I guess the most important thing I learned from going through the entire common application process for Stanford was how important it was to write about yourself and your passions. My high school never really encouraged creative writing. The most we’ve ever done was write short twenty-sentence essays and book reports.
Whatever we did in English or for writing, it was always for an exam. We were asked to keep journals in grade school, but we were never asked to write about something we were really interested in. Even then, local high schools never encouraged much self-expression.
That’s probably why the Stanford Essays were challenging. I had to come up with good prose, and somehow convey my message and my personality in it. I started as early as possible and had many readers to give me input. It took me months before I was completely satisfied. With that said, there are a couple of tips I have for the aspiring Stanford student:
Start Early
When I was applying to Stanford, I had to fill out the common application and the supplement, which is still the case this year.You had your pick of a couple of essays, most of them involving what you’re passionate about, or influential people in your life.
In fact, I was actually found the “note to your roommate” the most challenging piece of writing I had to create. The sheer number of essays for Stanford and other schools was daunting, and I would suggest creating outlines REALLY early. In fact, start as soon as the topics are released.
Be Prepared to Constantly Change Your Topic
There’s another reason why I suggested you start early. When I was working on my essays, I went through countless drafts, and I also constantly changed the topics I was working on. What started as an inspirational essay about my piano teacher became a memory I had of my mother coupled with my grandfather’s influence on my individuality. Writing is a constantly evolving process, and as a writer trying to create the best material for the application, I would suggest that you brace yourself for a tedious process of thinking and re-thinking your essay topic for the next few months.
Be Honest
Don’t write about business and economics if you know that isn’t what drives you. Don’t write about community service if you haven’t had that much experience in the field. The best advice I can give you is to focus on yourself and what makes you stand out. Don’t try to please Stanford by pulling out all the Computer Science terms you know, and don’t tell them you want to become a doctor when you really want to become an artist.
When I wrote the essays, I chose to focus on my passion in art, and all the art classes I took throughout high school and expressed my wish to study Art History. I chose my mother’s and grandfather’s quotes to show how passionate I was about being female and an equal in a relatively traditional Chinese family.
I tried to express my passion for Asian cultures in my note to my future roommate.I tried to portray myself as diverse and not one-dimensional, and I would suggest that others do the same. I think this is the one thing that U.S. students don’t have. It’s a closer connection to our culture and interest in other cultures and playing this up might be advantageous. I remember writing about Korean dramas (my high school obsession) when I had to tackle my note to roommate essay.
Keep Revising: Revising Makes Perfect
To me, this wasn’t just any other school essay that I could just slack off on and improve later. I was constantly trying to cut down on words and add more insight into the essay until the day before I had to mail it in. Come up with a schedule. Block out hours at a time to write and revise essays and try to be systematic about it. Keep your essays in order and in folders so you know which ones to work on.
Find Editors and Proofreaders
I really had it easy for this one. I signed up for a counseling service and they helped me revise my edits and pointed out the biggest flaws in my writing. If you feel like this is unnecessary, find any of your relatives or friends who are good writers and make sure they have the time to work on these essays with you.
The Essay process may appear daunting, but I promise you, if you remain organized, work early and keep revising, you will most likely produce quality work that will make schools consider you for admission. While there really is no sure-fire method of getting into Stanford or other good schools for that matter, essays really do help your chances.