<p>I hate to sound like a college app centered person.....but I'm not sure which of my interests to emphasize for Stanford. I'm an Eagle Scout and have volunteered at a local clinic a lot this summer, so I know a lot about persistence and community service. At the same time, I run my own computer website business that I'm very involved in; but then again, I'm applying for a biomedical engineering major and am very passionate about math/science/technology (highlighted by my AMC12/AIME performance and placing 8th at nationals in a technology competition). But then again, I am also very heavily interested in the stock market and finance. But then I also like to write poetry/read books (scored 5 on AP English Lang & Comp). Outside of school, I play a lot of basketball for fun.</p>
<p>So I'm pretty well rounded in my activites, but what adcoms want to see is passion about one or two subjects right? I'm not sure what to focus on in my essays. In one way, I want to say that math/science/tech is what I love, but on the other, I want to show that I'm unique in that I'm a biomedical engineering major, but like stocks, english, and sports.</p>
<p>umm...why don't you play to both of ur strengths. A techy person that also knows how to write well is hard to find (that's exactly how I approached my app).</p>
<p>I would stay away from saying "I'm a ..... major" on your admissions essay. Stick to interests/passions/other current things, but don't get ahead of yourself. </p>
<p>I would also try to narrow down what you write about. Saying you enjoy things like "finance, sports, english, math, and science" is too much for a college essay. You really need to find one thing - maybe two - and stick to those and those alone. Try using concrete experiences that encompass several of these larger activities, rather than merely describing how you enjoy the activity itself. In essence, start from the bottom up rather than the top down.</p>
<p>You get to write one essay and four short answer questions. You can write them all about different things. I suggest for the long essay writing about something that shows who you are. The short answer questions can be more about what you do or what interests you. For example, you could write a note to your roommate about something you did to become and Eagle Scout, your intellectually interesting essay about finances and/or sports, your activity essay about your business, and your "Why Stanford?" essay about your passion for math/science/technology. You get a lot of freedom. If you really are deeply passionate about many things, I don't think you need to focus on just one or two. You DO need to show that you are very passionate about at least one or two and have spent a lot of time pursuing your interests and excelling at what you love, but if you love a lot of things, that's fine too. Hopefully your recs and EC list will also communicate that. </p>
<p>I think the main thing with the essays is that you want to 1) show who you are and 2) demonstrate that your are passionate about something, or perhaps many things. If you are a person who loves a lot of things, that's fine. In fact, that probably makes Stanford a great place for you because it is incredibly strong in all the areas you mentioned! </p>
<p>Also, I don't think adcoms want you to just be passionate about one or two things. They want you to pursue your passion, work hard, and do something with it. Some people can be talented athletes, strong debaters, top students, beautiful singers, and also have completed interesting, cutting-edge research. If you are strong in multiple areas, that's fine! They just don't want you to join a million clubs and have no depth to any of your activities. It's fine if you have depth in several activities. I have plenty of friends at Stanford like that.</p>
<p>The prompt for the roommate prompt is: 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.</p>
<p>So in that, I'm trying to tell my roommate all my interests, etc. But would that be too cliche? I think a bunch of applicants will tell the roommate what they like, etc. right?</p>
<p>Don't be afraid to be creative, especially with the roommate question. I don't remember exactly what mine said, but it was something involving me being an Eagle Scout, but a fair amount of it was playful, conversational banter. Through the way I wrote it, the style of the piece of you will, I tried to show my sense of humor and generally sarcastic demeanor. You've heard of the phrase "show, don't tell" with regard to writing right? Well, that's exactly what you can do here to set yourself apart. Make it interesting and unique while still being substative and I would be dollars to doughnuts you can give yourself a significant leg up in the admissions process because you've seperated yourself from the masses.</p>
<p>ah, the roommate prompt... <em>sigh</em>
I didn't write about myself at all, either. I copied and pasted an artsy piece about disconnected souls I had written earlier. On one hand, it reads like New Age mumbo jumbo, but on the other hand, it got me in.</p>
<p>i was wondering...for the roommate question..do you actually address the new roommate like "i looking forward to meeting you" kinda thing, or can you just talk about yourself/ your topic.</p>
<p>
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You get to write one essay and four short answer questions. You can write them all about different things.
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Yes, take advantage of that! It gives you an opportunity to show different sides of your personality.</p>
<p>The roommate essay should be fun to write (and read). It can be written any way you want, does not need to be formal, and can show something about you that has no other place on the application.</p>