The essay got a lot of attention so it was very effective. The amount of hate crimes in this country is increasing dramatically. I would hope that more students and parents would pay more attention to diversity in the college experience. This makes me think a lot more of Stanford. I wish more students were creative like this.
If that was “creative” then too bad he blew it for future applicants LOL. They’ll actually have to answer the question. Both parts.
“As the student has reported himself, his response regarding Black Lives Matter was to one of the short-answer questions on the Stanford-specific application, not an essay.” - Ernest Miranda, senior director of media relations at Stanford
Uh, Ernest might want to pay better attention to what they say on their own admissions website:
"Stanford Short Essays
Candidates respond to all three essay topics. There is a 100-word minimum and a 250-word maximum for each essay.
- Stanford students possess an intellectual vitality. Reflect on an idea or experience that has been important to your intellectual development.
- Virtually all of Stanford's undergraduates live on campus. Write a note to your future roommate that reveals something about you or that will help your roommate—and us—know you better.
- What matters to you, and why?"
http://admission.stanford.edu/application/freshman/essays.html
@JBStillFlying I think the student responded to 1 and 3 in a very creative fashion
@collegedad13 - yes, you said that before. For your edification, the definition of “creative” is: relating to or involving the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work.
Let’s also take a look, using Stanford’s own guidelines:
"We want to hear your individual voice in your writing. Write essays that reflect who you are and write in a natural style. "
- Fail. Perhaps who this student is includes copying hashtags from others. But it's not his voice.
“Begin work on these essays early, and feel free to ask your parents, teachers and friends to provide constructive feedback.”
- Fail. He might have gotten feedback but this is a high school trick usually accomplished about 10 minutes before the essay is due. Hardly "early".
“Ask if the essay’s tone sounds like your voice.”
- Fail. Not his voice (see above) and if a parent or teacher told him otherwise they were doing him a disservice. Sure, it worked - this time.
“While asking for feedback is suggested, do not enlist hired assistance in the writing of your essays.”
- Score. Pretty obvious he didn't do this.
In truth, what’s happening is because the kid blabbed about pulling a good one on Stanford, the school had to backpedal and lie about whether those were even essays. Yeah, he’s effected change all right. Maybe not for the better, however.
@JBStillFlying most students do not have the kind of advocacy and activism work and experience this student has. His experience speaks for itself and makes his response to the prompt genuine and organic. Stanford is known for its iconoclastic and irreverent culture and did the right thing to admit him. The kid took a bold move but he has a pile of accomplishments and work that back up his bold move.
Much rather admit him than a cookie-cutter applicant who spent hours and hours with his professor/counselor/parent crafting a polished and seemingly insightful essay…
“Much rather admit him than a cookie-cutter applicant who spent hours and hours with his professor/counselor/parent crafting a polished and seemingly insightful essay…”
Interesting. So Stanford has given poor advice?
Advocacy is a noble activity, as long as you can articulate the reasons behind it. Advocacy without thought is not only very easy to do (esp. currently) but is also quite - as you say - “cookie cutter”.
@JBStillFlying If you take a look at his credentials I think it is obvious that his accomplishments are not cookie cutter ones so to speak and far from easy to do. Stanford wouldn’t have accepted him otherwise. Also why do you question his motivation for doing what he does? I can’t speak for him but i can imagine that being a minority in this country, and a much-vilified minority at that, I think he has plenty of reasons to do what he has been doing. Not that you need to be a minority to advocate for these issues, but it probably hits closer to home for him. Again I don’t know the guy so i cannot comment on why he has been putting so much work in advocating for these issues, but I presume neither do you.
No Stanford has given great instructions, but the instructions can be interpreted in more than one ways. If a student has meaningful and impressive work to back up his alternative interpretation of the instructions and in general the college admissions conventions, then why not? Few students can pull off sometime like this but kudos to anyone who can.
“Also why do you question his motivation for doing what he does? I can’t speak for him but i can imagine that being a minority in this country, and a much-vilified minority at that, I think he has plenty of reasons to do what he has been doing.”
@Penn95 I didn’t question his motives - I don’t know his motives, being that he didn’t articulate them in that third essay. Are you saying that because he’s a minority he gets a pass on that? Do you think Stanford thought that as well? And do you think that an interpretation that essentially ignores half the question is acceptable? You seem to be drawing quite a few conclusions regarding his “credentials” as well. Have you read his application?
It may be fine to write essays in hashtags for his high school’s writing class. He is going to have a rude awakening when he shows up for his PWR1 class (freshman writing class).
I believe the prompt was something like “what matters to you and why” . the second part never got addressed. Essays are supposed to respond to the prompt
Good grief… all the whining and gnashing of teeth. He took a gamble. No one knows whether it helped, whether he got in despite the essay, or maybe it didn’t matter either way…
In any case… GET. OVER. IT. Almost everyone here is just projecting…
I still have to hand it to the student. He did a great job.
i genuinely hate hearing that he “didn’t deserve it”, he was incredibly qualified and took a creative risk! good for him!
@2017journalismhopeful who told you that? The main negatives on this tread is that he didn’t follow the essay prompt, didn’t use his own words, and that Stanford ended up lying about whether those short essays were even supposed to be essays.
Also, How do you know he was incredibly qualified - did he post his GPA and test scores, for instance?
It also should be noted that the media probably played up this situation, and the applicant went along. But he may have been a very qualified applicant nevertheless, although I personally don’t think what the applicant did was all that creative. But I tend to think he must have been qualified, even though I have no evidence because I have to think that Stanford admission committee does its job pretty well. So I am giving the benefit of doubt.
@JBStillFlying has a point though. I tend to believe the applicant just blabbed and the media took advantage of the blabbing kid. lol He probably won’t go to Stanford anyway imo . . . after what transpired. But kids being kids, some probably would admire him for what he did.
The student also earned admission to Yale & Princeton. It was not a fluke.
I agree that it was probably not a fluke. Not saying he was not qualified. I just don’t think his essay was creative or responsive. So I agree with what you say. I am also NOT saying he should not have been admitted because of the essay. He probably was well qualified, and really, no one knows whether the essay helped in his admission. We will never know.
Another article on the essay, this from a Yale alum and alumni interviewer.
I am having trouble understanding why there is such animosity towards a black muslim kid. It sure sounds to me that it is more racially based than anything. When my kid got admitted to Stanford their main essay was about how traffic lights can be annoying. I guess a lot of posters would find that appalling also. ( For the record they chose not to go to Stanford). You often times need to think out side of the box if you want to be successful. It seems that so many people are either unable or unwilling to do that. I admire Ziad. I wish more kids could be like him rather than obsessing over an SAT score or how many AP tests you can take and then feeling anger when they didn’t get into their dream school and blame it on unqualified minorities taking their place rather than looking in the mirror and realizing their lack of creativity is to blame.