-little) decisions we make and how the world nudges us into making them.
If you’re staring down college applications right now, building even a tiny spark of economic curiosity is like discovering a tool you didn’t realize belonged in your backpack.
Why Curiosity Actually Matters
You might wonder why an admissions officer would care if you understand supply chains or skim market trends. It sounds… dry. But from their side of the desk? They read hundreds of essays about “leadership” and “passion.” Great words, worn a bit thin.
What actually pops off the page is someone who asks why.
Curious students notice what’s happening around them. They poke at patterns. They refuse to just accept things the way they’re presented.
Take the news, for example. You see a headline about how the Silver Eagle price fluctuates during global uncertainty. Most people scroll past. But a curious student pauses and thinks, “Why does fear make everyone buy metal? What does that say about trust, or the lack of it, in our currency?”
That tiny move — that moment of “hold on” — is the difference between someone who just reads and someone who connects dots. Colleges adore dot-connecting.
Math Isn’t the Gatekeeper Here
A huge myth: you have to be a calculus prodigy to care about economics. Not true. Sure, there are formulas, but the soul of economics is basically philosophy dressed in slightly more practical shoes.
A friend in admissions once told me her favorite interview wasn’t with the kid who crushed the math Olympiad. It was a student who worked part-time at a coffee shop and wrote an essay about the price of milk.
He’d noticed that when gas prices climbed, the delivery surcharge on milk went up. Then the latte price had to go up. Then, customers got irritated. No academic jargon — just a kid observing the world reacting to itself.
You don’t need an economics textbook for that. You just need to stay awake to your own life.
Finding Economics in the Ordinary
Try this: look around your room for thirty seconds. Or pick up your phone.
Why is the phone so expensive? Are the parts actually rare, or are we paying for the little glowing logo on the back? That’s economics. Value versus cost.
Or go to the grocery store. Why are avocados five bucks today when they were two last week? Was there a storm in Mexico? Is it seasonal? Is inflation creeping in?
These questions don’t turn you into a nerd. They make you interesting. They give you stories — real ones — to bring into interviews or essays. Instead of “I want to study business because I like money,” you get to say something like, “I’ve been noticing how supply chain hiccups hit the small shops in my town first, and it made me realize how fragile everything is.”
Feels different, right?
Opportunity Cost: The Most Sneaky, Useful Concept
Let’s dip into something a little technical, but honestly, it’s something you probably already do without knowing the name. Opportunity cost is basically the price of whatever you didn’t choose.
If you play video games for three hours, the cost isn’t measured in dollars. It’s the sleep you didn’t get, the homework you didn’t do, the thing you could’ve learned.
Colleges are obsessed — and I mean obsessed — with how you spend your time. When they look at your activities, they’re decoding your invisible opportunity costs. If you can explain how you’ve learned to weigh your choices, it signals maturity.
Write about the time you had to choose between two good things, like soccer practice and robotics club, and how you figured out which path made more sense for you. That’s economics in motion.
Reading Between the Headlines
We live in a loud world. Your feed is probably oversaturated with memes, dance clips, and news alerts that feel like they’re all yelling at once. It’s overwhelming.
Economic thinking cuts through the noise. It helps you see the incentives — the hidden “whys.”
When an influencer insists you need some crypto coin, ask: “Okay, but what’s in it for them?”
When a politician promises free stuff, ask: “Who’s footing the bill? What’s the trade-off?”
This isn’t cynicism. It’s self-protection. And professors love students who can question without spiraling.
Bridging High School and the “Real World”
High school can start to feel like a bubble. You go to class, you come home, maybe you grab Taco Bell with friends. Meanwhile, that other world — jobs, taxes, rent — feels far away.
But the moment you start thinking economically, the bubble starts to thin. You see how daily choices echo out into the bigger picture.
And weirdly, it even helps with rejection. If you don’t get into your dream school, it hurts. But an economist looks at the numbers: limited seats, tons of qualified applicants. It’s not a blow to your “worth.” It’s a tight market. The logic softens the sting, even if it doesn’t erase it.
How to Show This in Your Application
Okay, let’s talk about practical steps.
1. The Current Events Essay
Pick something complicated and explain it simply. Write about concert ticket prices and monopolies. Tie it to your life.
2. The Interview Twist
When they ask what you do for fun, talk about your hobbies, but peel back one layer.
“I love thrifting. It’s interesting watching trends loop back and how the secondhand market behaves.”
See? Simple. Smart.
3. The ‘Why This Major’ Question
Even if you’re not applying as an econ major, weave in your curiosity.
Art? Mention the art market.
Engineering? Talk about cost-efficient design.
It’s about showing you understand the real-world shadow behind the thing you love.
A Quick Word for the Parents
If you’re a parent reading along: encourage these chats.
Not lectures. Just… conversations.
Talk about why you chose the car you did. Talk about how your job shifts with the economy. Make money a topic that isn’t taboo. Kids absorb this stuff fast, and it becomes vocabulary they can use when the stakes get high.
The Bigger Picture
College prepares you for a career, but more than that, it prepares you for life. And life is messy. Prices rise and fall. Industries die. New ones blink to life overnight. The students who really thrive aren’t just the ones with straight As. They’re the ones who can feel the currents beneath the surface — the ones who stay curious.
So ask questions. Even the obvious ones. Wonder about the price of silver, the cost of milk, the value of your own time.
It’ll make you a stronger applicant, sure. But honestly, it’ll also make you a sharper, more grounded human being. And that’s the part that stays with you long after the acceptance letters fade.
