<p>for the Stanford short response question "what is your favourite book", i put Harry Potter as one of them coz I AM a Harry Potter fan no matter how unintellectual that is. and my uncle who's guiding my apps (he studied MBA there before) adviced me to leave that out coz Stanford doesn't like people who like Harry Potter. They like intellectual people.</p>
<p>REALLY? what's wrong with reading Harry Potter? Can't you love it AND be intellectual? must we all write "XXX's organic chemistry" or "XXX's biography" and pretend to be grown up and all that?</p>
<p>argh. feeling so upset now. why can't i just be myself.</p>
<p>I am not an admissions officer, but every professor I know has read the Harry Potter books, and every Stanford grad I know.... but seriously, I really don't think this is true at all. Don't try to second guess them so much, I am as sure as one can be without being on the admissions committee that it isn't a problem at all.</p>
<p>(full disclosure - my daughter also put down Harry Potter as one of her favorite books, so my advice to you is at least consistent! :)</p>
<p>...awww just because Harry chose to go to Princeton.......
:D</p>
<p>:)
.....you should particularly put down whatever you believe in
if the college does not want someone based on their beliefs
it is probably not worth attending in the first place?</p>
<p>Stanford being in the preminent position it is in, I highly
doubt they would reject anybody for a book they liked....
I would say
your uncle needs to let the bees out of his derrier </p>
<p>That's funny. I was told just the opposite (not for Stanford though). I put 3 textbooks down, becuase thats what I love to do, read textbooks (yeah I know kind nerdy :)). In fact, with exception of Harry Potter, I haven't read a single fiction book (with excpetin of those required for school) since like 2nd or 3rd grade. To put down fiction would be to completely misconstrue who I am. Yet I have been told by 2 people that I should put at least 1 fiction book down so I appear as "human" to the adcom. I guess it really depends on who reivews your app.</p>
<p>If i were you, I would just put down waht you want to because, if they reject you for it (which is very highly unlikely), at least they'll be rejecting you instead of some person you purported to be</p>
<p>Hahaha I know it might sound weird to you that someone's favorite book is an organic chemistry text, but trust me, I know what they're talking about :). I hate fiction. I love learning. I put down a math text as my favorite because it was on like the coolest thing I had ever learned. Hopefully that person who put down organic chemistry is not lieing just to sound "intellectual" as you put it, but I'd imagine if they put it down, they at least like it a little bit.</p>
<p>There's a student-initiated course here on the Harry Potter series. I'm reasonably sure that, if the University sponsors such a course, they don't think Harry Potter is a stupid thing to like. Be honest and explain yourself :)</p>
<p>Hogwarts and Stanford are rivals, did you not know???</p>
<p>Relating to the OP, though Harry Potter is a favorite book, a lot of other people enjoy it too. The free-response section is made to separate you from the rest of the other applicants, and mentioning a generally acknowledged book shows that you don't have much scope beyond the average reader.</p>
<p>I say if you can write a good answer with Harry Potter, go for it! You better have a really good answer though, Harry Potter will be a more common answer than you think, and yes, it does look a little childish.</p>
<p>Are you expected to explain why your favorite books are your favorite books? If you are, and you can really articulate why you love HP, then go for it. But if you're just supposed to list favorite books, I honestly wouldn't put Harry Potter because you have no opportunity to explain why you like it. Anyway, whatever you decide, I'm 99% sure it won't affect your admissions (unless I'm totally deceived and these short answers are like 300 word things).</p>
<p>i thought it was ok to just list your favorite books/authors/musicians... there's no space to explain much. is it ok if i just list them or is it better to choose one and explain a little? i doubt i could explain why such book is my favorite in the space provided...</p>
<p>USC has the same thing. They asked for my fav band, book, movie etc. They stated however that it has nothing to do with an admission decision. I mean seriously think abotu it. They can't reject you just because you're an avid harry potter fan and you like the book. THe book is appealing, so much that JK rowling is richer than the queen of england now...i mean it's one of te few fiction books that appeals to adults AS WELL as children...whether you have to explain why you like it or not is no difference. Just because you are one of the millions of people that love harry potter doesn't mean you're conforming to society and you're an average reader. It just means you enjoy fiction. that's basically it. They can't penalize you for it and they sure as hell won't reject you for it. This part of the application is just to see (for fun) what type of person you are and what you enjoy. Unless it's the essay part that tells you to describe a book and why you like it etc...if you're applying to standford, i'm sure you have enough creativity to put how much you love harry potter on paper..</p>
<p>and if you're a big harry potter fan and stanford rejects you for it, why do you still wanna go there in the first place? they'd be rejecting you for you. College is not a place where you reinvent yourself to be someone you're not, it's a place to define yourself. so go define yourself as a harry potter fan!</p>
<p>I would list it; I listed a lot of things which are truly me, and if the admission readers don't like it then why would I want to go to such a place anyway. Well, I doubt writing "Harry Potter" will hurt you. I listed several books, including a few that I read in elementary and middle school, because truthfully they were some of the best books I've read in terms of plot and theme. Make sure you write something else that shows a higher level of thinking though (I listed 1984, which I thought was the most stirring book on the possibilities of government) and you might even be commended for taking a risk.</p>
<p>I think you should list Harry Potter if you love the books. If you love reading textbooks, list that. They just want to get a better sense of what you are like as a person. You don't need to try to stand out; if you really try to communicate who you are and what you love, you will stand out. </p>
<p>I highly doubt listing it would hurt you. That seems more or less impossible. It could actually help, as it would suggest that you are being honest about who you are and might suggest that the rest of your application is also an honest, authentic representation of yourself. </p>
<p>Don't worry about it. List books you like most. I think the only wrong answers are books that you list just to look good on the application.</p>