<p>Do you just write about the idea and relate yourself to it? or do you write about the idea and put "this is intellectually exciting to me because...."</p>
<p>However you approach it, I think the most important thing is to show what your interests are and how you think/feel. By this, I mean that you should not just write a short summary/report of a topic you find interesting. I think it is better if you relate it to you somehow; tell a story of how you became interested in the topic or something you have done pertaining to it. If you think it's necessary to provide information about the topic, cool, but remember that Stanford wants to know about you.</p>
<p>many ppl write about stuff like nanotech, stem cell, and common stuff like that. Try to make it genuinely unique. Complex topics are not always good. In fact, a simple idea or pursuit you have had may actually work better. Maybe that's just me...</p>
<p>I wrote about epistemology... not at all related to what I tried to imply my passion was, but I thought it showed a good variety of intellectual passion in general.</p>
<p>I didn't bother relating myself to it almost at all.</p>