<p>I'm applying RD and I'm just wondering if you could help me out.</p>
<p>For the essay, what kind of topics did you write about? </p>
<p>I'm trying to get a feel for what kind of people Stanford wants, because i think each school looks for certain qualities of people that can contribute to their stanford community</p>
<p>anyways it thanks guys and congratz</p>
<p>Don't worry about what they want. I think the key is to make yourself climb out of the page with your essays. They need to see the person behind the stats and then decide if they want him/her or not. You won't be able to make up qualities they want, just be yourself.</p>
<p>I'm not sure what kind of things to put in my statement though.... like my activities? or experiences? this is so confusing and stressful :(</p>
<p>I'm not accepted (did not apply SCEA), but can probably give you some tips.</p>
<p>Write about something that matters to YOU. Whether it be a personal experience, a memorable piece of advice, a person who had a significant impact upon you and your mindset, or a framed "personal statement." In short, do what works for YOU.</p>
<p>My essay, like myself, had seemingly random bits of information that were bounded by a frame/common thread. It was metaphorical, and it really seemed to work for me.</p>
<p>When you read over your essay, you better be thinking, "Oh baby! Only I could write this!" If you can do that, you're golden.</p>
<p>I think this article has most of the good/common advice about essay content.</p>
<h2>WRITING THE ESSAY: SOUND ADVICE FROM AN EXPERT</h2>
<p>Fast Food. That's what I think of when I try to draw an analogy with the process of reading application essays. </p>
<p>The bad. Ninety percent of the applications I read contain what I call McEssays - usually five-paragraph essays that consist primarily of abstractions and unsupported generalization. They are technically correct in that they are organized and have the correct sentence structure and spelling, but they are boring. Sort of like a Big Mac. I have nothing against Big Macs, but the one I eat in Charlottesville is not going to be fundamentally different from the one I eat in Paris, Peoria or Palm Springs. I am not going to rage about the quality of a particular Big Mac. The same can be said about the generic essay. If an essay starts out: "I have been a member of the band and it has taught me leadership, perseverance and hard work," I can almost recite the rest of the essay without reading it. Each of the three middle paragraphs gives a bit of support to an abstraction, and the final paragraph restates what has already been said. A McEssay is not wrong, but it is not going to be a positive factor in the admission decision. It will not allow a student to stand out.</p>
<p>A student who uses vague abstractions poured into a preset form will end up being interpreted as a vague series of abstractions. A student who uses clich</p>
<p>Thanks, this article helped me out a lot. </p>
<p>It's just... I'm so confused and stuff about what I should include in my essay. I have experiences w/ caring for disabled children, i have experiences living in a foreign country, i have experiences teaching english to orphans in a diff country,, but i don't know if i should include all of them or just focus on one. =/
my sister (yale under and harvard law) tells me to put all my experiences, but then as that article says the essay gets too abstract and im basically telling, instead of showing because i have no space. sigh..
I wish someone could read my essay and tell me what they think</p>
<p>I would say focus on one. You can ask people here to read it for you and give you an idea. I had someone do that for mine and got good suggestions; I think they helped me improve quite a bit (though reading them now I wish I had started writing more than three days before the deadline :)).</p>
<p>Haha. tell me about it. actually, there's exactly 3 days left until the stannie's deadline @<a href="mailto:_@">_@</a>. oh the joy of procrastination, esp when your future is on the line..</p>
<p>The advice is baloney. It is good intro to creative writing class, but most 17 year olds can't weave abstract philosophy. Most have fast food experiences, and most will write about that. Nothing wrong - they want to know you. If you are simpleton - you are simpleton. But even simpletons can learn from simple but meaningful experiences in life.</p>
<p>i wrote a good essay the moment i stopped trying to.</p>
<p>Rani- Didn't you say you got a UGA decision as well as a Stanford one? How did you do that without applying early to both schools? (Or did you?)</p>
<p>She did, I guess.</p>
<p>EA @ UGA (non-binding), and SCEA @ Stanford.</p>
<p>Can you apply SCEA for one and EA for another?</p>
<p>ranisparkle- wonderful advice.</p>
<p>i applied to four schools actually. stanford is my first choice but they allow me to apply to any public university, any rolling admission, or any scholarship.. so i did!</p>
<p>Students applying to Stanford's Single-Choice Early Action program may apply to </p>
<p>Any institution under a non-binding rolling admission option
Public institutions under a non-binding Early Action program
Foreign colleges/universities on any application schedule
Schools whose early application deadlines are a requirement for consideration for special academic programs or scholarships only if the notification of admission occurs after January 1, and to
Schools under an Interim Decision program only if the notification of admission occurs after January 1. </p>
<p>those are direct quotes from the stanford website.</p>
<p>Oh whoops. I actually didn't know that =\ I thought it applied to all Early Action programs, not just those for private schools. Otherwise I would've applied early to UGA as well just to have my decision now. Oh well, Tech's already came a while back =p</p>
<p>haha i take it you are from ga?</p>