<p>Given that tomorrow is September 1st (read: two months until the REA deadline), it's about time that we have a thread like this. </p>
<p>If you're going to be applying this year or in the future, post your questions, comments, and concerns. Having already gone through the process (and having been admitted REA), I'd be happy to take a stab at addressing them. </p>
<p>If you've already gone through the process, please post any comments, tips, and advice that you have for applicants. </p>
<p>Wanted to make note: REA deadline for those applying with Arts Supplement is 10/15 not 11/1. Stanford is the ONLY school that has this different strict deadline. Please be aware…</p>
<p>Does anyone know what kind of response they’re looking for when they ask the 50-word questions like “what were your favorite events in the past year?” Should we just list a few events we enjoyed, or can we explain 1 or 2 of them in detail?</p>
<p>Also, for the ‘what matters to you, and why’ question, should you just speak from the heart and talk about what matters to you, or should you somehow link the thing that matters to you to your academic life?</p>
<p>I hope you get what I mean because I know I didn’t word the questions correctly.</p>
<p>@ArenasField
When I applied last year, I put down just a basic list of events. You only have so many characters to use.</p>
<p>What matters to you is what matters to you; you choose what to speak about. IMO, it would preferably be something that you’re simply passionate about. If it links to your academic life, it links to your academic life. If not, it doesn’t then. Just something that’s really important to you in your life, whether it be a person or an action, etc.</p>
<p>ArenasField: It’s very important that your essays come across as GENUINE and SINCERE. Therefore, you should discuss something that actually matters to you in a writing style that reflects your own voice.</p>
<p>Does having a family member who’s attended Stanford count for anything, if it’s not a member of your immediate family? Since they ask about it I feel like it should, but I’ve never heard anything…</p>
<p>@chutesgirl I would recommend that your recommendations come from teachers that can truly expose and explain who you really are as an individual and a person. Preferably teachers that don’t give a dry cut recommendation that can be applied to any student; have a teacher that really knows you well as a student and as a human being to write your recommendation.</p>
<p>@challengefan I suppose in some form you have legacy but (from what I remember when applying anyway) on CommonApp I believe there’s a place to put down relatives who attended Stanford? Define “not a member of immediate family” though. Like an aunt or an uncle? Grandparent?</p>
<p>@chutesgirl Read this: [Teacher</a> Evaluations : Stanford University](<a href=“http://www.stanford.edu/dept/uga/application/freshman/evals.html]Teacher”>http://www.stanford.edu/dept/uga/application/freshman/evals.html). Also, I agree with thehaakun about selecting teachers who really know you. Your recommendations should highlight not only your academic aptitude but also your character and personal qualities. Since Stanford’s applicant pool is more homogeneous than ever before (read: most applicants are excellent), recommendations are becoming more and more important. </p>
<p>@challengefan The Stanford Supplement enables you to list ALL members of your family who have degrees from the University. This includes aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, etc. Because of this, Stanford may give this “distant legacy” some (though likely VERY MINIMAL) consideration. The admission office has stated that it considers “legacies” those whose PARENTS obtained a degree (undergrad or grad) from Stanford, but it gives more weight to undergrad degrees. Having said this, it’s important to note that legacy is just a tipping factor; it’s a tie breaker when all else is equal. I’ve known many great legacies who were rejected.</p>
<p>Your number one goal should be to represent yourself authentically. Your essays should discuss things about which you care in a writing style that reflects your own voice. If you are “very casual and lax,” then your essays should be casual and lax. If you are “very formal,” then your essays should be formal. Let your personality come through.</p>
<p>Stanford sophomore here. CoLOCAL, try to write in a style that best fits you as a person. While you shouldn’t sound purely colloquial, it’s an eyesore to see a brutally rigid essay like what you would write in personal statements for job applications. So if you’re a funny person, don’t be shy to add in a bit of your humor. If you’re not, try to fight the temptation to try and make the admissions officers keel over in laughter. They probably won’t. Also, it is important to remember the subject matter of each essay. Your tone should reflect the gravity of the material you’re writing about. For example, my common app essay was brimming with anticipation and tension of awaiting results and relief and reflection once they’d arrived. My intellectual vitality essay had a tone of awe and resurgence. Meanwhile my roommate essay was about my random collection of minor and useless talents, so I added in my wry humor. Be sincere and genuine in your writing of these essays, and it will show.</p>
<p>The most important thing to remember is that the admissions officers use these essays to piece you together as a person. Here’s a cheesy analogy. Think of your life so far as a sculpture. Now think of each of your essays as a photograph of your life, the sculpture. It’s nearly impossible to fully take in the greatness of a sculpture by looking at a handful of photographs, but that’s what you’re limited to. As the photographer, you shouldn’t take all your photographs from the same vantage point or add meaningless filters. Rather you must approach your subject from different angles and stay true to authenticity. Play around a bit. In order for someone to get the best understanding of you as a person, you need to figure out what messages are the most important for you to convey.</p>
<p>There is no perfect formula to write your essays, but just keep that in mind.</p>
<p>For which essay? For the common app, I wrote about doing research in high school and the realization that it’s hella difficult to get good results or even to have everything go as planned, but that you have to retain your curiosity and push forward. For the "intellectual vitality essay " I wrote about an abstract way to look at cells and what you can do with knowledge about them (by abstract think “The Matrix” style, weird I know but I made it work). For the “what matters most essay” I wrote about the two sides of my family and how they had very different outlooks on life and how taking the best of both outlooks can help me become a better person to myself, my family, and my community. I mentioned what I wrote about in my roommate essay in the previous post. Have fun with this essay in particular, because you can really show your humor and creativity. Don’t worry it doesn’t actually go to your roommate. I feel like it’s there to give people a sense of what you’re like when you’re not staring at psets and reading materials. I’m not sure if yall’s essays are going to be the same, but this should give you sort of an idea of what I chose as my “angles”.</p>