<p>What are your guys opinions on the supplement essays? i have heard that perhaps the most important one out of all your essays is the intellectual vitality one...</p>
<p>They are extremely important. Stanford wouldn’t have applicants write them if this weren’t the case, as they are subjecting themselves to reading 38,828 of them. </p>
<p>But having said this, their importance varies from case to case. Different applicants definitely stand out for different reasons. Though I think my Stanford Supplement essays were solid, the admission committee really liked my Common App main essay and how it related to my ECs. But I definitely know kids for whom the supplemental essays were the tipping factor. An example: one my friends was admitted because the committee liked the sense of humor that he conveyed in his letter to roommate essay. </p>
<p>On the topic of intellectual vitality, Stanford says that that essay itself as well as the concept of “loving learning for its own sake” play huge roles in the deciding whom to admit. Based on my observations of people, I’d say that a good number of people do seem to be passionate about learning. Those who aren’t are typically passionate about something else. The whole concept of passion is big here, and Dean Shaw is big on admitting kids who really love what they do. Essentially, the intellectual vitality essay may make the difference in some cases, but it certainly doesn’t in all of them. </p>
<p>In closing, the entire application is important. What’s nice about the length of the Stanford supplement is that it gives you the opportunity to tell the committee a lot about yourself. Thus, it increases the likelihood that they’ll find something to like.</p>
<p>“Though I think my Stanford Supplement essays were solid, the admission committee really liked my Common App main essay and how it related to my ECs.”</p>
<p>How do you know? Do they give comments on your app when accepted?</p>
<p>when my daughter was admitted they told her what they thought was ‘special’ specifically about her - more or less why she was admitted. quite interesting i thought. i think they do this for everyone once they commit.</p>
<p>^ How do they tell you? I am just curious. I wish every school would tell you why you are admitted or rejected.</p>
<p>after she committed they sent a sort of ‘welcome’ letter and it was in this letter. i agree - would be bloody useful if all colleges did this.</p>
<p>Every Stanford admit receives a letter from his/her admission officer congratulating him/her on getting into Stanford and inviting him/her to Admit Weekend. This letter contains a handwritten paragraph describing what the admission officer/committee liked about his/her application. This is essentially a tool to increase yield, as an an admit develops a “warm and fuzzy” feeling about Stanford upon receiving this letter. I know that Harvard and Yale do something similar. </p>
<p>In addition to this, many admits meet their admission officer at Admit Weekend, which features a picnic with the admission officers and Dean Shaw. At this point, most admission officers again convey what they liked about applications, often quoting excerpts from people’s essays.</p>