stanford admitted students essay

12 Best Stanford Supplemental Essays That Worked 2024

Your essays are one of the best ways you can stand out in Stanford's competitive admissions process.

In this article, I'm going to share with you 12 answers to Stanford's notorious writing supplement from an admitted student.

Stanford University Admissions FAQs

Many students are interested in applying to Stanford, even though admission may seem like a long-shot.

But you may surprise yourself, and for many students it's the only time in their life they'll apply.

Here are some common questions students and parents have about Stanford's admissions:

What is Stanford University's acceptance rate?

This past year, Stanford had a record 55,471 applications and admitted 2,190 students. That gives Stanford an overall admit rate of 3.95%.

Or in other words, less than 1 in 25 students are admitted.

Just having good stats is not enough to get into schools like Stanford.

Which makes your essays are a critical opportunity for you to show why you should be accepted.

Stanford University Acceptance Scattergram

But for any school that has competitive admissions like Stanford, that only means your essays are more heavily weighed.

Each year thousands of students apply with stats that are good enough to get in. And your essays are one important factor admissions officers use.

What is Stanford's application deadline for this year?

Stanford offers two admissions deadlines for 2022-23: restrictive early action and regular decision.

For this year, Stanford's deadlines are:

• Restrictive Early Action (REA): November 1st, 2022
• Regular Decision (RD): January 5th, 2023

How many essays does Stanford require?

This year, Stanford University requires applying students to answer five Short Questions and write three Short Essays. If you're applying with the Common App, you'll also need a strong personal statement essay .

Stanford is notorious for its lengthy and creative writing supplement. The questions are known to be thought-provoking, which is done on purpose.

Stanford admissions officers want to dig into your thought process, and learn how you think.

What are the Stanford supplemental essay prompts for 2022-23?

For 2024, the Stanford writing supplement consists of eight questions total:

Short Questions

Stanford requires applicants to answer five short answer questions of between 3 and 50 words each.

What is the most significant challenge that society faces today? (3-50 words)

How did you spend your last two summers? (3-50 words)

What historical moment or event do you wish you could have witnessed? (3-50 words)

Briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities, a job you hold, or responsibilities you have for your family. (3-50 words)

Name one thing you are looking forward to experiencing at Stanford. (3-50 words)

Short Essays

Stanford's short essays are three required essays of between 100 and 250 words each.

The Stanford community is deeply curious and driven to learn in and out of the classroom. Reflect on an idea or experience that makes you genuinely excited about learning. (100-250 words)

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 – get to know you better. (100-250 words)

Tell us about something that is meaningful to you and why. (100-250 words)

Stanford's unique prompts give you a lot of freedom in how you choose to respond.

But being so open-ended can also make it difficult to get started.

Because of that, it can be helpful to see how other students wrote answers to Stanford's prompts in recent years.

12 Stanford University Essays That Worked

For getting your best shot at Stanford, you'll need to write authentic and interesting essays.

My advice: Have fun with the prompts when coming up with ideas. But write about them with care and diligence. Above all, be authentic.

Check out how these admitted Stanford students wrote their essay and short answer responses.

I've also included a great Common App essay from an admitted student.

• Stanford University Essay Example #1
• Stanford University Essay Example #2
• Stanford University Essay Example #3
• Stanford University Essay Example #4
• Stanford University Essay Example #5
• Stanford University Essay Example #6
• Stanford University Essay Example #7
• Stanford University Essay Example #8
• Stanford University Essay Example #9
• Stanford University Essay Example #10
• Stanford University Essay Example #11
• Stanford University Essay Example #12

1. Stanford University Short Question

Prompt: What is the most significant challenge that society faces today? (50 words max)

RECOGNIZING. CLIMATE. CHANGE.

Why This Essay Works:

• Bold and Unique: Stanford's prompts reward bold and genuine writing. It is okay to be simple and straightforward, but still must be thoughtful as this response is.
• Well-Composed: Although only three words, this response still shows thought. The use of capitalization and periods separating each word emphasizes the author's point and makes it even more poignant.

What They Might Change:

• Use The Full Word Limit: It is risky to leave 47 words unused. This essay succeeds in taking that risk, but generally you should use all the words available because each one is an opportunity to convey more meaning.

2. Stanford University Short Question

Prompt: How did you spend your last two summers? (50 words max)

[Date] : Working with the head of IT at Golden Gate Parks and Rec to renovate the social media program and redesign the website. (sfrecpark.org)

[Date] : Studying at Stanford High School Summer College, building a family in two months.

• Answers Prompt Directly: This response leaves no room for doubt. And shows that you don't have to be fancy or "try hard" for all essays. Sometimes plain answers work best when it is a short prompt like this one.
• Organized Clearly: For straightforward answers, having a straightforward structure can be a good thing. Each word is used carefully and has a purpose.
• Has Strong Ideas: You don't need much to convey meaning. In just the last six words ("building a family in two months") there is hints of deeper ideas.

3. Stanford University Short Question

Prompt: What historical moment or event do you wish you could have witnessed? (50 words max)

The Trinity test, the first detonation of the atomic bomb. For one, an opportunity to meet my role models: Oppenheimer, Feynman, Fermi, etc. But also, to witness the 4 millisecond shift to an era of humanity that could eradicate itself. “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.”

• Connects To Author's Interests: The author cleverly reveals about themselves by telling their role models: the physicists involved.
• Shows Specific Knowledge: Rather than just saying "the first atomic bomb test", the author names it specifically: The Trinity Test. Including the famous Oppenheimer quote from the Bhagavad Gita also shows real thought was put into it.

4. Stanford University Short Question

Prompt: Name one thing you are looking forward to experiencing at Stanford. (50 words max)

Representing an ideal.

Stanford is a gathering place of people working towards a common ideal; one of engagement, passion, intellectual vitality, and devotion to progress. This is what I stand for, so I want to help Stanford represent it.

(Also those cream cheese croissants from CoHo.)

• Idea-Focused: The author's take on what Stanford represents ("an ideal") is a unique perspective.
• Authentic Motivations: Revealing your genuine motivation for attending a school shows your interest is not surface-level. The author's motivation is also a powerful one: representing an ideal.
• Lighthearted and Relatable: The last remark in parantheses lightens the tone, while still relating to Stanford specifically. Admissions officers surely would crack a smile at this remark because it is relatable to them and genuine.

5. Stanford University Short Question

Prompt: What five words best describe you? (5 words max)

I don’t conform to arbitrary boundaries.

• Bold and Takes a Risk: Stanford supplements are the perfect place to take a (calculated) risk. This type of answer only works if A.) it hasn't been done before and B.) it is genuine and not done just for the sake of risk-taking.

6. Stanford University Short Question

Prompt: Imagine you had an extra hour in the day — how would you spend that time? (50 words max)

One extra hour is thirty minutes extra of daylight.

The US has 28 GW of installed solar capacity. With the extra daylight, there will be a 4% increase in national capacity, an entire GW added. This small increase alone powers 700,000 homes. I’m spending the time investing in photovoltaics!

• Thinks Outside the Box: Most students would answer this prompt more literally: with what activity they would do. Having a unique approach shows your ability to think differently.
• Cleverness: Strikes the right balance between being clever and genuinely answering the prompt. Trying too hard to be clever is easily seen-through.
• Explain Acronyms Before Using: Instead of writing "GW," the first reference should say "gigawatt." This is a minor semantic correction that would make things slightly more clear.

7. Stanford University "Genuinely Excited About Learning" Short Essay

Prompt: The Stanford community is deeply curious and driven to learn in and out of the classroom. Reflect on an idea or experience that makes you genuinely excited about learning. (100-250 words)

It’s in the mail.

I rip open the package.

It feels sleek along my fingertips. Three volumes. Gorgeous red binding with stunning silver lettering. THE Feynman LECTURES ON PHYSICS The NEW MILLENIUM Edition

I had heard about them previously, but a Quora thread on “essential physics texts” convinced me to invest in them. I thought I was buying a textbook, but I was buying a new way of life. That night, while I laid in bed, Feynman changed my entire perspective of the universe. In the first lecture.

Not only was he a Nobel prize winning physicist with a unique approach to the subject, but his pedagogical capabilities were perfectly suited to my personality. When Feynman teaches, he does not just teach physics, he teaches how to think and understand. He helped me recognize that my passion wasn’t for physics, it was for a passion for learning and understanding.

Spoken directly from the source: “I don't know anything, but I do know that everything is interesting if you go into it deeply enough.”

Reading the Lectures rouses within me the most intense feeling of elation I have ever experienced. When I open the Lectures, any bad mood is erased, any haze in my mind is cleared away, and I become the person I strive to be.

Now, I always have at least one of the Lectures on me. At festivals, in backpacks, in carryons, if I am there, so are the Lectures.

• Tells a Story: Painting a vivid picture can bring admissions officers into your world. Using stories also is a compelling way to share ideas without stating them plainly.
• Showcases Genuine Interest: Write about things in a way that only you could write about. The authenticity in this essay is palpable.

8. Stanford University "Letter to Roommate" Short Essay

Prompt: 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. (100-250 words)

Dear roommate,

Don’t be alarmed if you glance over at my laptop late at night displaying a plague doctor examining a watermelon with a stethoscope, meticulously listening for a heartbeat.

I apologise for waking you, but before requesting a room change, allow me to explain. This twisted scene is innocently my favorite video on YouTube. I have ASMR, Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response. It is a euphoric, calming sensation triggered by visual and auditory stimuli like whispering and fine movements, which I use to aid my insomnia. This plague doctor, played by youtuber Ephemeral Rift, has movements as he inspects the watermelon that are as calming to me as a mother’s lullabies are to a child.

I know we will both have our strong, unique personalities with our individual quirks like this. However, I guarantee we have a fundamental similarity which lead us to becoming Stanford students.

We have passion for learning. Even if two people are polar-opposite personalities, they can become family if they have this.

That said, I have a feeling we won’t be polar opposites. I love jamming on my guitar, going out to parties, playing video games, messing around with soccer, and a hodgepodge of other hobbies. I’m sure we’ll have some common ground to start off but either way there will be plenty of time to grow together!

P.S. I am a whiteboard fiend. I hope that’s okay.

• Humanizes the Author: Being quirky for quirkiness sake isn't good. But the author strikes a balance between showing their unique (some may say strange) interests and the relatable aspects (like whiteboards, going to parties, and soccer).
• Connects to Bigger Ideas: Even in "unserious" writing, connecting to meaningful ideas is key. The author brilliantly shows what relates all Stanford students: their passion for learning.
• Minor Writing Fixes: Small edits such as capitalizing the proper noun "Youtuber" and some word choices could be altered.

9. Stanford University "Meaningful To You" Short Essay

Prompt: Tell us about something that is meaningful to you and why. (100-250 words)

A meaningful discussion can be found deep in the jungle of YouTube, during an obscure “CBS This Morning” interview with Bill Murray.

“What do you want, that you don’t have?” - Charlie Rose

Bill Murray - “I’d like to be here all the time, and just see what I could get done, what I could do if I really, you know, didn’t cloud myself... if I were able to... to not get distracted. To not change channels in my mind and body, to be my own channel.”

Death is scary but my slimy, monolithic, Lovecraftian fear is unengagement. I only have a brief time to experience life and I know I will find the most fulfillment in “[seeing] what I could get done.” When I feel that signature fuzzy, tired feeling in my head, I am reminded of my old night terrors; I would be awake yet unable to interact with my surroundings.

In sophomore year, when I discovered my passion for physics, I found a powerful way to stay engaged. Developing a passion fundamentally requires me, as Murray puts it, “to be my own channel.” Problem solving, understanding difficult concepts, having intense discussions all demand your mind to be present and I am more than happy to oblige.

Intellectual vitality is not my application buzzword, it is my lifestyle.

• Shows What Drives Them: Admissions officers are interested in the root of your being. That is, what gets you up in the morning. Showing your perspective on life and what you hope to get out of life is key.
• Connects to Application's Interests: A central theme of this author is physics. And each essay relates back to their intended area of study to a varying degree. By connecting to the rest of your application, it creates a cohesive picture of yourself as an applicant.
• Use Less Quotes: Quotes can be great for introducing ideas. But ultimately admissions officers want to hear your words, not other people's. The first three paragraphs are about other people's ideas, not the author's, and could be condensed.

10. Stanford University Short Essay

Prompt: Briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (150 words max)

One month into AP Physics C Mr. Shapiro's cancer came out of remission. With no teacher for the rest of the semester, I offered to give a few lectures. The first try was a huge success and I was hooked on teaching.

Following my newfound addiction, I started Lowell Physics Club (LPC). Our first lecture attracted 50 students, with 40 returning the next week!

A victim of grandeur, I designed an environment more than a club. It had to be innovative, attractive, and have a tangible payoff. We tutor students in physics, connect those looking for fun projects, prepare students for the F=ma Olympiad, and sometimes I give lectures which expand rather than repeat. This year two students qualified.

Mr. Shapiro returned this semester and continued teaching. I can now relax in the back of the room listening to his engaging lectures, occasionally giving one of my own.

• Provides Backstory: Explaining how you got started in an extracurricular is compelling because it reveals your motivations for doing it.
• Shows Takeaways from Their Achievements: Listing achievements and extracurriculars isn't as important as what you got from them. The author emphasizes the important of their extracurricular and why it is meaningful, rather than just what they did.
• Be Careful With Personal Details: Unless this author got permission from "Mr. Shapiro" to use their name, revealing personal details such as health conditions is not good to do. Always be careful naming people in your essays, but especially for potentially sensitive topics.

11. Stanford University Short Question

Prompt: When the choice is yours, what do you read, listen to, or watch? (50 words max)

From my bookshelf, Youtube subscriptions, Netflix history, and Spotify.

The Feynman Lectures, MF Doom, Ephemeral Rift, Tank and The Bangas, The Eric Andre Show, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Hubbard and Hubbard’s Differential Equations and Vector Calculus, Thích Nhất Hạnh, Kamasi Washington, 3Blue1Brown, Al Green, Band of Gypsys, Oxford Press - Very Short Introductions

• Answers Prompt Clearly: Provides a straightforward response without room for misinterpretation.
• Has Good Context: By stating where these interests come from ("bookshelf, Youtube subscriptions, Netflix"), the answers have more context.
• Organization: Listing their interests by type (such as musical artists, authors, and TV shows) would help readers who may not be as familiar with all the interests.

12. Stanford University Common App Essay

Common App Prompt #7: Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you've already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design. (250-650 words)

Slowly, my passion emerged from pretense and envy into reality.

This essay is all based upon the metaphor of "the itch" representing a desire to understand the world. By using a central theme, such as a metaphor, you can create a thread of ideas that run throughout your essay. If you want to use a metaphor, make sure it clearly relates to the idea you're trying to express, rather than choosing one just because it is a creative or unique approach. In this case, there is perhaps no better metaphor than "the itch" which would capture their main idea, so it works well.

Instead of "telling" their ideas, this essay does a lot of fantastic "showing" through specific anecdotes. Sentences like "I learned to sing the blues before I knew the words..." capture a lot about the author's character and background without having to say it outright. By showing the reader, you allow them to draw their own conclusions rather than just having to accept what you're telling them. Using specific language also creates a more vibrant and interesting essay. Rather than saying "I loved learning as a kid," this student shows it using a concrete example: "my favorite book was an introduction to fulcrums".

Writing about other people in your essay can be a great way to tell things about yourself. Known as a literary "foil," by describing other people you can show your own values without stating them plainly. In this essay, the author shows their value (of being passionate about learning) by first recognizing that value in somebody else, "Kikki" in this case. By writing about people in your life, you can also create a sense of humility and humanity. Nobody is an "island," meaning that everyone is influenced by those around us. Showing how you draw inspiration, values, or lessons from others will show more about your character than simply telling admissions would.

In general, listing activities in your essay is a bad strategy, because it is repetitive of your activities list and comes across boring. However, this essay manages to list their activities in the 3rd-to-last paragraph by connecting them to a central idea: how their newfound passion for learning sparked all these new engagements. Listing activities can be okay, but only if they have a clear purpose in doing so. In this case, the purpose is to show how these activities are representative of their new passion for learning. But the purpose for listing activities could also be to show a specific value, provide examples for your idea, demonstrate your new perspective, etc.

What Can You Learn From These Stanford Essays?

Do you want to get into Stanford in 2022? If so, writing great application essays is one of your most critical parts of applying.

With selective schools like Stanford, your essays matter even more.

Hopefully these 12 Stanford short answers and essays have helped inspire you.

From these essay examples, you can learn what it takes to write some stellar Stanford supplements:

• Don't be afraid to be creative
• Don't write formally. You can write as you would speak.
• Showcase your genuine self, interests, and passions
• Think outside the box, if appropriate and natural

If you enjoyed these essays, you'll also like reading UCLA essays and USC essays .

What did you think of these Stanford essays?

Meet the Author

Ryan Chiang

I'm Ryan Chiang and I created EssaysThatWorked.com - a website dedicated to helping students and their families apply to college with confidence & ease. We publish the best college admissions essays from successful applicants every year to inspire and teach future students.

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What do outstanding essays have in common? Here are our 23 most effective strategies based on lessons from admitted students.

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How to Write the Stanford University Essays 2024-2025

Stanford University was founded in 1885 by California Senator Leland Stanford and his wife, Jane, in memory of their son Leland Jr. It’s a private institution located in the gorgeous heart of the California Bay Area. The exciting buzz of start-up opportunities and entrepreneurial spirit permeates student life on campus, with an impressive offering of excellent STEM and humanities majors.

Stanford has become one of America’s most selective universities, with an admissions rate of 4.4% for the class of 2023. However, starting with the class of 2023, they have decided to stop releasing their admissions statistics . They have publicized that this move is “intended as a small step in reducing the outsized emphasis placed on the admission rates at U.S. colleges and universities.”

Other defining aspects include its status as the second largest campus in the world with over 8,000 acres , its undergraduate enrollment of 7,000 students , and ranking as one of the best colleges in the nation and world.

Stanford’s freshman application asks students to respond to 4 different short questions and 3 relatively longer essay questions as part of their admissions process. CollegeVine is here to provide detailed tips and examples to help you approach Stanford’s supplemental essays.

Read these Stanford essay examples to inspire your own writing.

How to Write the Stanford University Supplemental Essays

Short Response Questions (50 words)

• What is the most significant challenge that society faces today?
• How did you spend your last two summers? 
• What historical moment or event do you wish you could have witnessed?
• Briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities, a job you hold, or responsibilities you have for your family.
• List five things that are important to you.  

Essay Questions (100-250 words)

Prompt 1: The Stanford community is deeply curious and driven to learn in and out of the classroom. Reflect on an idea or experience that makes you genuinely excited about learning.

Prompt 2: 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.

Prompt 3:  Please describe what aspects of your life experiences, interests and character would help you make a distinctive contribution as an undergraduate to Stanford University.

Before we dive into the specifics of how to answer each of these short prompts, remember that limiting your responses to only 50 words requires writing answers that are straightforward and direct . Be honest with what you write, but also think critically about the different aspects of your personality you are highlighting with each answer. Try to vary the responses so that they don’t all cluster around only one or two activities or themes.

While these answers won’t make your application, they could break it if you use any inappropriate content; be mindful of your audience by choosing tasteful responses. However, overanalyzing what you think the admissions officers want you to write misses the point of showcasing your individuality.

Let’s discuss each question individually.

Want to know your chances at Stanford? Calculate your chances for free right now.

Short Answer 1

What is the most significant challenge that society faces today (50 words).

For this significant challenge question, you might decide to go with a traditional answer but still put a creative spin on it. Avoid picking an obscure or arbitrary topic that is not actually a significant challenge, and also watch out for writing about an issue in overly vague terms. You could write about topics like gender parity, aging populations, skills development, or climate change, but be careful since those topics have the potential to become trite depending on how you address them.

Writing simply about the fact that the challenge exists is also less interesting than if you wrote something referencing momentum in terms of future change, or possibly even past decline. For example, in addressing a topic like pollution, you could talk about how your view is that you believe the greatest challenge will be spreading actionable awareness of the issue to overcome our current apathy, maybe with a brief suggestion on how that could be attained. Doing so would make your answer stand out more than just speaking too generally.

To give another example, if you talked about gender inequality, and suggested focusing on addressing the gender gap within STEM fields more specifically, you would be showing that you think proactively about trying to solve the issue without oversimplifying it. 

Short Answer 2

How did you spend your last two summers (50 words).

Writing about how you spent your last two summers should be pretty direct­­­ — anything you have been involved in is fair game, and showing a variety of interests is again advisable. For example, you could write out a list of the disparate activities like:

“I prepared for and competed in SkillsUSA’s National Skills and Leadership Conference, vacationed in California to visit my family, volunteered at my local food bank, started working at TJ Maxx, hiked with friends, went on family camping trips, tried new cupcake recipes, and helped run a STEM camp for girls.”

This mix of activities allows them to see that you participated in some resume boosters, but also had fun and didn’t just completely restate your activities list section. You could also choose to hone in on just a couple of activities and give them each a bit more explanation instead of solely listing activities. For example:

“Family vacations always feel too long and too short. I melt in the SoCal summer heat, but returning home to cool breezy Washington brings 30-hour retail work weeks, with interspersed respite at the local library. After just finishing SkillsUSA nationals, the challenge to engineer a new invention returns, energizing me.”

This conveys some of the same ideas with a slightly more narrative structure.

Try not to waste space with a lead-in sentence like, “For the last two summers, I have mainly spent my time doing…” because that already uses up 12 of your precious 50 allotted words.

Short Answer 3

What historical moment or event do you wish you could have witnessed (50 words).

If no historical events come to mind after thinking about this prompt for a few minutes, and you’re starting to question whether you learned anything at all in your high school history classes, doing a quick google search of top 100 historical moments is not a terrible idea. However, since many of your peers will likely employ the same strategy to identify their historical event, you should strive to select one that makes sense considering your unique profile and current interests.

For example, if you want to indicate your interest in the techy Silicon Valley, you could write about witnessing the process Hewlett and Packard went through starting their business from their garage because you loved tinkering through your own projects throughout high school. Or if you are interested in history or politics, this is a good place to easily select one of the thousands of moments to tie into your interest. For instance, you could write about the time when Washington rallied his troops and convinced them not to abandon the Continental Army late in 1776, even when things looked just about as bleak as they could get.

The specific moment you choose isn’t extremely relevant, but again remember that if you pick something obscure, it might not qualify as a “historical moment” and may need more than 50 words to describe and add a brief explanation. Here’s an example of incorporating a potential major interest in engineering while going for something out of the box :

“I have always been fascinated by the pyramids and Egyptian culture, although my perception of them has been greatly romanticized by my childhood obsession with The Mummy. I wish that I could have witnessed the pyramids’ amazing and mysterious construction to know the secret of their advanced ancient engineering.”

“When I was a little kid, I was obsessed with NASA. I always had glow-in-the-dark stars above my bed and rocketship sheets. I would love to see the moon landing (especially from the capsule) to experience the awe of seeing a new world.”

You don’t need to directly connect it to a personal reason or specific explanation like these examples did, but noting why you picked this moment allows your response to ultimately feel more memorable .

Short Answer 4

Briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities, a job you hold, or responsibilities you have for your family. (50 words).

This prompt gives you a little more space to discuss one of your most meaningful extracurriculars from your activities list.

To pick an activity, think about the one that taught you the most, changed your perspective, or is most unique. If there’s something you haven’t been able to express in other parts of your application, this is your space.

Keep in mind that trying to write about multiple aspects of the activity will be difficult with only 50 words, and it can result in simply reiterating what will already be on your activities list. Pick just one aspect that was most important to you, and highlight that. Feel free to be straightforward rather than artsy, as you have limited space. Also, don’t forget to briefly address what you gleaned from the activity as opposed to simply describing what it was.

For example:

I developed a marketing and sustainability initiative for my family’s grocery store. We gave free monthly workshops on topics like composting and zero waste cooking on a budget, which grew our client base 120%, and spread important ideas. People are interested in living more sustainably; they just need accessible education .

Short Answer 5

List five things that are important to you. (50 words).

This short response question is asking for you to reflect on things that are most important in your life. Keep in mind that these things can be a physical object (like your phone) or a concept or idea (like family or friendship). It’s also important that the items you list relate to ideas that have been represented in the rest of your application to provide a cohesive message across all your application elements. If you were applying for an arts major at Stanford, perhaps you wouldn’t say an important item to you is your model rocketship in your room unless you have previously suggested that your artwork is inspired by space travel and celestial bodies. 

Some questions to help you brainstorm for this prompt include asking yourself: What things from my childhood or daily life bring me joy or purpose? If this thing was missing from my life, would I notice? Why is this thing important to me? What purpose does this thing bring to my life?

You should list out the things that are important to you from 1 to 5. When listing these items that are important to you, you can use any additional word space to briefly describe why the thing is important to you. For example, if you gave your faith as an important thing in your life, you could write “1. My faith: It gives me hope and strength in the face of adversity.”

Here are some additional tips for writing this essay:

• Be specific. Don’t just say that faith is important to you. Explain what makes your faith so special and why it is so important to you.
• Be genuine. Don’t try to be someone you’re not. The admissions committee will be able to tell if you’re being fake.
• Be concise. This is a short essay, so you need to get your point across quickly and effectively.

Essay Prompt 1

The stanford community is deeply curious and driven to learn in and out of the classroom. reflect on an idea or experience that makes you genuinely excited about learning. (100 to 250 words).

As you approach this first longer prompt, think back on all the hours you spent during class, after school during activities, or at home studying. Try to select an experience where you seriously felt that love of learning . Just writing about this idea or realization should make you feel like an extremely happy nerd (you are applying to Nerd Nation after all!). Whether you are someone who approaches standardized testing like it is a thrilling game, or someone who feels so excited after getting through a test that you poured countless hours into studying for, you can really highlight your own drive and intellect through this prompt.

For example, you could write some sort of introduction about deciding to self-study for the AP Physics C tests, then add some analysis like:

…I began to honestly enjoy learning all the new applications for the calculus concepts I had been learning alongside physics, previously unaware of just how intertwined they were. The relationship between position, velocity, and acceleration through derivatives and integrals tied everything together in a way that made so much sense it gave me chills.

After a few study sessions, I began to devour YouTube videos to prepare for the test, and each time I understood a new concept by learning it on my own, I felt more accomplished and intellectually independent. As I worked through practice problems and self-corrected my way across old exams, I felt driven to stop excusing or dismissing my mistakes, and to instead pull them apart by analyzing exactly why I had made them to target and avoid them in the future. This experience improved the way I study and showed me the value of truly mastering knowledge on my own.

This response shows an authentic passion for learning without overloading on narrative. Another solid example that takes a more creative response could look something like this:

“How do you make pianos?

In 4th grade, I entered and won PBS’s Curiosity Quest question contest, resulting in my co-hosting a Curiosity Quest episode at New York’s Steinway and Sons Piano Factory. There I realized for the first time what can be found beyond textbook teachings. I saw the palpable pride the factory had in the heritage that they displayed, and the stunning beauty of a legacy and its centuries of refined knowledge. After that day, it was as if my consciousness had awoken. I resolved to begin creating my own legacy. I spent early morning hours in front of my piano daily, determined to make it my art — all because my curiosity rewarded me with knowledge that expanded the depth and range of just how far I can strive in this world.

Theory of Knowledge teaches of knowledge’s paradox: The more we know, the more we don’t. In retrospect, TOK put into words what I’ve since sensed — this inexplicable duality of filling a void that is ever-expanding. What began as a simple question of how something was made laid the very foundation upon which I’ve grown to ask questions that dig deeper: Why is there more inequality today than a century ago? What, if any, measures can be taken to end the conflicts in the Middle East? How can I further my legacy through striving to address these issues?

And as always, my quest for curiosity will serve to dually nourish and enlighten me, expanding my world once more.

This response from a Stanford 2020 student majoring in International Relations shows the admissions office a thirst for learning without ever just overtly stating it, especially with tying in the childhood anecdote as an excellent hook.

As you approach your own essay, avoid using basic statements like “This made me excited because…” or “An idea that made me genuinely excited about learning was…” since your writing style is extremely important throughout this essay. Compare the two examples above syntactically to see why the essay becomes more engaging with the style of “show not tell” displayed in the latter.

As with all college essays, do not forget that the emphasis is on teaching the admissions officers something about you and why the idea or experience made you so excited; avoid spending too much time explaining the logistics or trying to use excessively flowery language.

Essay Prompt 2

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. (100 to 250 words).

The point of this essay is to invoke the casual nature of roommate relationships and invite students to take a more relaxed approach to writing about themselves. It brings the application to life by asking you to write only about your own personality, which feels more open than other essays that ask you to answer a specific question like “Describe your community” or “Talk about a mentor who got you through a difficult time.” While answering both of those prompts still offers insight into who the author is, they are fundamentally centralized around another person or topic, which is why Stanford cuts straight to the chase with this prompt to actually get to know you better.

Stanford is looking for an extremely authentic 250-word portrayal of your character that could distinctly identify you from a crowd of essays. If you got to meet your admissions officer in person, and only had 60 seconds to pitch yourself without using anything from your activities or awards, what would you say first? If you were legitimately writing a letter to your roommate at Stanford, what would you want them to know about the prospect of living with you? If you imagine how your Stanford alumni interview might play out, what topics do you hope to steer towards?

Think deeply about these questions and first see if there is something meaningful that you want to convey, and look through Prompt 3 to see if it would best serve answering the question, “What matters to you, and why?” instead of this roommate prompt. If you do have a more serious answer, you can style the essay like a very formal letter or like a traditional 1-2 paragraph short essay without any of the letter gimmicks at all to stand out syntactically.

If you don’t think you have any important topics on the serious side that you want to specifically cover in the space for this prompt (an extreme medical condition, a family hardship etc.), you could also go for another popular tactic by creating a fun, miscellaneous essay.

This prompt can arguably be one of the most entertaining to write and read of all college supplemental essays because of the opportunity to present the admissions office with an amalgamation of weird topics. A previous CollegeVine guide encouraged students to explore their quirky side with this prompt by writing about unique hobbies or interesting personality oddities. It also advises staying away from things like politics (i.e., don’t indicate which party or ideology you tend to support, even through jokes or minor references, since you don’t want to step on any toes).

Don’t sweat too much over the exact way to put the essay in letter format. Starting with something like “Hi! I am ridiculously stoked to meet you!” or any other straightforward greeting that doesn’t sound too cheesy is totally fine. If you decide to, you can essentially make a bullet list of “fun me facts” if you want to include the maximum amount of content. Remember that this essay should be fun!

Since it is usually hard to come up with good material about your own diverse personality while staring at a blank computer screen, try keeping a note on your phone and adding to it gradually as you think of things throughout the day. Think about what you enjoy and jot down notes like:

I love Sandra Bullock movies. I wish I could stop biting my nails, and sometimes I do, but only until I take a test or watch a freaky movie. I hate doing my laundry and the song ‘Drops of Jupiter.’ I planned myself a Cutthroat Kitchen -themed birthday party last year because I love cooking contest shows. My favorite store is the Dollar Tree, and when I’m there I always feel like I’m getting too much stuff, but when I leave I regret putting stuff back. Before I go to bed, I like to watch clips from Ellen or Jimmy Fallon because I think it gives me funny dreams. I’m attracted to buying gift wrap even if I have no reason for it, a trait I inherited from my mom. I love chicken. I sleep like a rock and unfortunately, that means I need an incredibly loud alarm clock, but I also will never be bothered by late night noise, etc.

You can see by how long this section got just how easy it can be to talk about yourself once you get started…

Try to intersperse some facts that relate to activities you could do together or things that would be important for an actual roommate to know to stay true to the prompt. Juxtaposing random facts might not be the way to go if you feel they are redundant with your short answers or too all over the place for you. Putting together just a few key aspects of your personality and typical habits with more coherent elaboration on each and topping it off with a “Love, your future roomie” holds the potential to become an engaging essay as well.

Here is another example that shows a ton of personality and utilizes a list format:

Ahem…May I make a toast?

First off, I am so pumped to live with you. I don’t have a sibling, so this is as close as it gets! Also, I just wanted you to know…

• I’m an ENFJ. I’m not nearly as brilliant as Obama or Oprah, but I do fancy the idea of sharing traits with them! ENFJs are “focused on values and vision, passionate about the possibilities for people, tuned into the needs of others, and tend to be optimistic and forward-thinking” — sums up my personality I’d say!
• I free my mind by exercising and writing. Our campus’s fresh forestry is perfect for morning/night runs/picnics. It would be so fun if you joined!
• I’m one to stay up all night to chat over coffee and pastries. I’m also one to venture out and walk/bike ten miles for Polaroid pics and yummy eats. Yelp4lyfe.
• I have a passion for fashion. I love it because style is universal and uniquely personal (read Worn Stories). I have a blog dedicated to learning about global cultures/styles — can’t wait to study abroad!
• I’m so deeply humbled to be surrounded by exceptional, passionate people like you who are going to rock this world. I had visited Stanford three times before applying, and I had written on my secret blog during my 2nd visit that my heart felt so moved to call this place home one day.

Well, I couldn’t be happier to be home with you.

Name (or nickname)

While this is just one essay (and remember that there are many, many directions you can choose to take your own essay), you can see from this example that showcasing a variety of passions can highlight how multifaceted and genuinely interesting you are. A year from now, you might find yourself cracking up over how weird you sound while exchanging what you wrote with your actual roomie to procrastinate working on your p-sets or essays. We know we did!

Essay Prompt 3

Please describe what aspects of your life experiences, interests and character would help you make a distinctive contribution as an undergraduate to stanford university. (100 to 250 words).

This is a classic example of the Diversity Essay . Your response should focus on your personal background and how your life experiences or cultural traditions provide you with a unique perspective that has influenced your interests and character. Stanford is looking for what makes you unique and how you will share that uniqueness with their community.

Your response should directly answer the question at hand; however, remember to “show, not tell.” A personal narrative is one way to successfully highlight your potential individual contributions to Stanford’s community.

For example, instead of simply saying that you are hardworking and persist despite obstacles, describe a time where you displayed this skill. Perhaps you grew up in the central US where there are seasonal tornadoes and damage to property. You could share a story about how you help rebuild neighbors homes every year after the storms and how you have learned about the value in lending a helping hand to strangers. Or, if you want to discuss your deep connection and commitment to your culture, describe a particular event or custom that has meaning to you that most other applicants would not be aware of. Or maybe you have a strong commitment to sustainability—you could discuss a time you created an initiative to reduce food and plastic waste in your school cafeteria.

Beware that this question is similar to some Common Application prompts. Since the Stanford application is on the Common App, you should use this supplement as a means to communicate something new about yourself to the admissions committee, so avoid discussing topics that you’ve already covered. For example, if your Common Application focused on your analytical mind, consider using this prompt to discuss your compassion for others.

In the remaining space you have in the essay, tie your unique identity back to how you will contribute to Stanford’s campus. If you have a deep connection to your Native American culture, mention how you are excited to be involved with the American Indian Organization at Stanford. 

All in all make sure that the life experience, interest and/or character trait you are sharing in this essay is unique to you and provide evidence to support the unique self that you will bring to campus.

Is Your Stanford Essay Strong Enough?

Do you want feedback on your Stanford essays? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays. 

Need feedback faster? Get a  free, nearly-instantaneous essay review  from Sage, our AI tutor and advisor. Sage will rate your essay, give you suggestions for improvement, and summarize what admissions officers would take away from your writing. Use these tools to improve your chances of acceptance to your dream school!

If you create incentives for yourself to work on your Stanford University essays early and choose topics that you genuinely care about, then you will end up devoting much more time to them, resulting in more polished essays . Since Stanford admissions are so extremely selective, it places a good deal of pressure on both the content and execution of all 11 essays.

While Stanford has a reputation of being pretty relaxed and laid back, you shouldn’t try to exude that attitude throughout all your essays. Remember that it is the admissions office’s job to read through over 40,000 of these essays each year and discern whether you would be a good fit, so avoid topics that are even vaguely cliché and be brutally honest with yourself about whether you would enjoy the essay you’ve written from an outsider’s perspective.

Overall, do your best to put in the effort on ideas that you feel are unique, personal, and truly meaningful. Good luck!

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

How to Write the Stanford Supplemental Essays 2024–2025

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With a professorship roster including 19 Nobel laureates, nearly 900 student organizations, and a gorgeous campus in the heart of California’s Bay Area, Stanford University is a clear pick as many students’ dream school. Its acceptance rate, however—under 4%—is a more daunting statistic to swallow. Don’t get discouraged! We’re here to help you take your best shot at getting into Stanford . Let’s by understanding how to write the Stanford supplemental essays.

Students admitted to Stanford report an average unweighted GPA of 3.96 , an average SAT score of 1505 , and an average ACT of 34 . In other words, at universities like Stanford, top-notch academics are the norm rather than the exception. You’ll need to count on more than just your GPA and standardized test scores to stand out. This is where your essays come in.

Stanford asks you to respond to 5 short-answer prompts, 3 long-answer prompts for a total of 8 essays. This is much more what most other universities require. While it’s a lot of writing for you to do, you also have plenty of opportunities to show admissions officials your unique strengths as an applicant. With that in mind, let’s have a look at Stanford’s 8 supplemental essay prompts for the 2024-2025 application cycle.

Stanford’s 2024–2025 Prompts

Short response (50 words).

• What is the most significant challenge that society faces today?
• How did you spend your last two summers?
• What historical moment or event do you wish you could have witnessed?
• Briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities, a job you hold, or responsibilities you have for your family.
• List five things that are important to you.

Essay Prompts (100-250 words)

• The Stanford community is deeply curious and driven to learn in and out of the classroom. Reflect on an idea or experience that makes you genuinely excited about learning.
• 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.
• Please describe what aspects of your life experiences, interests and character would help you make a distinctive contribution as an undergraduate to Stanford University.

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General Tips

For the 5 short-answer prompts, you’ll only have 50 words to convey a meaningful response. Avoid restating the question and trim unnecessary connector words to make the most of your word count. You can also improve concision by replacing conjunctions and clunky transition phrases with colons, semicolons, and em dashes.

The first example below is an instance of choppy, overly verbose writing.

Ex. 1 : “I think that the most significant challenge that society faces today is improper urban planning. Improper urban planning can result in a surprising number of issues, including noise pollution, increased fossil fuel output, and overcrowding.”

The second example cleans it up using the tips we’ve just discussed.

Ex. 2: “Improper urban planning may sound like a niche issue, but it encompasses a surprising number of society’s challenges—from noise pollution, to fossil fuel output, to overcrowding.”

You have more wiggle room with the reflection— 50-150 words —and even more for the long essay prompts— 100-250 words . Still, you should strive for concision to improve your essay’s flow. Unnecessary fluff and run-on sentences will confuse your reader no matter the length of the essay.

Wherever possible, write your essays on topics you haven’t discussed elsewhere in your application. If an admissions official sees your math team in your activities transcript, and then reads three short responses about the same math team, they may see you as a one-note applicant. Instead, try to vary your essay topics and take advantage of any opportunities to discuss an activity or interest that isn’t reflected in your transcript.

Finally, before we move to a prompt-by-prompt breakdown of the Stanford supplemental essays, here are two tips to keep in mind for both your short-responses and long-answer essays.

One, detail is key. Instead of telling admissions officials that your 10th-grade swim team was important to you, tell admissions officials about the swim meet where you came last in freestyle, motivating you to practice for months and earn first place at the next meet. Especially in your long-answer essays, detailed anecdotes are an excellent way to craft an engaging narrative.

Two, write essays that tell admissions officials about you . This may seem like obvious advice, but some of Stanford’s prompts ask about topics that don’t relate to you directly. Even so, you need to connect these topics to your own perspective. Instead of reciting to Stanford admissions officials impressive statistics about their own school, tell them why it excites you that Stanford has nearly 900 student organizations. Instead of flatly describing the challenges climate change poses to society, tell your reader how these specific challenges have impacted your own life and what you’ve done to help solve them.

With these higher-level tips out of the way, let’s move on to a prompt-by-prompt breakdown of the Stanford supplemental essays.

Stanford’s Short-Responses

What is the most significant challenge that society faces today (50 words).

A good response to this short-answer prompt will clearly identify one significant challenge society faces, with unique insight into its problems and potential solutions. Remember, detail is key. Even if you pick a broader topic, you can still explore that topic in a way that sets your response apart from other students.

Let’s say the challenge you’ve chosen is economic inequality. Rather than stating in vague terms that poverty is an issue, you might propose building more homeless-friendly public architecture to combat the dangers poverty poses. In addition, if you connect your response to the public architecture you see in your own community, even better. By going into detail on a specific issue, proposing a solution, and connecting it to your own experience, you’ve shown admissions officials you’re a conscientious and observant student who can bring those qualities to their campus community in turn.

How did you spend your last two summers? (50 words)

Instead of going into exhaustive detail on this short prompt, try to consider themes . What skills or personal experiences did you focus on developing over the last two summers? Can you group your different activities together under an overarching goal you’ve been working towards? If so, you’ll be able to include a wide variety of activities while keeping your response cohesive, as well as giving admissions officials a sense of your long-term plans.

Ex. 1 : “Last summer, I played basketball with my city’s team and volunteered for a school board chair’s campaign. The summer before that, I worked at a Columbia Sportswear in the local mall.”

Ex. 2: “For me, these last two summers were all about connecting with my community—sweating it out with my city’s basketball team, tamping down campaign signs for a school board candidate, and showing a friendly face to customers at the mall’s Columbia Sportswear.”

Like the last prompt, you’ll also want to try thinking outside the box for your response. Don’t just consider extracurricular activities, jobs, or volunteer experiences. Did you travel anywhere interesting? Did you make any long-lasting personal connections? Have you learned any valuable life lessons?

Even if you don’t have a lot of formal activities to recount, you still did something over the past two summers. Try to tell admissions officials more about yourself by highlighting the experiences that were most meaningful to you.

What historical moment or event do you wish you could have witnessed? (50 words)

Prompts like these can be tricky if an idea doesn’t come to mind right away. Try to choose a moment that’s widely recognizable so you don’t have to waste words giving context, but unique and relevant to your specific interests. You might wish you were in the audience for Shakespeare’s first production of Macbeth , or at a 1980’s board meeting when Shigeru Miyamoto first pitched his idea for Super Mario Bros . Remember, you have a wide range of history to work with!

Some other questions to consider: are there any historical mysteries you wish you could solve, like the disappearance of Amelia Earhart? Do you have any historical role models? When you read or watch historical fiction, what time period do you go for? Try to have fun with this prompt. A creative answer will go a long way toward making efficient use of your 50 words.

Briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities, a job you hold, or responsibilities you have for your family. (50 words)

This prompt gives you an opportunity to dig a little deeper into a job or activity you’ve listed on your transcript. Ideally, this should be an activity you didn’t mention in Prompt #2. As always, you want to avoid repetition wherever possible so you don’t appear single-faceted.

Try to choose an activity you’ve put a lot of time and passion into. If you’ve changed as a person through the friends you made at chess club, or your role in a political advocacy group completely changed your perspective, tell that story here! Narratives of personal growth make for effective college essays in general. Admissions officials want to invite students who are open to learning and changing over time. Therefore, keep an eye out for any you’ve experienced in your past activities. Of course, the 50-word limit is still limiting. Make sure you clearly identify the narrative you want to tell before distilling it into 2-3 sentences.

The last part of this prompt also gives an opportunity to discuss family responsibilities. Looking after your baby brother, helping your aunt renovate her new home, and cooking meals for a parent who works late may not be activities you’d put on your resume, but they’re still important activities that can help round out your background. If something immediately comes to mind, consider taking advantage of the opportunity this prompt gives you to discuss it.

List five things that are important to you. (50 words)

This prompt breaks from the standard short-response format and asks you to provide a list instead. Take advantage of this formatting break to save on your word count! Consider using a numbered or bulleted list. You could even order your items from least to greatest importance.

Beyond the formatting, the content of this question is vague on purpose. A lot of things might be important to you, from your custom-built PC, to a deeply-held value, to a close family member. Vary your answers to show you can think outside the box, and give a wide-spanning overview of your personal qualities. If you can, make each of your five things fall under a different category.

Some categories to consider: objects that are important to you; people; specific personal values (i.e. not just “gender equality,” but perhaps “holding the door for anyone who comes through, regardless of gender”); abilities; aspirations; places you love to visit.

Stanford’s Essay Prompts

The stanford community is deeply curious and driven to learn in and out of the classroom. reflect on an idea or experience that makes you genuinely excited about learning. (100-250 words).

For this first longer essay prompt, anecdotes are your best friend . Was there a moment in class when you realized you were no longer learning to pass a test, but because you found the subject genuinely fascinating? Can you recall the first time your favorite hobby captivated your interest? If so, opening your essay in that moment will immediately draw readers in and engage them with your perspective.

From there, you can spend time showing your reader why you find your favorite subject/hobby so fascinating, and what you’ve done to pursue it. The idea here is to show admissions officials your enthusiasm for learning at its peak—if your reader can sense your excitement through the page, then you’re doing a great job with this prompt. Again, narratives of personal growth are a great way to craft an engaging essay, so try to illustrate how you actually did learn beyond just feeling excited.

Here’s an example essay to help you get a feel for this prompt, as well as the larger word limit:

“There’s no such thing as talent, only hard work.” Coming from anyone else, these words would’ve sounded cheap. But, as I looked over my older sister’s shoulder at the sketches she was etching in her notepad, I was mesmerized. I couldn’t believe those life-like characters—the expressive work of a professional comic artist—were something I could learn to do with hard work. From that moment, I resolved to draw one sketch a day. I looked up online courses on anatomy, perspective, and shading, and made my own disastrous renditions of the tutorials that popped up. Some nights, even though my eyes stung from looking at the page, I refused to go to bed without completing my daily sketch. When my brother bought a drawing tablet, he immediately regretted saying I could borrow it whenever I wanted. I had a whole new skill set to learn: digital art, with all its quirks and conveniences. Slowly, I began producing work I was proud to look back on, my character sketches starting to look like they could just maybe stand on the same page as my sister’s. Now, with three sketchbooks scattered haphazardly around my desk as I type, I’m so grateful to my sister for teaching me about hard work early on. I’m happy with where I am in my artistic journey, but I know I still have heaps to learn. And I’m excited to begin that learning process all over again with the next tutorial I click.

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. (100-250 words)

For your second long-answer essay, you’ll answer either this prompt OR Prompt 3 below . Try brainstorming a few ideas for both prompts, and going with the prompt you can describe in more compelling detail.

This prompt challenges you to shake up the essay format with a more personal, casually formatted letter. While other essays explore your interests, activities, and background, this prompt aims to understand who you are in your day-to-day life. Though your tone should still be polite, and your sentences grammatically correct, feel free to take a more playful, informal approach to this essay . What music will your roommate likely overhear blaring at max volume from your earbuds? What eccentricities should they expect from living with you?

Your response also shows admissions officials how you might interact with other members of the Stanford community. Try to think about what kind of relationship you’d like to have with your roommate, and how that reflects more broadly with how you’d like to interact with other Stanford students. Would you want to host dorm room study sessions? Are you hoping your roommate will tell you about courses and clubs you might not otherwise have known about? Details along these lines can show admissions officials you plan to engage intellectually with other community members. Again, though, don’t be afraid to talk about the more casual aspects of your ideal roommate relationship.

You can also get a little more creative with your essay’s format for this prompt. A letter format may be the most obvious, but you might also try out a bulleted list of things your roommate should know, or a memo you left on your roommate’s desk before leaving for class.

Please describe what aspects of your life experiences, interests and character would help you make a distinctive contribution as an undergraduate to Stanford University. (100-250 words)

Lots of applicants give huge laundry lists of reasons they want to go to Stanford. The intellectual prestige, the academic resources, and the vast opportunities for extracurricular engagement all come to mind. Here, you need to think the other way around. If Stanford’s community can contribute tons to your college experience, what can you contribute to Stanford’s community?

You might be tempted to answer the prompt straight away. Remember, though, avoid restating the question, and consider your essay’s narrative structure as a whole. Instead of:

I can make a distinctive contribution as an undergraduate at Stanford by drawing on my unique perspective as a first-generation college student. Because of my hard work and resourcefulness which I learned by seeking out help through the college application process, I’ll be able to make meaningful connections in the community and succeed even in the face of adversity.

Try structuring your essay more along the lines of this:

In my junior year of high school, I had no idea how to begin the college application process. Neither of my parents attended college, and I didn’t know anyone who could help. So I learned to reach out on my own. I started by researching my school’s faculty page to find our guidance counselor, then arranged a meeting with her to catch me up to speed on the process. Even though I started a head behind other students in my class, I learned how to be resourceful and ask for help. Now, as a prospective Stanford student, I’ll bring that resourcefulness to campus by forging connections in the community and uplifting other first-generation students like me.

By describing your personal experiences first, ideally in an anecdote, you can answer the prompt more confidently in your later paragraphs. Plus, you can grab your reader’s attention and stand out among other applicants who answer the question in a more typical fashion.

If you need help polishing up your Yale supplemental essays, check out our  College Essay Review  service. You can receive detailed feedback from Ivy League consultants in as little as 24 hours.

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Essays help us learn about who you are rather than solely what you have done.

Other parts of the application give insight into your academic and professional accomplishments; the essays reveal the person behind those achievements.

Essay Questions

We request that you write two personal essays.

In each essay, we want to hear your genuine voice. Think carefully about your values, passions, aims, and dreams. There is no “right answer” to these questions — the best answer is the one that is truest for you.

Essay A: What matters most to you, and why?

For this essay, we would like you to reflect deeply and write from the heart. Once you’ve identified what matters most to you, help us understand why. You might consider, for example, what makes this so important to you? What people, insights, or experiences have shaped your perspectives?

Essay B: Why Stanford?

Describe your aspirations and how your Stanford GSB experience will help you realize them. If you are applying to both the MBA and MSx programs, use Essay B to address your interest in both programs.

Both essays combined may not exceed 1,000 words. We recommend up to 650 words for Essay A and up to 350 words for Essay B. We often read effective essays that are written in fewer words.

Editing Your Essays

Begin work on the essays early to give yourself time to reflect, write, and edit.

Feel free to ask friends or family members for feedback, especially about whether the tone and voice sound like you. Your family and friends know you better than anyone. If they think the essays do not capture who you are, what you believe, and what you aspire to do, then surely we will be unable to recognize what is distinctive about you.

Feedback vs. Coaching

There is a big difference between “feedback” and “coaching.” You cross that line when any part of the application (excluding the letters of recommendation ) ceases to be exclusively yours in either thought or word.

Appropriate feedback occurs when others review your completed application — perhaps once or twice — and apprise you of omissions, errors, or inaccuracies that you later correct or address. After editing is complete, your thoughts, voice, and style remain intact. Inappropriate coaching occurs when you allow others to craft any part of your application for you and, as a result, your application or self-presentation is not authentic.

It is improper and a violation of the terms of this application process to have another person or tool write your essays. Such behavior will result in denial of your application or revocation of your admission.

Additional Information

If there is any information that is critical for us to know and is not captured elsewhere, include it in the Additional Information section of the application. Pertinent examples include:

• Extenuating circumstances affecting your candidacy, including academic, work, or test-taking experiences
• Academic experience (e.g., independent research) not noted elsewhere
• Explanation of why you are not using a current supervisor as a recommender

This section should not be used as an additional essay.

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50 successful Stanford application essays : includes advice from Stanford admissions officers and the 25 essay mistakes that guarantee failure

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Stanford Supplemental Essays 2024-25 – Prompts and Advice

August 7, 2024

With an acceptance rate of 3.9%, Stanford University is in a league of selectivity with only a handful of other schools including Harvard, MIT, and Princeton. At Stanford, the median SAT is a 1530 and 96% hail from the top 10% of their high school class. As a result, you need more than just superior test scores and a sparkling transcript to be among the 1 in every 25 applicants who is ultimately admitted. Each year, we work with a number of successful Stanford University applicants. We can say with confidence that exceptional Stanford supplemental essays are a necessary component of any winning application.

 (Want to learn more about How to Get Into Stanford? Visit our blog entitled:  How to Get Into Stanford: Admissions Data and Strategies  for all of the most recent admissions data as well as tips for gaining acceptance.)

Stanford University requires applicants to respond to a whopping eight prompts. This makes the decision to apply an instantly sizable time commitment. Your mission—should you choose to accept it— is to write compelling, standout compositions that showcase your top-notch writing ability and reveal more about who you are as an individual. Below are Stanford’s essay prompts for the 2024-25 admissions cycle along with tips about how to address each one.

Stanford Supplemental Essays

Prompt 1: the stanford community is deeply curious and driven to learn in and out of the classroom. reflect on an idea or experience that makes you genuinely excited about learning..

Whether it’s a general love for math/science or literature or a specific interest in aerospace engineering or 19th-century French novels, use this opportunity to share what makes you tick, the ideas that keep you up at night, and what subject inspires you to dream big. What topic makes you read books and online content until your eyes bleed? Share the manner in which you relentlessly pursue knowledge. Whether it’s falling down a Wikipedia rabbit hole about the nature of time or consuming thousands of hours of podcasts on game theory, this is a chance to illustrate the ways in which you are an obsessive learner with an endless thirst for information. The admissions reader should emerge from reading this essay with the sense that you are a sincerely curious young person with a strong intellectual drive.

Prompt 2: 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—get to know you better.

Applicants can utilize this response to give greater insight into the little details about themselves that may not appear elsewhere in the application. Keep the old adage “you don’t truly know a person until you live with them” in mind. Think about what your future roommate will learn about your daily habits, quirks, passions, and preferences. What music do you like to listen to? At what time do you get up in the morning and what is your morning routine? What activities do you like to do (that ideally have not yet been communicated elsewhere)? Most often, writers choose to put together a number of different details. Before including each one, think about what it communicates about you.

For example, if you can seldom be found without a novel in hand or spend an hour every morning practicing yoga, why is that important for us to know? That said, at least a few details are often comical or light-hearted (perhaps you can’t survive without a large supply of lime seltzer or always eat salt & vinegar chips when you’re up late studying). Another common “move” writers use in this essay is to list a few uniquely Stanford things that they can’t wait to do with their roommate around campus. In the grand scheme of things, this is a genuine chance to reveal more about your character, unique personality, and also—sometimes— how to get along with others.

Prompt 3:  Please describe what aspects of your life experiences, interests and character would help you make a distinctive contribution as an undergraduate to Stanford University.

This prompt asks you to not only share a particular life experience, interest, or value. Additionally, you’ll describe why that experience, interest, or value will help you contribute to Stanford in general. Essentially, it’s asking you to take your essay’s reflection one step further. You’ll need to share why the experience, interest, or value you’ve chosen has impacted you. Additionally, you can explore why/how you believe it will allow you to positively impact the Stanford community.

First, choose a key aspect of your experiences, background, or personality that reveals something deep and meaningful about you. (Although you could choose more than one, we’d advise against it, given that you only have 250 words in which to respond.) As you brainstorm, consider the following avenues:

• Your role in your family.
• Your role in your social group.
• Something you’re particularly committed to, i.e., an activity, social/political cause, or idea (just be sure it doesn’t overlap with the intellectual curiosity response).
• A challenge you’ve faced.
• A formative experience or realization.
• Core values and beliefs.
• Important aspects of your upbringing.
• Most intriguing and unique attributes.
• Cultural, religious, or community influence.

Stanford Supplemental Essays (Continued)

Second, you’ll need to describe both personal and future impact. Note the absence of a straight “Why Stanford?” essay in this application. This response is the closest thing to it. Make sure that your answer reveals something about how you will live out Stanford’s values or contribute to an academic/social community. For the latter angle, you could name a specific  course ,  research opportunity , or extracurricular club , to name a few—perhaps living in a beach town has heavily contributed to your passion for the world’s oceans, and you seek to bring that perspective to the biology department’s research opportunities. Alternatively, you could discuss something more intangible—perhaps Stanford’s mission to develop active citizens resonates with you, and you hope to bring your experience of growing up in a large family (which gave you excellent communication and conflict resolution skills) to volunteer positions on campus and within the surrounding community.

Stanford Supplemental Essays – Short Response Questions (50 words)

1) what is the most significant challenge that society faces today.

The admissions committee wants to make sure that your personal aims align with those of the university, as indicated in its mission statement. This mission is “to extend the frontiers of knowledge, stimulate creativity, and solve real-world problems, prepare students to think broadly, deeply and critically, and to contribute to the world, and deploy Stanford’s strengths to benefit our region, country, and world.” The strongest answers usually include some level of previous or hopeful participation/community service on the part of the applicant. For example, if you are concerned about voting rights and the preservation of the democratic process, you may have volunteered with a relevant organization.

2) How did you spend your last two summers? 

We are looking at your summers after sophomore and junior years for this prompt. So, why is Stanford so interested in what you did from mid-June through August, you ask? The answer, primarily, is because this is the time of the year when your entire schedule wasn’t laid out for you–the admissions office can observe your actions in the lone time and space when you are given complete agency and control.

Did you work to earn money to help support your family? On the other hand, did you work to save money for a specific purpose? Did you take a college course or two or enroll in an academic summer program? Or, did you conduct independent research or secure an internship at a company or organization? Stanford recognizes that students in different circumstances have varying levels of opportunity. Therefore, if you spent the summer watching your siblings out of necessity so your mom could go to work, that can be as valid as attending an aerospace engineering program at MIT. Ideally, your summer endeavor will—at least to some extent, align with your expressed passions and academic/intellectual aims.

3) What historical moment or event do you wish you could have witnessed?

Keep in mind that “historical” could refer to a famous event that is included in your average history textbook. Alternatively, it could be something more personal to your family, like when your great-grandmother immigrated to California in 1917. Many times, if students select a moment in world history, it isn’t one that is universally known in endless detail. Unless you are picking something as well known as MLK’s “I Have a Dream Speech” or the 1969 Moon landing, make sure to give the reader some level of context about the actual event in addition to your commentary about why that moment is special to you. No need to get uber-obscure with your answer. However, the most needle-moving answers are generally not usually based on any of the most famous events in human history. These are the kind of events that you’ve known about since elementary school.

You might approach this prompt by choosing an issue of importance to you and then researching corresponding moments/events (whether within recorded or personal history) that allow you to communicate that interest.

4) Briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities, a job you hold, or responsibilities you have for your family.

Stanford is not necessarily asking you to write about the activity where you earned the most prestigious awards or held the highest position of leadership. The university is going to see all of your activities in that section of the Common App. As such, you want to ask yourself—which of your entries is crying out for more explanation and detail? Which one is closest to your heart and most representative of your unique passions? Pick the option that will allow you to deliver additional detail that may be memorable to the admissions reader. Start this process by asking yourself, “What is the most interesting and consequential moment that I have experienced in one of my extracurricular activities?” If you can identify one clear-cut moment, that is likely the activity worth sharing with the Stanford admissions staff.

5) List five things that are important to you.

Before answering this question, take inventory of what has already been communicated on the rest of your application. What have you tackled in your other responses? Is there anything that has been left unsaid? What themes are currently present that you could reinforce? The list should be organic. This means that some answers will naturally reiterate passions and experiences shared in other areas of the application. That said, you’ll want to avoid straight-up repeats to the best of your ability. In addition, try to be as specific as possible. Since you have fifty words to utilize, try to include a brief why or explanation for each answer, that, again, is different than what’s already been presented in other areas of the application.

How important are the Stanford supplemental essays?

The lengthy supplemental essay section is among the nine factors that Stanford considers to be “very important.” The other factors are: rigor of secondary school record, class rank, GPA, standardized test scores, recommendations, extracurricular activities, talent/ability, and character/personal qualities.

Stanford Supplemental Essays – Want Personalized Essay Assistance?

In conclusion, if you are interested in working with one of College Transitions’ experienced and knowledgeable essay coaches as you craft your Stanford supplemental essays, we encourage you to  get a quote  today.

Looking for additional writing resources? Check out the following:

• Common App Essay Prompts
• 10 Instructive Common App Essay Examples
• College Application Essay Topics to Avoid
• How to Quickly Format Your Common App Essay
• Should I Complete Optional College Essays?
• How to Brainstorm a College Essay
• 25 Inspiring College Essay Topics
• “Why This College?” Essay Examples
• How to Write the Community Essay
• College Essay

Andrew Belasco

A licensed counselor and published researcher, Andrew's experience in the field of college admissions and transition spans two decades. He has previously served as a high school counselor, consultant and author for Kaplan Test Prep, and advisor to U.S. Congress, reporting on issues related to college admissions and financial aid.

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Stanford University 2024-25 Supplemental Essay and Short Questions Guide

Early Action: Nov 1

Regular Decision Deadline: Jan 5

Stanford University 2024-25 Application Essay Question Explanations

The Requirements: 3 essays of 100-250 words; 5 short answers of 50 words Supplemental Essay Type(s):  Why ,  Community ,  Oddball

How to Write Compelling Stanford Essays

Unshockingly, given that Stanford is the most difficult university to get into in the country, this supplement is a doozie. It puts both your writing and creativity to the test in a myriad of ways. One of the most important things to remember about the Stanford supplemental essays, as with all supplements that lob a host of essays and short answer questions at you, is that each response is an opportunity to reveal something new about yourself to admissions. Think about the tidbits you have to offer up as you pull together your package and make sure you distribute them across the supplement. Try as hard as you can not to be repetitive. And, as much as you can, have fun with these. If you embrace the challenge laid out in front of you, your answers will be instilled with that positive spirit as well. Trust us. Read on to discover our Stanford application essay tips!

Stanford Essay Prompts Breakdown

The stanford community is deeply curious and driven to learn in and out of the classroom. reflect on an idea or experience that makes you genuinely excited about learning. (100 to 250 words) .

How hungry for knowledge are you? That’s what Stanford really wants to know. Focus on a subject that stokes your curiosity, a specific concept that has infiltrated your browser history, or an experience that has burned itself into your brain. What homework assignments are you clamoring to complete first? Which topics want to make you open up a new book, google the definition of word you’re not familiar with or hit play on a podcast? Who challenges you to think of issues in new ways? Now consider what about the subject, activity, or experience itself is inspiring your pursuit of knowledge. Are you driven by the pursuit of the truth and nothing but the truth? Maybe more abstract and creative arenas are more interesting to you. Regardless of what floats your boat, Stanford University is aiming to bring self-motivated, deep thinkers into their student body. Admissions officers want to know that you’ll be eager to contribute to lively class discussion and maybe conduct research in your latter years on campus. Show them that you’ll be a valuable addition to any classroom setting.

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. (100 to 250 words) 

This, at its essence, is a creative writing exercise. All this time colleges have been asking you to write in a casual but professional voice — until now. Pretend you’re writing an email to a friend. Open your browser window and actually draft in a new message box if it helps you adjust your voice. You are now writing to your peer, not admissions. What might someone you are about to live with want to know about you? And, more importantly, what quirky personal information do you want to convey to admissions that might not be appropriate to reveal in response to a stuffier prompt? Are you a closet botanist who will be bringing 30 plants to your dorm room? Have you been practicing how to make your grandma’s special rice in a dorm room hot pot? This is a great place to inject a little humor in your application — if that’s your style. It is also a great opportunity for you to showcase what it would be like to be friends with you (without the use of emojis and with the addition of perfect grammar).

Please describe what aspects of your life experiences, interests and character would help you make a distinctive contribution as an undergraduate to Stanford University.

College applications are rampant with essay questions about community, so this essay is ripe for recycling (how eco-friendly of you!). If you haven’t already written a Community Essay that you plan to adapt and recycle here, we recommend considering the things that make you unique. What about your experiences, interests, or character might be worth highlighting for an admissions officer? And how can the experience, interest, or aspect of your character you choose enrich the learning environment at Stanford University for others? Maybe you have always been an organizer and the glue that holds your summer camp community together during the school year. How will you bring people together on campus? Maybe you were raised on a farm and developed a strong work ethic at a young age as you helped your parents tend to the fields. Will you be a natural leader in group projects and take initiative in the many clubs (be specific!) that you’d like to join? Be sure to connect your personal story to a future vision of yourself at Stanford.

How to Answer Stanford Short Questions

Short answers, what is the most significant challenge that society faces today (50 word limit).

Fifty words is not a lot of words. This is going to be a recurring thought as you begin to tackle the Stanford app. How do you explain society’s most significant challenge in just fifty words? You boil it down to its essence and rely on the topic to speak volumes. Think about what nags at you on a daily basis. How would you like to improve the world? Where might we be going down the wrong path? What you choose to write about will give admissions an idea of what you truly care about and how you see the world. Are you concerned that as a species we will never achieve true gender equality? Does climate change keep you up at night? What activities have you participated in or books have you read to educate yourself about this issue? Maybe you even have a solution to offer up. Show admissions that you can turn passion into action.

How did you spend your last two summers? (50 word limit)

Fifty words is not a lot of words. For this response, that means you will likely have to add and prune, add again and prune again. Feel free to take a straightforward approach to this question. Stanford really wants to know what you did last summer (and the summer before)! Just make sure to include the unexpected commitments that will not appear anywhere else on the application, like your babysitting job, your road trip with your family, or your backyard photography habit. Anything you can do to add a layer of understanding to admissions picture of you will help.

What historical moment or event do you wish you could have witnessed? (50 word limit)

Fifty words is not a lot of words. So this answer is really about creating an effective summary of the event in question, and concisely explaining the motivation behind your selection. This is another question in which your selection of topic tells a story. Maybe you want to witness the creation of Gutenberg’s printing press or the swearing in of the first African American president. Whatever you do, try to avoid subjects other students will likely flock to. MLK’s “I Had A Dream” speech is incredible, but it might not make for the best topic here — unless, of course, you have a highly personal story that connects to that moment that you can summarize in 50 words or less. (There are always exceptions to the rules!)

Briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities, a job you hold, or responsibilities you have for your family. (50 word limit)

Like so many other universities, Stanford wants to get a feel for your commitments outside the classroom as well as in. Think about your application as a whole, reading through all of the Stanford prompts before you dig in,  and figure out what you can detail here that hasn’t or will not be addressed in other essays. Also make sure the activity, experience, job, or responsibility you highlight is something you are clearly invested in. Don’t choose to elaborate on a fundraiser to which you contribute five hours of your time, twice a year. This is a good place to feature a work experience if you have one, as that is something that often feels less standard than an internship or activity in which many other students participate. For example, tell admissions about the summer you spent working at a hot dog stand and how it taught you about responsibility, organization, and portable fans. That said, even if you write about a national club or organization that other students may feature, the trick to nailing this essay is personalization. Why is this the activity or experience you have chosen to highlight? How were you a contributor and how will it impact your ability to be a contributor on campus? How has participation made you a more compassionate, assertive, or responsible person overall? And how will this experience impact your future? You don’t have a lot of space here, so make sure you focus on personal and powerful details that other people could not replicate.

List five things that are important to you. (50 word limit)

Write down the first things that come to your mind, then give your brain time to generate some other options. You may be tempted to write “family, friends, football, French fries, and fun,” but answers like those are not going to set you apart in the eyes of admissions officers (even if the alliteration is on point). Make a list (the longer, the better) then try to trim it down by considering the value each “thing” brings to your life and which ones are most likely to add saturation to the artwork that is your application. Remember, your answers should be personal and, if possible, unexpected.

Why Choose College Essay Advisors for Stanford Essays

We at College Essay Advisors have been guiding students one-on-one through the essay writing process for the Stanford supplements for over twenty years. We take a holistic approach to these essays and short answers, considering each student’s application package as a whole and identifying their strengths to highlight. Our Advisors accommodate each student’s scheduling needs to virtually brainstorm, draft, and revise winning essays. It’s incredibly important to us that each student’s voice is preserved, and we pride ourselves in helping students to write successful Stanford essays that differentiate them from similarly qualified applicants. For more information, submit a contact form below or review our one-on-one advising services or list of student acceptances . 

Interested in signing up for our Stanford Supplemental Essay Package? Fill out a contact form below, and a member of our team will be in touch!

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Frequently Asked Questions

Stanford requires three (3) essays of 100-250 words and five (5) short answers of 50 words each.

Stanford asks applicants to respond to five (5) short answer questions.

The Stanford short answer questions must be answered in 50 words or fewer.

We recommend drafting a response without the word limit in mind. Once you have your ideas down, see which anecdotes you can cut, or where you may be able to rephrase your ideas to be more succinct, omitting details that can be found in your other submitted materials (e.g. awards, grades, and hours spent doing community service). Since the word count is so small, original ideas and creative thinking will serve you well. 

Absolutely. These essays and short answers are opportunities for you to let your personality shine. If you enjoy humor in your daily life, feel free to have fun with your responses. But don’t force it! 

The supplemental essays and short answers are very important in the Stanford admissions process. Admissions even goes so far as to  write that “the essays are your chance to tell us about yourself in your own words,” and, “you should allow your genuine voice to come through. These questions help us get to know you as a friend, future roommate and classmate.”

No, you should never reuse content from your Common App essay in your supplements for this school. Though it’s possible you might expand upon an idea or activity mentioned in your Common App essay, your supplements and personal statement should be distinctly different from one another—just imagine the same person reading all of them in a row!

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Stanford Essays 2023-24

Stanford supplemental essays .

The Stanford essays form a critical part of the application process. Like at many top schools around the country, when you apply to Stanford, you’ll complete school-specific Stanford essay prompts in addition to the Common App essay. If you’re wondering how to get into Stanford, strong Stanford supplemental essays are a good place to start. 

In this article, we’ll discuss each of the Stanford supplemental essays in detail, including the Stanford roommate essay and other Stanford essays. Additionally, we’ll review the requirements for each of the Stanford essay prompts. We’ll also provide resources with Stanford essay examples that you can use when writing your own Stanford essays. Finally, we’ll offer more tips on how to get into Stanford, including application deadlines, dates, and timelines.

Stanford Essays: Quick Facts

Stanford university supplemental essays quick facts.

• Stanford Acceptance Rate: The acceptance rate for Stanford admissions is only 4% according to U.S. News . 
• Understanding the Stanford Essay Requirements: The Stanford requirements include three Stanford supplemental essays. Each of the Stanford essays must be between 100 and 250 words.
• Applying to Stanford: Students must complete the Common Application and the Stanford requirements before the Stanford application deadline. Make sure you submit your Stanford supplemental essays along with all other application materials when applying .
• Restrictive Early Action Deadline: November 1
• Standard Application Deadline: January 5
• Top Stanford Essays Tip: Because you have to complete three Stanford essays, make sure you give yourself enough time to work on each of them. Even though each of the essays is only at most 250 words, shorter essays can take longer to revise and perfect.

Please note that essay requirements are subject to change each admissions cycle, and portions of this article may have been written before the final publication of the most recent guidelines. For the most up-to-date information on essay requirements, check the university’s admissions website. 

Does Stanford have supplemental essays?

Yes, students must complete three Stanford supplemental essays. Students must submit their Stanford supplemental essays in addition to the Common App essay and the other Stanford requirements. These Stanford essays help the admissions team get to know their applicants better and evaluate whether they will be a good fit for the school.

How many essays does Stanford require?

Students must submit responses to three Stanford essay prompts as part of their application. In addition to these Stanford supplemental essays, there are also several additional short answer prompts that students must complete. 

These responses are limited to 50 words maximum, so they are not quite long enough to be considered full Stanford essays. However, they are still an important part of your application, so plan to spend as much time on those responses as your responses to the Stanford essay prompts. You can find a list of these additional prompts along with tips and Stanford essays examples in our guide here .

Do Stanford essays change?

The Stanford essay prompts do sometimes change from year to year. One of their more well-known prompts, the Stanford roommate essay, has been part of the application for a while and likely won’t change. However, in the 2021-2022 school year , one of the Stanford essay prompts asked students to talk about a topic that was meaningful to them. Now, that question has been changed to ask students: what aspects of your life experiences, interests, and character would help you make a distinctive contribution as an undergraduate to Stanford University?

Even though the Stanford supplemental essays may change, the purpose behind the Stanford essays remains the same. The admissions team uses the Stanford supplemental essays to get to know students on a deeper and more personal level. While grades and extracurricular activities are also important, the Stanford essays allow students to share parts of their life and experiences that the admissions office would not otherwise know. So, in each of your Stanford essays, highlight why you would be a perfect fit for Stanford!

What are the Stanford essay prompts?

The Stanford supplemental essays consist of three different Stanford essay prompts. Each prompt must be answered with an essay of between 100 and 250 words. The Stanford essay prompts for 2023-2024 are as follows and can also be found on the Stanford admissions website:

Stanford University Essay Prompts

1. the stanford community is deeply curious and driven to learn in and out of the classroom. reflect on an idea or experience that makes you genuinely excited about learning., 2. 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—get to know you better., 3. please describe what aspects of your life experiences, interests, and character would help you make a distinctive contribution as an undergraduate to stanford university..

Before you start writing your Stanford essays, we recommend taking the time to read each of the Stanford essay prompts carefully. This will help you know exactly what each prompt asks so you can craft a strong response. 

Below, we’ll break down each prompt individually and show you how you can write standout Stanford essays for each prompt. For additional tips and Stanford essay examples, check out our Stanford essays guide .

Stanford Essays #1

The first of the Stanford essay prompts is fairly straightforward. This prompt asks you to describe a time or experience that sparked a passion for learning. The possibilities for answering this prompt vary widely. However, the key to any great essay is specificity and focus. Remember that you only have a maximum of 250 words to write your Stanford supplemental essays, so you need to choose which of your passions to focus on. 

Start by identifying a formative moment when you developed a love for learning about your chosen subject. Then, build from that to show your intellectual curiosity. For instance, this could be a school field trip to a planetarium that inspired an ongoing love of space. The best essays begin by immediately pulling their readers into a story rather than restating the prompt or giving a general introduction.

Keep it authentic

Some students make the mistake of trying to look perfect and writing Stanford essay examples that they believe readers want to see. Being authentic and showing off your unique personality is much more important. In fact, your readers will appreciate getting to know the real you. 

This prompt asks about more than just a single defining moment. It is about why this moment was meaningful and how that moment inspired you to keep learning and growing. So, don’t be afraid to show off how much you love your topic.

Stanford Essays #2

Prompt #2 is the famous Stanford roommate essay. While the other Stanford essays share common elements with other essay prompts, the Stanford roommate essay is in a category of its own. In the Stanford roommate essay, students write a letter introducing themselves to their future roommate. This essay can take many forms, from a standard letter beginning with “Dear Roomie,” to a list of important characteristics, and even a “day in the life” snapshot where the writer describes what a typical Stanford day might look like for them.

Whichever format you choose for your Stanford roommate essay, remember that your audience for this essay is not just your hypothetical future roommate, but also the Stanford admissions team. So, like your other Stanford essays, your Stanford roommate essay should highlight what makes you unique. 

Approaching the Stanford roommate essay

Think about what quirks, characteristics, or personality traits you want to reveal about yourself. Then, come up with anecdotes or stories that showcase those characteristics. Instead of simply saying to your reader, “I am an avid crossword puzzle solver,” you can convey the same information in a more interesting way by saying “You’ll probably wake up most mornings and hear me mumbling random words to myself while hunched over a newspaper. Don’t worry, I promise I’ll be more social once I finish my daily crossword!”

The Stanford roommate essay can seem intimidating at first, but it can also be a fun way to show off who you are. If you have trouble coming up with ideas, don’t be afraid to ask family members or friends for help. They may be able to identify parts of your personality that would make great subjects for your Stanford roommate essay. 

Stanford Essays #3

After the Stanford roommate essay, the final prompt for the Stanford supplemental essays asks you to describe why you would make a “distinctive contribution as an undergraduate to Stanford University.” In other words, this essay asks you to tell the admissions team how you would contribute to life at Stanford. Although this question is more straightforward than the Stanford roommate essay, you should still think carefully about your response. 

As with the other Stanford essays, there is no single right answer for how you would contribute to the Stanford community. Like other top colleges, Stanford hopes to create a diverse community of students. So, write about what excites you and let your passion for those subjects shine through. Just remember that you only have 250 words to answer the Stanford essays. So, it helps to pick out two or three key ways you would get involved at Stanford.

Getting specific

The Stanford supplemental essays are also a great place to show off the research you have done about Stanford. Your Stanford supplemental essays should indicate both why you are a good fit for Stanford and why Stanford would be the perfect fit for your interests. The more specific details you include from either an in-person or virtual visit , the stronger your essay will be. Including the names of specific professors, internships, clubs, or study abroad programs is great, but make sure to provide context and specificity. Talk about why that aspect of life at Stanford stood out to you and how it connects back to your academic and career goals.

As with your other Stanford supplemental essays, make sure not to simply repeat your extracurriculars list from earlier in your application. If you do mention these activities, talk about how you would continue to pursue that interest at Stanford. Check out lists of student organizations and/or programs and see what lines up with your passions. For example, if you have an interest in journalism, you might talk about writing articles for the Stanford Daily or contributing to the many other student-run publications on campus. The more detailed you can get about what kind of Stanford student you would be, the better.

What is Stanford looking for in essays?

The Stanford supplemental essays serve several purposes. First and foremost, the Stanford supplemental essays help your application readers learn who you are in a more holistic way. The Stanford essays let you introduce yourself to the admissions team and give them a complete picture of who you are. So, your Stanford essays should highlight your life and experiences. 

The second purpose of the Stanford supplemental essays is to assess your writing abilities. No matter your major, you will write papers of some kind while at Stanford. So, Stanford wants to see that you have strong written communication skills. This does not mean that you need to fill your Stanford essays with impressive vocabulary words. Rather, Stanford simply wants to see clear, well-written prose that shows evidence of revision and thoughtfulness. So, make sure you check your Stanford supplemental essays for spelling and grammar before you submit them.

To learn more about Stanford check out this video from Stanford Admissions below:

Where can I find Stanford essays that worked?

One of the most effective things you can do to write better Stanford essays is to look at Stanford essays examples from admitted students. These essays can teach you what kinds of essays get students accepted to the most competitive schools in the country. It is important to note, however, that you should never copy someone else’s essay. Instead, think of these Stanford essays examples as a source of inspiration for your own writing. 

While there are books of Stanford supplemental essays available for you to purchase, there are plenty of free resources out there to help you with the Stanford supplemental essays. At CollegeAdvisor.com, we have a series of essay guides with tips for many different kinds of essays, including the Stanford supplemental essays. You can find the tips for the Stanford essays including full examples here and additional guidance for the Stanford supplemental essays here . You can also check out our full series about how to get into Stanford through the college page , which has all the info you need to ace your application.

Stanford Essays Examples

What is the application deadline for Stanford?

Like at other schools, students can choose between multiple Stanford application deadlines. If you know that Stanford is your first choice school, you can apply through the Restrictive Early Action pool. This pathway allows you to apply to other colleges as well as Stanford as long as those other applications are through a Regular Decision pathway (not Early Action or Decision). 

If admitted through REA, you are not required to attend Stanford and you have until May 1st to accept or decline your offer of admission. The Stanford application deadline for Restrictive Early Action is November 1st.

Students who do not wish to apply to Stanford through the Restrictive Early Action pathway can instead apply to Stanford through the Regular Decision pathway. Students who choose this route may apply to other schools with no restrictions from Stanford. The Regular Decision application deadline is January 5th, and students receive decisions from Stanford in early April. There are separate timelines and application deadlines for financial aid, which you can find on the school’s website .

Five tips for writing outstanding Stanford essays!

1. start early.

Because there are so many Stanford supplemental essays and short answer questions, it helps to get started on them as early as possible. Especially if you apply through the Restrictive Early Action pathway, you should give yourself enough time to write each of the Stanford essays. You likely won’t submit your first draft of the Stanford essays, so leave plenty of time to redraft and edit. This will also give you time to put the other Stanford essays tips we’ve discussed into practice!

2. Brainstorm ideas before writing

The Stanford supplemental essays, in particular the Stanford roommate essay, require a lot of personal reflection. Because of this, we recommend that you think critically about your passions, interests, and most important personal traits. That way, you can outline what you want your Stanford essays to say about you and choose subjects that highlight those aspects of your personality. The Stanford essays are not long enough to capture every one of your unique life experiences and qualities. So, choosing a few key details will help streamline your essays.

3. Show, don’t tell

This guideline can help you strengthen not only your Stanford essays, but also your writing in general. Try to use examples from your life to highlight your key traits rather than stating them outright. For example, if you want to show that you have exceptional leadership skills and a passion for gardening, you could describe how you created a horticulture club at your school and transformed an old courtyard into a plant sanctuary. These stories help your reader see the kind of person you are. Moreover, they provide perspective into the kind of student you would be at Stanford.

4. It’s all in the details 

Make sure your Stanford essays include vivid, specific details. The more descriptive and specific your language, the better your message will come across. So, keep your Stanford essays focused. Don’t try to include too much information—instead, center each essay on a single, compelling narrative. Then, use as much descriptive language as possible!  

5. Ask for help

The Stanford essays, and particularly the Stanford roommate essay, are not easy to complete. Moreover, writing any college essay is very different from writing a paper for class. So, find someone you trust to help you revise and edit your essays. Additionally, for prompts like the Stanford roommate essay, a second reader can provide useful insights. They also may catch mistakes or see improvements that you would not have otherwise considered. Just make sure that no one writes the Stanford essays for you! Admissions officers are trained to look for essays written by parents or siblings. Additionally, the strongest Stanford essays will capture your authentic voice. 

If you’re looking for help writing your Stanford supplemental essays, our advisors can help. We’ll provide one-on-one guidance to help you make the most of your Stanford essays. Click here to schedule a meeting with our team and learn more about how to make your Stanford essays count.

This essay guide was written by senior advisor, Alex Baggott-Rowe . Looking for more admissions support? Click here to schedule a free meeting with one of our Admissions Specialists. During your meeting, our team will discuss your profile and help you find targeted ways to increase your admissions odds at top schools. We’ll also answer any questions and discuss how CollegeAdvisor.com can support you in the college application process.

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How to Get Into Stanford (by an Accepted Student)

Many students want to get into Stanford, one of the most prestigious undergraduate institutions in the United States. While getting into Stanford is very tough, there are definite rules to Stanford admissions. Using these rules to your advantage will greatly increase your chances of getting in.

Note: The following advice also works for admission to UC Berkeley and Cornell University. Though Cornell and Berkeley are not the same as Stanford, they are both very highly ranked colleges with a slight engineering tilt.

Stanford University is one of the most difficult colleges to get into , with an acceptance rate of only 3.68%. It is consistently ranked in US News ' top 10—often top five—universities. Stanford is the top choice of many students whose focuses coincide with what Stanford offers (e.g., a West Coast life or a large research institution with a slight engineering lean). Stanford is also by far the top US News -ranked school west of the Mississippi (the second is Caltech, which attracts a very different crowd).

Stanford follows certain rules when it comes to admissions. And, no, these rules are not as simple as "focus all your time on academics" or "be as well rounded as possible." (In fact, those phrases are the two biggest myths about admissions here!) Knowing the rules won't guarantee you admission, but you'll have a heck of a better chance than if you were applying in the dark.

I'll go over everything you need to know to get into Stanford , whether you're a humanities or STEM major. I'll also explain which admissions strategies are false and could seriously impact your chances of getting accepted if you follow them.

Getting Into Stanford: Why Listen to Me?

There are lots of writers out there giving admissions advice without any personal experience. Most journalists writing articles on Stanford admissions just spend a few hours doing research on the school (or a few days at most) in order to meet their article quota.

However, I've personally spent weeks, if not months , thinking about Stanford admissions. I must have spent more than 100 hours explicitly on Stanford admissions—and I ultimately got in :

A letter from my admissions officer to me after I was accepted to Stanford discussing the admitted-student weekend details. This letter has been modified to summarize meaning and protect privacy.

More than just getting accepted, I actually spent a substantial amount of time thinking about what Stanford was looking for and crafting an application specifically for Stanford. To me, Stanford was one of the top two schools I was interested in, so I took the application very seriously. I visited the campus twice before even applying, attended admissions sessions where I asked dozens of questions about what they were looking for, searched online and in bookstores, wrote an entirely separate essay for the Stanford application , and used a separate admissions strategy for Stanford alone .

I'm not saying this to brag; I'm just letting you know that I have some unique qualifications that allow me to help you the most. That I was accepted, and that I spent tremendous energy thinking about Stanford, means my advice can (hopefully!) help you substantially as you prep for the SAT or ACT and apply to Stanford.

The 3 Truths and 2 Myths About Stanford Acceptance

In this section, I'm going to tell you the critical three truths and two myths you absolutely need to know in order to get into Stanford . The first ones are relatively well known, but the final ones are less common knowledge and will help you get that extra boost in your application!

Note: If you've read our article on Harvard admissions , note that I will be covering similar material here. You might want to skim this section, but do pay attention to the differences between the application processes at Harvard and Stanford. Also, make sure to keep reading after this section as I'll be talking about Stanford-specific aspects.

Truth 1: You Need Strong Academics

The first truth is that Stanford is, first and foremost, an academic institution, so you need to have spectacular academics to get in . Although Stanford is currently test optional, high SAT or ACT scores remain a great way to show off your skills!

But keep in mind that you do need very high scores. The 25th percentile SAT/ACT score of admitted students is as high as 1500 on the SAT or 33 on the ACT . This means that the vast majority (75%) of Stanford students get above these scores, and those attending with scores lower than these are superstars who make up for their scores in other (highly impressive!) ways.

If your scores are below these numbers, the most effective step you can take to raise your chances of admission is to study more for the SAT/ACT since the primary reason Stanford will reject you is based on scores alone. The 75th percentile for Stanford is currently 1570 on the SAT and 35 on the ACT. If you're above these, you can assume your test scores are sufficient.

Myth 1: All You Need Are Good Grades

The first and most naïve myth is that Stanford only cares about grades. Like most myths, this one results from taking the truth too far. Many people think that since Stanford is an academic institution, it must care only about academics. After all, if you were trying out for the football team, the coaches wouldn't measure your skills in baseball, right?

The truth, however, is that while Stanford of course cares deeply about academics, it also cares about qualities beyond academics . Stanford isn't just admitting students with the highest GPAs and the highest SAT/ACT scores—they want a lot more than that!

Truth 2: You Should Excel in Multiple Areas

So why isn't Stanford just looking for students with the highest test scores?

The first reason is basic numbers: there are simply too many students with stellar academics . The average ACT score for a Stanford student is 33; thus, Stanford considers this score (or higher) stellar.

Yet a 33 still puts about 1% of the high school population above you. With 3.7 million high school seniors a year , this is about 37,000 students—many times larger than the roughly 2,000 students Stanford accepts each year. Consequently, top colleges such as Stanford need to look beyond academic scores to distinguish between these equally high-achieving students .

The second reason is the understanding that many top colleges, including Stanford, are looking for students who can have a significant and positive impact on the world . Stanford believes that non-academic factors, in addition to top academics, help predict who will have a positive impact in the future . These non-academic factors (often known under the umbrella term "extracurriculars") include participation in clubs or sports and a dedication to helping others.

As a result, we can replace the first myth with our second truth: top colleges care about far more than just academics and want to see strengths in many areas , including GPA, test scores, extracurriculars, and community service.

In reality, the above truth of multi-area admissions is actually well known to people who have done even a minimal amount of college admissions research. The myth of pure academics is more of a non-myth: it's a myth that lots of people love to bash, but not many people actually believe. In fact, over-bashing this first myth leads to the second myth below, which is even more insidious than the first.

Myth 2: You Should Be Well Rounded

This second myth—and by far the biggest and most harmful myth—is that Stanford cares about students being well rounded in the sense that they should be equally excellent in all areas. This myth is the most pernicious because so many people blindly believe it.

From many personal surveys, I have found that even well-researched students and parents fall prey to this myth. In fact, I myself during my early years of high school believed in this horrible assumption, even though I'd already done hundreds of hours of research at that point.

Because so many educated people believe it, and because it has the potential to steer you wrong, I personally think that this myth is the most damaging of any.

The "well-rounded" myth goes like this: Stanford wants you to be well rounded, so it's best to perform excellently in all areas. In other words, aim for that high seat in your school orchestra. Be number one or number two on your school debate team. Run for student council and become the treasurer. Get a score in the 95th percentile or higher on your SAT or ACT. Earn at least an A- in all your classes.

The mythical implication here is that the "Stanford scorecard" grades you based on your weakest area, so you want to eliminate all weaknesses. Under this myth, you should focus all your time on your weakest area to eliminate it and become as well rounded as possible. Then, at the end of the day, you end up with a mythical optimal application that proves you're (nearly) equally great at everything.

Unfortunately, college admissions are much more like an unstable boat: being too well rounded will ultimately sink you .

The truth is that Stanford sees being very well rounded as too boring. Everyone who is well rounded looks the same: they're very good (but not earth-shattering) at everything. There's nothing to set you apart. Not to mention that dilly-dallying in a big number of areas will make you look like a dilettante.

Truth 3: You Should Have a "Spike" in One Area

The third and final truth is that Stanford would much rather see a candidate who is OK at most things but really great in one specific area . That area is your "spike," and it can be in almost anything: conducting microbiology research, publishing short stories, starting a small business, etc.

Your spike makes you a strong candidate because it's unlikely that many other students will have the exact same spike as you. In short, it helps set you apart and makes you unique . Admitting lots of students with different spikes allows Stanford to create the diverse student body it desires.

Furthermore, Stanford is looking for students who will succeed in the future. In our modern world, specialization is the key to success . Think about it: if you break a bone, you want to see a doctor who's great at resetting bones, right? Not a doctor who's pretty good at setting bones and also pretty good at diagnosing the type of flu you have and pretty good at recommending a diet to keep you healthy.

It's OK to be lopsided—in fact, it's even desirable! The point is that you should aim to develop one area in which you're super strong . In this area, or spike, you should try your best to be nationally or state-ranked, or accomplish a goal that's rare for a high school student. Think top-100 football player in California, or top-1,000 math competition student in the United States. Think getting a pilot's license at age 12.

In all other areas, it suffices to be in the 99th or even 90th percentile. A moderately good score in your English class will do. A few dozen hours of volunteering is fine. But in your spike, you want to be the best of the best.

Recap: Truths and Myths About Stanford Admissions

The most naïve and prevalent myth is that getting into Stanford is all about academics. In reality, admitting applicants based only on academics leads to an uninteresting community. Stanford cares about extracurriculars, too, and doing well in just one area of school (or even all of school) isn't enough.

Unfortunately, an overly reactionary response to the above generates the worst myth. Myth 2 is that you should be well rounded and great (but not necessarily excellent) in every field. But the truth is that being too well rounded makes you look the same as others who are just as well rounded as you; it also makes you look like someone without any direction.

Ultimately, you want to be OK in every field but especially accomplished in one particular field.

What These Stanford Truths and Myths Mean for You

Based on the above information, your first goal should be to ensure you have strong academics . Get good grades in high school, and make sure you're in at least the 50th percentile (for Stanford or whatever school you're applying to) on the SAT/ACT.

Even if you're above the 50th percentile, if you haven't prepped at least a few dozen hours yet, you should aim for the 75th percentile to strengthen your application . SAT/ACT prep is one of the most time-efficient ways to raise your score and thus your chances of admission.

After you're above the 50th percentile, get to work on overcoming the first myth (which claims that grades are everything). Stanford cares about far more than just academics, so try to squeeze in some good extracurriculars and volunteer experience .

Once you have a sufficient set of baseline activities, it's time to overcome the second myth by understanding that Stanford is not all about being diversified and well rounded. You want one area to stand out above and beyond all the others; this spike will be one of the most important parts of your application.

Now that we've gone over the biggest myths and facts about Stanford admissions, let's take a look at another part of the highly prestigious university: its emphasis on STEM and what this means for you, whether you're into STEM or not.

How Stanford's Tilt Toward STEM Affects Admissions Chances

One difference between Stanford (and Cornell and UC Berkeley) and some of the other top-10 colleges is that Stanford is not a pure liberal arts college; instead, Stanford is a liberal arts college with a significant STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) tilt.

This means that—all else being equal— if your interests learn more toward engineering, you'll get a slight boost in your admission chances . For your base diversity of extracurriculars, it helps to focus more on engineering and/or math; it also helps if your spike is in engineering or math. So if one student were a top-100 young writer and another were a top-100 math competitor, it's likely that the latter would have a slightly better chance of getting into Stanford.

Don't just take my word for it, though—you can Google it yourself. You'll see that Stanford is in the US News ' top-ranked engineering schools, while Harvard and Yale are nowhere near the top 10. Part of this, however, is a self-fulfilling prophecy: because good engineering-type undergrads come here, it becomes an ideal place for similarly minded students.

Despite this clear STEM tilt, Stanford is certainly not a STEM-only school (which other top-ranked schools such as MIT, Caltech, and Carnegie Mellon essentially are). As a result, math-related classes and extracurriculars are not the only things that matter when applying to Stanford.

The next two sections will give you advice based on which subjects you plan to study in college. If you're less into STEM, read the next section. But if you're already focusing on a STEM area and plan on continuing to do so, skip on ahead to the section after for my most helpful tips.

Do you plan on majoring in a humanities or similar subject? Then this section is for you!

How to Get Into Stanford If You're Less Interested in STEM

Just because Stanford leans more toward engineering, that doesn't mean that the only way to get in is to be an engineer. You don't even need to be interested in STEM in general; Stanford is not MIT or Caltech! While the school has a fantastic engineering program, it's also incredibly strong in non-STEM fields, such as economics and literature.

Your application can be completely bereft of engineering aspirations, and you can still do well. In fact, I am quite sure that any humanities-heavy application that would do well at Harvard , Yale, or Princeton would do equally well, if not better, at Stanford.

Nevertheless, don't forget the fact that Stanford likes baseline diversity. Your spike doesn't need to be related to STEM, but you should still be strong in quantitative subjects as a whole . Even if your subject of interest is Prussian history, you should be cautious about getting a B in AP Calculus AB, taking the easiest math classes, or getting as "low" as a 650 on the SAT Math section.

Because Stanford has a large number of applicants, they have enough humanities-spike applicants who can at least get the basic A or A- in the hardest math and science classes. You should take care to put enough effort into these subjects so you don't drop down to the middle of the pack . Stanford doesn't take the excuse "I'm just not a math person" (and, in fact, they're probably against the culture that makes such a phrase commonly acceptable in the first place).

So what's a good enough baseline in SAT or ACT Math? I'd say something in the 720-800 range on the SAT Math section or 32-36 on ACT Math will do . The SAT/ACT is not competitive math—doing well on this section doesn't mean you're nationally ranked in math. In fact, the SAT/ACT Math sections are designed to test only the most basic common-denominator areas covered in high school math classes across the United States.

As such, scoring substantially below a perfect score on the SAT / ACT does actually signal to Stanford a lack of understanding of some rather standard areas of math. Once you get below a 700 on SAT Math or a 30 on ACT Math, Stanford will know you don't have a full command of standard concepts in math, such as factorizing variables or applying the Pythagorean theorem.

The good news is that you can improve quickly and consistently to the 700+ level on the SAT . All it requires is mastering baseline content of math and understanding the highest-gain SAT Math strategies. You can study on your own by reviewing and mastering math content first while focusing lightly on math strategy. If you're studying with PrepScholar , we will automatically detect your situation and give you the right study material for this improvement.

Students whose forte isn't engineering should know that Stanford is welcoming of interdisciplinary study. Indeed, the school would love to see you talk not just about the humanities, but also how your expertise in the humanities uses areas such as computer science or math to help refine your analysis.

Assuming you are truly interested, it will help your application if you mention an aspiration to use some amount of engineering in your future studies. For example, if you're into religious studies with a focus on the Old Testament, you might talk about how you'd like to use statistical analysis to refine the documentary hypothesis.

As for your spike, since your natural strength is outside STEM, I wouldn't go for a STEM-type spike. Usually, spikes are much easier if done in a field with natural talent and that you thoroughly enjoy. A STEM spike would make much less sense for you, not to mention that it'd be a lot less pleasant to accomplish.

Consider competitions for speech, debate, writing, essays, and so forth. For example, for enthusiasts of debate-type activities, there's Model UN , Junior State of America , governor's school , mock-trial , and nationwide debate .

Competitions provide a direct way for admissions officers to see how good you are , but you can also do other tasks that qualitatively seem similarly accomplished. For example, if you started a theater club that has an impressive number of audience members or consistently do journal-quality academic research on Victorian English literature, you'd be well positioned for your spike.

To learn more about working on your spike for college, check out our guide on how to get into the Ivy League (search for "Part 2" and scroll down to #4).

How to Get Into Stanford If You're Strong in STEM: 4 Tips

If your strong point is quantitative, then that's a great advantage. After all, Stanford is engineering tilted! Even more to your advantage, I personally got into Stanford following this path , so I will have much more refined strategies for you here, including naming specific programs to try.

Below are my top four tips for getting into Stanford if you're strong in STEM.

#1: Make Sure You Have Academic Excellence in STEM Fields

Since you consider yourself a strong STEM candidate, it's important to be absolutely amazing in STEM as a whole . That means earning an A or A+ in every one of your STEM courses, with only the very occasional A-.

You should also be taking the most difficult STEM courses offered at your school. In other words, take APs when they are available and, within APs, try to choose the harder option ( Calculus BC instead of AB , for example). For the AP exams, aim for a 5 in each of these fields.

If you're naturally talented at STEM and are taking the hardest courses, there's a high probability you'll get great grades; however, you want to turn that high probability into a certainty.

The biggest reason that naturally talented STEM students perform at just a mediocre level in STEM courses is a lack of diligence. Many students who are strong in STEM want to focus on only what they're interested in at that moment. It's important to see the benefits to your STEM education that are possible if you get into Stanford, and to convince yourself it's worthwhile to put in the grind that's often necessary to get good grades in school.

To illustrate this point more clearly, let me tell you the real story of my high school classmate. Let's call him Kevin. Kevin was intensely bright, would score at the top of intelligence tests, and was into battle bots. He would literally put all his time into building these robots, often skipping English classes, physics classes, and even sleep to spend time on this intense passion he had.

In the end, he earned Ds in English and Cs in Physics (which he was otherwise great in). Sadly, when it came to admissions time, Kevin wasn't able to get into any college ranked within the top 50. With his intelligence, he could have easily swept the US News top 50 if he'd put even a modicum of diligence into his schoolwork.

The takeaway? Don't be like Kevin.

#2: Develop a Good Academic Baseline Outside of STEM

The next step is to ensure your academics outside of STEM meet at least some baseline of quality. This doesn't mean you have to be great in the humanities, but it does mean you'll want to keep the Bs in the humanities to a minimum . While you don't need to take any AP classes in the humanities (I didn't!), taking them and getting a 4 or 5 on the AP tests and an A/A- in the class will definitely benefit you in the end.

Standardized tests such as the ACT and SAT are a great way to prove how well rounded you are. They're difficult enough that getting a sufficiently high score signals you're in the 95th percentile or above in all the US—certainly enough to qualify as well rounded. That being said, the ACT/SAT isn't specialized enough to be your spike.

If you're a little weaker on the humanities side, shoring up your SAT/ACT score is the fastest and most effective way to improve. You should aim for an SAT Reading and Writing score of at least 650 or ACT Reading and English scores of at least 28 each. I firmly believe that being great quantitatively correlates with being smart in general.

You can definitely get these scores if you put your mind to it. (The only caveat is that you'll need to be reasonably fluent in English. If you're not a native speaker and aren't fluent, I suggest you make this a priority, probably through immersion in an English-speaking country.)

Your test-prep strategy will center around the fact that the SAT/ACT is an analytical test . The same skills you used to become good in quantitative subjects will be useful in mastering these standardized tests. Since you're only targeting a 650 (or 28) or above on these sections, you don't need to stress as much about the last few problems and being careless.

You do , however, need to memorize all the most common SAT grammar rules and learn how many questions you can afford to get wrong without sacrificing your score goals. You can do this yourself or take advantage of our online SAT / ACT prep program , which will automatically identify these weaknesses for you.

#3: Include Some Well-Rounded Extracurriculars

Round out your Stanford application with some lower-hanging fruit if possible. Assume a leadership position in some club that requires public speaking, whether that's debate, Model UN, or something else. Many areas in politics and law are surprisingly close to the logical systems you're used to in STEM.

You might also consider playing a sport . Many JV teams are not incredibly competitive. Also, be sure to play to your strengths: if you're more dexterous than strong, you might want to choose squash, for example. If you're fast and have good hand-eye coordination, consider baseball.

Sports teams will take up a ton of time, though , so check that you're well positioned and able to handle the time commitment before making any decisions.

Our guide lists hundreds of extracurriculars , which you can use to brainstorm how you can build a diversified base. Note that for your activities, you don't need to be especially great at them—participation is what ultimately matters here.

#4: Focus On Your Spike

Now that you've achieved good SAT/ACT scores and have a well-rounded base of activities, it's time to build up that final factor that will get you in: your spike ! This is where you really get to show off your STEM skills.

When it comes to spikes, the name of the game is to be highly ranked in recognized fields .

One of the most natural environments to be ranked in is a competition. Now, obviously, the more recognized the competition, the better. As you might imagine, the most well-known, difficult, and participant-heavy competitions are the most prestigious.

For your Stanford application, it's better to rank in the top 1,000 of one of the most prestigious competitions than it is to rank in the top 100 of a competition of middling prestige. This means you should try to aim for the most prestigious competition you can actually do well in . You should consider competitions from highest prestige down in that order whenever possible.

When it comes to prestigious STEM competitions, two of them take the cake: the US Math Olympiad (which I'll refer to as the "USAMO series") and the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (Regeneron ISEF) . These are two competitions everyone applying to Stanford should consider entering.

The USAMO series is all about pure math and solving problems fairly quickly (think a few minutes to an hour in a timed environment). If you want to get a taste of what an easy problem looks like in the USAMO series, just look at the hardest problems on SAT Math or the hardest problems on the (now discontinued) Math Level 2 SAT Subject Test (the hardest problems usually appear last).

By contrast, the ISEF is more about tinkering around, spending days and months doing research similar to what you'd do in college, and then presenting your results. Compared to the USAMO series, the ISEF is much more like working on a hobby or personal project for an extended period of time .

Now then, let's take a look at each of these two STEM competitions in more detail.

USAMO Series

Here's a sample AMC 12 Problem. If you can solve this without any issues, then you'd be a strong candidate for a math competition:

Three real numbers in the interval [0, 1] are chosen independently and at random. What is the probability that the chosen numbers are the side lengths of a triangle with positive area?

You can see the answer and a full explanation at AoPS Online .

If you're very good at math, then you should seriously consider the USAMO series (more unofficial information here )—it can really be your spike. The USAMO series is so prestigious that I've known Stanford students whose main spike was placing within the top 1,000 or 2,000 in this competition.

But why is the USAMO so prestigious? For one, it's the oldest of the high school subject Olympiads, and it was the subject of Cold War tensions between the US and USSR. Most importantly, though, hundreds of thousands of the most mathematically strong students participate in it , making a top ranking really impressive.

The best way to sign up is to ask your high school math teacher. If your high school doesn't do this competition, you should either aggressively petition them to do it or search for a neighboring high school that will accept you as a guest.

This spike will be good for you if your SAT Math score is 760 or above (or your ACT Math score is 35 or above) . If you don't meet these basic thresholds, I would think very hard before making the USAMO series your spike—the series is, after all, just a much harder version of these standardized tests in nearly the exact same format.

Furthermore, a college applicant who has competitive USAMO series scores but questionable SAT or ACT Math scores will send mixed signals that'll diminish their USAMO series accomplishments.

Conversely, if you're above the SAT/ACT Math threshold, you definitely will benefit from taking the USAMO series, even if it isn't your spike. Why? Because if you're above these thresholds, your test score won't reveal your true math skills , which are likely off the SAT/ACT charts; you need to upgrade to the USAMO series to show off all your math skills, even if you don't perform amazingly.

To recap, do the USAMO series if you do really well on math tests such as SAT/ACT Math . The USAMO series will be a definite spike for you if you manage to make it into the top 1,000 or 2,000 spots. The best resource to train for the USAMO series is Art of Problem Solving .

Now, what if you're good at tests and competitions—but not math? If this sounds like you, read on to learn how the Regeneron ISEF could be a great choice for your STEM spike.

Regeneron ISEF

Many students are strong in STEM but aren't exceptional when it comes to solving timed problems. Some get anxious from the pressure, whereas others just don't do well on tests, even if they're brilliant at STEM. These students might instead be found writing their own computer programs for months at a time or working on a science experiment for weeks.

If this sounds like you, then the prestigious competition you should consider for your spike on your Stanford application is the Regeneron ISEF (formerly Intel ISEF).

Like most science fairs, the ISEF requires you to do research and present your findings. What's unique about the ISEF, though, is that it's the premier science fair in the United States . Think of it like this: whereas winning your high school's local science fair is like winning a 100-meter dash in your town, winning the ISEF is like winning the 100-meter dash in the Olympics.

You can't apply directly to the ISEF. Instead, you have to start out first in a regional science fair. If you do well in that, you can advance to the next ISEF rounds. You can read about the competition's judging criteria and a real winner's experiences on the official website.

Some of the key factors to winning include being innovative and original. You have to be rigorous, but not nearly to the degree of professional science research. Being interesting is the name of the ISEF game.

What does a winning ISEF project look like? Here's an excerpt from the profile of the 2020 1st place winner :

" In her research project, recently featured in  Bloomberg , Lillian built a simple tool to investigate how well harvests would do in the next season. Studying satellite images and data from the  Descartes Labs , Lillian successfully forecasted 2020 crop yields for every country within Africa. Besides highlighting how remote sensing is an effective way to fill the gaps in the agriculture industry during COVID-19, especially when farmers and scouts cannot be on the ground to measure local crop environments, Lillian’s project also stands to reassure the next generation of young scientists that research doesn’t always have to be done in a lab, but can be done from home. “Today’s availability of open-source tutorials, software and datasets opens the doors for anyone to learn at their own pace.” Lilian worked on her project at her own desk and says others can do the same. Let’s hear more from Lillian below. "

To show originality for the ISEF, you must tackle a problem that's interesting to the scientific community . Since few high school students have a good overview of the academic science literature, it's important for any student to have a professional academic scientist or engineer as their mentor . This will ensure that you work on a problem the field considers important.

Also, good mentors with previous experience will know which problems can be done by students and which would be too complicated or time-consuming. After you choose your field and mentor, having the tenacity and focus to put your creative thinking toward the problem is key. Students who have historically had a lot of trouble staying focused or finishing projects should be wary.

With the USAMO, doing well on SAT/ACT Math is a good predictor of performance; being fast and being good on tests is important. But with the ISEF, tenacity and the ability to stick to a project for hundreds or even thousands of hours from start to finish is absolutely crucial. Ranking in the top 100 for the ISEF would definitely qualify as a spike for you.

Other Options for STEM Spikes

There are many more STEM competitions besides the two above. In the sciences, you have the Physics, Chemistry, Biology, and Informatics (Computer Science) Olympiads . These competitions require you to work with logic very intelligently, and all require memorizing and being familiar with some facts. I personally participated in each one of these while in high school. Here's a quick overview of how they work.

The Math Olympiad is special because it's the most competitive, with the highest number of people doing the first round. Because so many people prep for the Math Olympiad, the field has changed so that a good part of doing well on it is having tons of practice so you'll know immediately which equations you need to pull out when you see a particular mathematical expression.

Biology requires the most memorization. In fact, most early rounds are about recalling the text of Campbell Biology in a timed fashion.

Chemistry is a happy mixture of using logic to solve problems and memorizing a moderate list of information to help solve those problems. The hands-on portions of both Chemistry and Biology require you to be good at following memorized procedures.

On the other hand, Physics and Informatics have a lot of hands-on sections that require a ton of resourcefulness and novel problem solving.

In these other competitions, I'd say that qualifying for the top 20-40 will make the competition a spike for you in the eyes of Stanford .

But not all spikes need to be in explicitly ranked STEM fields. You could discover a new protein with significance to medical research; there wouldn't necessarily be a competition for the discovery, but if the discovery is qualitatively stunning enough, it can count.

For your Stanford spike, you could brainstorm an amazing discovery, such as a biological process, an electrical engineering discovery, or something else entirely. Or you could build something new, such as a computer program, a cool robot, or a fun electronics project. Whatever the case, make sure that your project is impressive .

Qualitatively, the project should be as good as or better than a ranking within the top 1,000 on the Math Olympiad. Stanford is all about engineering, and they would love to see you build something of your own!

As you can see here, there are tons of competitions and ways through which you could show off your special STEM skills. Beyond the top few listed above, you can also brainstorm your own fields. Once you have a competition or field in mind, it's useful to evaluate how prestigious it is.

Remember that the less prestigious a competition or field is, the higher you have to rank in it to be afforded the same credit. To estimate prestige, first look at how many people participate—the more people who participate, the more impressive it'll be on your Stanford application. Next, look at the skills of the average participant: the more skilled the people coming in are, the better.

Using this method, you can find ways to show off your spike outside the set ones above.

Conclusion: The Best Tips for Getting Into Stanford

Stanford is one of the most difficult universities to get into, as are UC Berkeley and Cornell. But all these schools follow the same pattern of being highly ranked and having a slight engineering tilt—and all have a common admissions pattern .

Because these three universities are so prestigious, it's critical to keep in mind the three truths :

• You need high baseline academics, with SAT scores above 600 (ideally 750 in each section)
• You need to have a diverse set of extracurriculars at which you're good (but not necessarily a pro)
• You need to have a "spike" for which you're (ideally) ranked in the top 100-1,000 compared to other students

At the same time, be sure to dispel these two myths about Stanford admissions :

• Stanford admissions is all about academics
• Stanford wants you to be as evenly well rounded as possible

Keep in mind that Stanford has a slight STEM (engineering) emphasis . So if your focus is outside STEM, you should be the best you can be in that area and, if possible, try to tie that work into some potential interdisciplinary work with STEM.

If you're already in STEM, you'll want to strongly consider entering a prestigious math or science competition to show off the high degree of your skills.

In the end, make sure that you're putting forward your absolute best Stanford application possible!

What's Next?

If you're applying to Stanford, it's important to know everything there is to know about the school. Get started with our complete guide to Stanford University and then read our best tips on how to write great Stanford essays , including a stand-out roommate essay .

As you know, strong test scores are an important part of your Stanford application. If you're looking for test-prep tips, take a look at our expert guides to SAT prep and ACT prep . Aiming for a top score? Learn how to nab a perfect 1600 on the SAT or a perfect 36 on the ACT .

Already got some great extracurriculars? Then check out our college admissions and test-prep guide designed specially for students like you!

These recommendations are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links, PrepScholar may receive a commission.

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Stanford MBA Essay Tips, Analysis, Framework for 2025 Intake

By admitStreet Team

9 September 2024

Applying to Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) is a dream for many aspiring business leaders. Known for its innovation, entrepreneurial spirit, and transformative education, Stanford GSB challenges applicants to reflect deeply on their personal values and professional goals through its essay prompts. For the 2025 MBA admissions cycle, Stanford requires two essays: Essay A, “What matters most to you, and why?” and Essay B, “Why Stanford?” These essays, though deceptively simple in their prompts, demand thoughtful introspection and a clear articulation of your motivations and aspirations.

In this article, we will delve into the nuances of these essay prompts, offering insights and tips to help you craft compelling responses. We will also consider Stanford’s advice on essay length, which emphasizes brevity and effectiveness. By the end of this guide, you will be equipped with the tools and strategies needed to present a powerful and authentic application to Stanford GSB.

What Stanford MBA Admissions Committee Seeks

Framework to write a winning essay, tips for writing, what stanford mba admissions committee seeks from this essay, final thoughts, stanford mba essay a.

What matters most to you, and why

When Stanford GSB asks, “What matters most to you, and why?”, they aren’t looking for a perfect answer or a specific theme. Instead, they seek authenticity and depth. The admissions committee wants to understand your core values and motivations—the driving forces behind your decisions, actions, and ambitions. They are looking for introspection, vulnerability, and self-awareness. This essay is your chance to reveal who you are beyond your resume and achievements. It’s about what drives you, what you stand for, and how your experiences have shaped your values.

Stanford’s approach to this essay reflects its broader mission to develop leaders who make a difference in the world. The admissions team is keen to see if you have the introspective ability to reflect deeply on your life, identify what is genuinely important to you, and articulate it in a compelling manner. They want to see your thought process and the reasoning behind your priorities. In essence, they are looking for candidates who not only have ambitious goals but also a strong sense of self and a clear understanding of what truly motivates them.

Step 1: Deep Introspection

Start by asking yourself the central question: “What matters most to me, and why?” This might seem straightforward, but it requires deep introspection. Don’t rush this process. Spend time reflecting on your life, values, and experiences. Consider the moments that have had a profound impact on you, the lessons you’ve learned, and the values that guide your decisions.

Step 2: Brainstorm Key Moments

Write down the 15 to 20 most significant events, accomplishments, interests, or experiences in your life. Include the good, the bad, the astounding, and the challenging. Think of events from your early childhood to the present day. This list should be comprehensive, capturing a wide range of experiences that have shaped who you are.

Step 3: Identify Common Themes

Review your list and identify common themes or patterns. What do these moments reveal about your values and priorities? Look for connections between different experiences and consider how they collectively define what matters most to you. These themes will form the foundation of your essay.

Step 4: Select Key Stories

Choose a few diverse items from your list that best support a central theme. These stories should illustrate how your values have influenced your actions and decisions. Make sure they are personal, specific, and reflective of your unique journey. Avoid generic or overused topics unless you have a truly distinctive angle.

Step 5: Analyze and Reflect

Incorporate a thorough analysis of your chosen stories. Explain the “why” behind each experience—why it was significant, what it taught you, and how it relates to your core values. This reflection is crucial as it demonstrates your self-awareness and ability to derive meaningful insights from your experiences.

Step 6: Weave a Cohesive Narrative

Craft a cohesive narrative that ties your stories together. Your essay should have a clear structure, with a beginning, middle, and end. Start with an engaging introduction that sets the stage for your theme. Use the body paragraphs to delve into your key stories and reflections. Conclude with a powerful ending that reinforces your central message and leaves a lasting impression.

1. Be Authentic and Honest

Authenticity is paramount. Write about what genuinely matters to you, not what you think the admissions committee wants to hear. Your sincerity will shine through and make your essay more compelling.

2. Show, Don’t Just Tell

Instead of simply stating your values, illustrate them through your experiences. Use vivid descriptions and specific examples to bring your stories to life. Show how your values have influenced your actions and decisions.

3. Focus on the “Why”

The “why” is critical in this essay. Make sure to explain why each experience or value is important to you. This reflection demonstrates your depth of thought and self-awareness.

4. Avoid Clichés and Generic Themes

While it’s okay to write about common themes, ensure your approach is unique and personal. Avoid clichés and focus on your individual perspective and experiences. Your essay should reflect your unique journey and insights.

5. Seek Feedback

Discuss your ideas and drafts with people you trust—friends, family, mentors. Their input can help you validate your themes and ensure your essay is both authentic and impactful. However, be careful not to lose your voice in the process.

6. Edit and Refine

Revise your essay multiple times. Pay attention to clarity, coherence, and conciseness. Ensure your narrative flows smoothly and your message is clear. Proofread carefully to eliminate any grammatical errors or typos.

7. Be Vulnerable

Don’t be afraid to share your vulnerabilities and challenges. Authenticity often comes from being open about your struggles and how you overcame them. This can make your essay more relatable and powerful.

Stanford MBA Essay B

“Why Stanford?”

Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) aims to understand the unique motivations and aspirations of its applicants through its essay prompts. Essay B, “Why Stanford?”, delves into your personal reasons for choosing Stanford over other top-tier business schools. Unlike the conventional “What are your goals?” question, Stanford’s prompt challenges you to articulate why the GSB is the ideal place for you to pursue your ambitions. The admissions committee looks for authenticity, deep research, and a clear understanding of how the GSB’s offerings align with your personal and professional goals.

Stanford values individuals who are not just dreamers but also doers—those who have a clear vision and the capability to execute it. This essay is your opportunity to demonstrate that you are such an individual. By sharing your motivations, past experiences, and specific aspirations, you can show the admissions committee that Stanford is uniquely positioned to help you achieve your dreams.

Crafting a compelling response to Essay B involves a structured approach that intertwines your personal narrative with specific aspects of the GSB experience. Here’s a framework to help you create a winning essay:

1. Start with a Hook: Begin your essay with a captivating story or anecdote from your past that highlights your motivation for your career goals. This could be a formative experience, a pivotal moment, or a personal passion that has shaped your aspirations. For instance, if you’re passionate about developing green technologies, you might start with a story about your first encounter with sustainable practices or a significant project that sparked your interest in this field.

2. Clearly Define Your Goals: Despite Stanford’s unconventional prompt, it’s essential to articulate your career goals. Be specific about your short-term and long-term aspirations. Explain how these goals align with your personal values and past experiences. Clarity here is crucial, as it demonstrates your focused vision and commitment to your chosen path.

3. Explain Why an MBA is Necessary: Discuss why you need an MBA to achieve your goals. Highlight the skills and knowledge gaps you currently have and how an MBA will help bridge these gaps. Avoid vague or generic statements. Instead, provide concrete reasons why the advanced training, leadership development, and networking opportunities at an MBA program are essential for your career trajectory.

4. Demonstrate Why Stanford: This is the heart of your essay. Show that you have done thorough research on Stanford GSB. Go beyond mentioning popular courses like “Interpersonal Dynamics” or “Startup Garage.” Instead, delve into specific aspects of Stanford that resonate with you personally. This could include unique programs, faculty, extracurricular activities, or even broader Stanford University resources that align with your interests and goals.

5. Connect to the GSB Culture: Stanford prides itself on its culture of innovation, collaboration, and impact. Illustrate how you will contribute to and benefit from this culture. Mention specific clubs, initiatives, or community activities you’re eager to join. Demonstrate that you understand and embrace the spirit of Stanford GSB and that you are excited to be part of this dynamic community.

6. Conclude with a Vision: End your essay by tying everything together. Reiterate how a Stanford MBA will be the catalyst for achieving your goals. Paint a picture of the impact you hope to make in your field or society at large. Ensure your conclusion reflects the themes and motivations discussed in your introduction, creating a cohesive and compelling narrative.

1. Be Authentic: Authenticity is key. Admissions committees can easily spot insincerity. Write about what truly matters to you and how Stanford fits into that picture. Avoid clichés and overly generic statements.

2. Do Thorough Research: Go beyond surface-level information. Engage with current students, attend virtual events, and read up on specific programs. Your essay should reflect a deep understanding of what makes Stanford unique and how it aligns with your goals.

3. Avoid Popular Courses: Many applicants mention well-known courses like “Interpersonal Dynamics” or “Startup Garage.” Challenge yourself to find other offerings that resonate with your personal and professional interests. This demonstrates a deeper level of engagement with the GSB’s offerings.

4. Be Specific and Concise: With a word limit of 350 words, every sentence counts. Be concise and specific in your writing. Avoid unnecessary jargon or verbose language. Each sentence should add value to your narrative.

5. Connect with Essay A: Ensure there is coherence between Essay A and Essay B. While Essay A delves into what matters most to you, Essay B should reflect how your time at Stanford will further those values and goals. Consistency in your essays shows clarity of thought and purpose.

6. Show Your Unique Perspective: Stanford values diversity in experiences and perspectives. Highlight what makes you unique and how you will bring a distinct voice to the GSB community. Your individual perspective is your greatest asset—use it to stand out.

Writing your Stanford GSB essays is a journey of self-discovery and strategic communication. Essay A asks you to reflect on your deepest values, while Essay B challenges you to articulate why Stanford is the perfect place to pursue your ambitions. Together, these essays provide the admissions committee with a holistic view of who you are, what drives you, and how you envision your future.

Remember, Stanford GSB values authenticity, clarity, and a genuine connection to its community and mission. As you write, keep these principles in mind and ensure that your essays reflect a true representation of your aspirations and character.

If you’re looking for personalized guidance to navigate the complexities of the Stanford GSB application, consider leveraging the expertise of AdmitStreet’s MBA admissions consulting services. Our team of experienced consultants can provide tailored advice and feedback to help you craft standout essays and strengthen your overall application. Let us help you take the next step towards achieving your MBA dreams.

For more information, visit AdmitStreet and start your journey to Stanford GSB today.

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In his first Convocation address as Stanford University president on Tuesday evening, Jonathan Levin reflected on his own first days at Stanford and encouraged students to embrace uncertainties, grapple with big questions, and be grateful for the opportunities and community around them.

“Like you, I am beginning a new chapter,” Levin said.

“I’m energized by the opportunities before us, and by our future – the future that you represent,” he added. “I couldn’t be more excited to welcome you as my first class.” 

Stanford’s annual Convocation formally inaugurates the new academic year and welcomes new undergraduates to the campus community. This year, 1,704 first-year and 60 transfer students are enrolling at Stanford from across the country and the world. Tuesday’s ceremony took place at Frost Amphitheater where new students gathered with their families and friends.

Convocation is one of the signature events of New Student Orientation (NSO), which began Tuesday morning with new students moving into their Stanford residences, many of them greeted by President Levin as they arrived with boxes and suitcases. In the evening, parents met and mingled at an informal dinner that included Provost Jenny Martinez. A complete schedule is available online .  

President Jonathan D. Levin addresses new students at Convocation. | Andrew Brodhead

Presidential pointers 

In his address , President Levin stressed that asking questions is central to the college experience. He encouraged students to engage in Socratic dialogue, following the example of the Greek philosopher Socrates, who used probing questions to challenge others with strong convictions.

“Unlike the people around him, he was comfortable not knowing,” Levin said. “He was comfortable asking questions and not having answers.” 

Levin emphasized that college is fundamentally about questioning and learning to appreciate the limits of one’s knowledge. He noted, “There are always new ways to approach a topic, or to reframe your thinking, or to explore more deeply.” 

He encouraged students to explore big questions, such as “How do I prepare to live a good life? ” or “What does it mean to be a citizen in society or in a democracy?” – topics they will explore this year in the COLLEGE curriculum. 

Incoming students chat at Frost Amphitheater. | Andrew Brodhead

Levin also expressed hope that students will use their time at Stanford to learn new subjects and skills, find their career paths, make lifelong friends, and fall in love with the campus. “And most of all, that you leave with many questions and a greater comfort in not knowing all the answers,” he said. 

President Levin urged students to approach their Stanford journey with curiosity – and without judgment. “One of our collective challenges is to create an environment where each of us, with so many different passions and views, can thrive,” he said, emphasizing the need for generosity and openness. 

He advised students to find a balance in their approach to Stanford. He said that during his many years on the Farm, he’s observed that the most successful students set goals and make plans, but also remain open to serendipity. “They put themselves out there to try new things and to take a risk in meeting new people,” he added. 

Lastly, Levin reminded students to be grateful for the rare opportunity ahead. “We should all try, through humility and service, to be deserving of these circumstances, and to help the people around us make something of these opportunities.

Diego Kagurabadza, ’25, gave the student address. | Andrew Brodhead

Stretching at Stanford 

In his student address, senior Diego Kagurabadza characterized his Stanford experience as stretching , or “pulling yourself in new directions; testing your limits; learning what feels right, and perhaps more importantly, learning what doesn’t.” 

Kagurabadza, who is pursuing a double major in political science and American studies, shared how he has been stretched in many ways at Stanford. For example, after a friend goaded him into taking a yoga class, he finally acquiesced. It was awkward at first, but the experience led to deep friendships. He also took Introduction to Psychology despite his lack of experience, finding it directly relevant to his majors. 

“I was tempted to drop the class and run, but I decided that the stretch was worth it,” he recalled. 

He said he refused to let imposter syndrome dictate his college experience and urged new students to “stretch” themselves beyond their comfort zones while at Stanford. 

“Stretching can look awkward, can be uncomfortable, and it may even tire you out,” he said. “But so, too, does college! Embrace it. It’s worth it every time. Just remember not to stretch yourself too thin. But don’t worry, our community is here to help you along the way.”

New students enter Frost Amphitheater for Stanford’s Convocation ceremony. | Andrew Brodhead

Class profile 

The first-year students in the Class of 2028 arrive at Stanford from all 50 states and 70 countries. Fourteen percent are international students. The new students speak 76 unique languages other than English.

Sixty-six percent of the domestic first-year class attended public schools and the remainder attended private, parochial, and home schools. The 60 transfer students come from 51 colleges and universities, including 30 community colleges. Twenty-one percent of the new students are the first in their families to attend a four-year university. 

Convocation also included remarks from the Rev. Dr. Tiffany Steinwert, dean for religious and spiritual life; R. Lanier Anderson, interim vice provost for undergraduate education; Richard H. Shaw, dean of undergraduate admission and financial aid; a land acknowledgment delivered by Micah Tsosie, ’25; and performances by the Stanford Jazz Workshop brass quintet and students Minseung Choi, ’25, and Katrina Franco, ’27.

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In this advanced Latin course, students concentrate on refining their reading skills and tackling longer passages of prose and poetry with attention to accurate translation and in-depth literary analysis. Readings will be drawn from works by authors such as Cicero, Caesar, Catullus, Ovid, Horace, Plautus, Pliny, and Seneca. Understood goals: Translation of larger passages of original Latin, including poetry; refinement of skills in literary analysis and essay writing; deeper understanding of Roman literary history.

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