<p>I'm a little confused on the favorite events short answer question on the Stanford supplement: What were your favorite events (E.G., performances, exhibits, sporting events, etc.) this past year?</p>
<p>What type of events do they exactly mean? Could we also list more personal events or does it have to be something along the lines of the Oscars?</p>
<p>I'm no adcom, but I'm pretty sure you could talk about something big like a sports championship or something personal like winning a piano competition, or even your great-grandpa's 90th birthday party. The point of the question is to learn about your values, who you are, and how you feel.</p>
<p>I just wrote about more general events but I'm not really sure...</p>
<p>How exactly is it worded? They probably mean events that you in some way participated in, otherwise why ask?</p>
<p>The OP copied the question exactly from the Stanford supplement.</p>
<p>Is there also a question about "what was your favorite/most meaningful EC" or something to that effect? That was an old standard, and I'm wondering if this one replaced it.</p>
<p>Either way, I'm certain it refers to events you were somehow involved in. Stanford doesn't want to know if you enjoyed the Super Bowl, unless you had the good fortune to be playing in it.</p>
<p>
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Either way, I'm certain it refers to events you were somehow involved in. Stanford doesn't want to know if you enjoyed the Super Bowl, unless you had the good fortune to be playing in it.
[/quote]
Or if, perhaps, you'd been a football fan since you were a kid and you even played football, and you earned the money to go to the Super Bowl with your dad and had a great experience with just the two of you.</p>
<p>I agree with Sly Si that it should be a recollection of an event that you took part in in some way - it shouldn't be something like a critique of the floats you saw at the Rose Parade. Talk about what you did and how you felt.</p>
<p>I did not interpret it that way at all. I interpreted it as wondering what you like to do - do you attend exhibits, performances, lectures, sports events. There is already a question about a meaningful activity on the common app and presumably performances/events you have been in are covered somewhere else in the app as well. Anyone else interpret it as I did or am I out to lunch?</p>
<p>^^ I see your point. It might mean 'general events' since 'event' is plural in this case -- not "What was your favorite event this past year?"</p>
<p>How are the most of you writing your responses to these short answers?<br>
Are you guys using a ceratain format/structure? </p>
<p>Clear, concise sentences? Simple fragments? </p>
<p>How many words or characters including spaces?</p>
<p>Are these like the old short essays? If so, the length to shoot for is probably 1-3 paragraphs.</p>
<p>These are 300 character short answers. They said complete sentences aren't necessary.</p>
<p>Actually, can a current stanford student tell about whether they wrote about a specific event or a more general scheme of things for this short answer? Thanks!</p>
<p>I thought the Stanford Supplement is new this year due to the switch to the Common App, but maybe someone in Class of '10 will correct me.</p>
<p>Yes, Stanford joined the Common Application this year for the class of 2012.</p>
<p>Some answers I wrote in simple fragments, and some I wrote in sentences and even short paragraphs. Stanford obviously leaves that open to your interpretation. If you are going to reason your answers, know that 300 characters is shorter than you think. I had to delete commas and spaces.</p>
<p>I'm intrigued by the 5 word about yourself question.
you can write "happy, cool, nice, smile, sun" or "I love to eat chicken"
or you can do all swear words. you will be rejected, but remembered at least</p>