Hey guys,
For the question Stanford asks on the application about “what do you think the biggest challenge society faces today is,” I have something to say about society itself, all of society is facing this problem I won’t be singling out a certain group, that isn’t the nicest thing to say. Will Stanford appreciate my honesty or should I tone it down and make it politically correct?
Tone what down? I have no idea what you are trying to say.
My non-politically correct statement–tone it down into something politically correct. I don’t want to say what that statement is because I would not put it past other people to see it on this thread and use it for their own apps, making mine no longer original. However, I can compare it to another concern about society that isn’t politically correct, which would provide an answer for my own concern as well. How about this statement: Society faces the issue of wanting government handouts more than desiring to work hard for success. I know that is generic, but in my mind that is not politically correct to say. This, again, is not my example, it is just similar in that it could be easily offensive so if you all think that what I just said should be toned down in a nicer, more politically correct way, then I will in turn turn down my own different statement.
I said something that may be considered rather um, not-politically-correct myself.
No regrets.
And were you accepted @hopefulmuch ?
I’d say whatever you write has to be less convoluted than the sentence structure of your post if you want a chance if acceptance. Stanford wants students who can think and reason well – just a warning that spouting back rhetoric you heard in a certain echo chamber probably won’t pass for critical thinking.
Never mind, I just looked at your post, you are applying as well. And yes of course @intparent, I thank you for your concern about my writing skills. I assure you that I am a better writer than these posts suggest, I am just very busy at the moment so everything I say is comparable to the stream of consciousness literary device rather than formal writing; however, I will make sure to write more lucidly on my application.
Nobody’s going to steal a potentially offensive statement for their own apps. That’s self-sabotage.
Sure, risk it, there’s nothing on the line but your normal minuscule chances.
Basically, If you can explain why that problem troubles you, it should be fine. Stan does appreciate people who aren’t afraid of doing and saying what they believe in
Actually, on the contrary to some of the opinions contained in this thread, there’s an admissions article published about Stanford (if my memory serves me correctly, also published by Stanford) that states that one thing that can cause an application to be rejected immediately, is if the applicant comes off in a bigoted way. The example given was about someone writing their roommate essay about how democratic they are and how the essay came off as shunning republicans. So if you wanna say something, like the statement you provided as an example, I would generalize it more. I would not say “issue of wanting government handouts” because it’s a controversial issue, but would instead phrase it like “society faces the issue of growing increasingly dependent.” That way, there is no one specific group of people that it may seem like you are targeting. Don’t jeopardize your application by one answer to a short answer.
Yes, I think previous posts are correct in that you should never sound bigoted. My suggestion: generalize your issue, do not single out a certain group, and talk briefly about how you think it affects society.