stanford roommate essay example

College essay resources

Stanford university supplemental roommate essay guide and examples, work on school supplements.

Brad Schiller

Stanford admissions officers are always thinking about admitting the most successful class that they can. Even when they ask “fun” questions, such as their classic "Roommate essay." Despite our use of scare quotes, this question actually can be a lot of fun. Our big concern, as college essay coaches , is that you don’t take Stanford seriously when they say they want to “get to know you better.” That’s a trap .

While your essay can indeed be light-hearted and joyful, admissions officers are grading it just like they do any other — for evidence of your potential to succeed. Follow our steps below to make this one count. (And for answers to all your college essay questions, see our College Essay Help Center .)

Here is Stanford University's classic supplemental "Roommate essay" : "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.)" This may seem like a fun and easy essay to write, but it's not as straightforward as it appears.

What not to do: Solely be interesting 

The trap with this essay is to take the question too literally. Come room-assignment time, nobody is going to be reading this essay to help them match you with the perfect BFF. That’s why you should steer clear of solely saying something interesting about yourself . 

Here are some real no-no examples we've seen from the over 35,000+ students we've coached :

• A student's love of bongo-playing and how they look forward to playing bongos with their roommate.
• A student's background in Boy Scouts, backpacking, and bringing interesting artifacts into their room.
• A student's experience in karate and how they hope to spar with their future roommate.

Aren’t these interesting stories from unique students? It might be cool to live with someone who could play a solo music piece for you late at night, right? Or someone to take you exploring the local woods. Or someone who’s ready to spar with you at any moment like Steve Martin's character in the 2006 The Pink Panther.

The problem is that the person reading this essay won’t actually be your future roommate. None of these kinds of topics — unless handled the right way (see below) — is liable to move your application from the “maybe” pile and onto “admit them now!”

Still being graded: Keep the essay basics in mind

Stanford wants to know whether you’ll be successful at their school and within their particular campus community. Every question they ask on their application is about sussing this out — whether it’s your personal statement or a 100-word note to a future roommate. 

Asking a playful question is a way to get to these answers about your potential in a playful way. 

Therefore, you want your answer here to reflect 1 or more of the 5 traits , just like any other essay would. In fact, talking to a future roommate is a great place to showcase 3 of the 5 traits:

• Intellectual curiosity — things you’re interested in and like to explore.
• Contribution — how you give back and create community.
• Diversity of experiences — your unique background and life story that will expand the horizons of those you interact with. 

This essay could probably also reflect Drive (aka grit or perseverance) and Initiative (unwilling to accept the status quo), but the other three are a more natural fit.

Finally, as with everything else college essay-related, make sure the topic you talk about is recent to your experience. If you saved the world while you were in middle school, skip it, and write about something less spectacular that you did more recently. 

Have fun, too: Brainstorm answers that would show yourself off to a future roommate

With those basics in mind, let’s have fun with this, because the Stanford admissions team definitely would like this one to be on the lighter side. 

Begin by brainstorming a whole bunch of outside-of-the-box, off-the-beaten-track, off-the-wall topics about yourself that would answer this prompt. Allow yourself a good 15-20 minutes here. 

Give yourself a little break — creativity flourishes in a little break — and then come back to it again (maybe 5-10 minutes). This time, use the 3 of the 5 traits above (intellectual curiosity, contribution, and diversity of experiences) to expand on your brainstorming (another 10-15 minutes). Do any other interesting facets of your personality or experience spring to mind?

Once you’ve put in about 30 minutes of brainstorming, you should have some great topics that are authentic and fun from which to choose the very best one that will also strengthen your application . 

The whole picture: How will this answer reflect on your entire application? 

As you may know, Prompt recommends working on each application college by college (not essay by essay). Admissions teams read each application as a whole, so that’s how you should write them. With small, creative essays, you want to think about using them smartly as little pieces that bolster your overall application. 

Take a look at what else you’re telling Stanford about yourself. Which of the 5 traits are you really focusing on? Do you have any weaknesses you might want this essay to compensate for? How have you “branded” yourself?

For example, if you’ve written a lot about contribution , perhaps writing a personal statement about your community service work, this essay could be a way to show how deep that trait goes with you. You could talk about informal ways that you bring groups of friends together and help nurture strong friendships, and how you hope to do that at Stanford, too. In this scenario, you’re using this “fun” question to show a more light-hearted, but equally valuable aspect of one of your “serious” traits. This essay will help amplify your brand as a contributor. 

Or, using the same example, perhaps this contribution person might worry that their community service essay leaves out other exciting things about themselves. You want to make sure that you showcase all the impressive, unique things that you might bring to the table (i.e.: Stanford’s campus), and this little essay could be a great way to highlight one of them. So, if you have a deep interest in film, you could use this essay to showcase your intellectual curiosity in a fun way. You could talk about your love of horror movies, how you pursue that interest with friends today, and how you hope to join the Stanford Film Society and plan horror movie marathons for your roommates. In this scenario, you add to a serious trait of yours with a more off-beat interest that nonetheless also showcases intellectual curiosity. 

BTW, hopefully by now you see that the three examples of “what not to do” above all could be great essay topics. But only if they showcase college potential and fit with the rest of the application. 

How to write it: Straight-forward, action-driven, concrete

Now to the writing. Stick to these 3 precepts, and you’ll knock it out of the park: 

• Straight-forward. College essays do not call for “beautiful” writing . They call for simple, clear sentences that an admission officer can understand while reading quickly. 
• Action-driven. Since the point is to show off your college potential, you need to talk about things that you’ve done, whether that’s reading Wes Craven’s autobiography, planning an excursion to a screening of The Exorcist with your friends, or writing up your horror review on LetterBoxd .
• Concrete. Relatedly, point to things you’ve done, and things you’d like to do at Stanford. Philosophical musings are great, but they take up valuable space and don’t contribute much to your application. 

For example:

Our bongo-playing student might write an essay here that stays away from waxing effusively about how “alive” they feel when they play. Instead, they can focus on:

• What they do to keep bongo playing in their life on top of a busy high school schedule — ex: practice 15-minutes every morning, no matter what; and sign themselves up for orchestras and musical groups so they can showcase their talent with like-minded peers;
• What they plan to do to keep bongo playing going in college — ex: planning to bring their bongos to their dorm; will be auditioning for Stanford musical groups; and 
• It will all tend to demonstrate intellectual curiosity and contribution . 

Our backpacking Boy Scout student should stay away from talking about the woods themselves, and instead focus on:

• What it takes to backpack every Tuesday and lead their fellow Boy Scouts on a new hike;
• A note on their engagement on a trails app like AllTrails, ensuring that unsafe trails are noted for other hikers
• What they plan to do to keep backpacking and staying in shape once they get to campus — ex: have a goal of hiking all of the top trails around campus during freshman year or joining the campus outdoor activities group; and 
• It will all tend to demonstrate contribution and intellectual curiosity . 

Our karate student should refrain from writing too much about Japanese culture itself, but instead focus on their particular relationship to it:

• How they practice karate because it gives them a feeling of connection to their culture — and can also be light-hearted and fun, helping them to destress;
• How they convinced others at their school to join in, making stressful days more fun for many of their classmates; 
• How their grandmother loves that they’ve brought this traditional aspect forward in their lives, and it serves as a point of connection between generations; 
• How they plan to continue this tradition at Stanford; and 
• It will all tend to demonstrate diversity of experience as well as contribution . 

Our students successfully transformed their interesting and unique experiences into compelling Stanford roommate essays. Now it's your turn! And, now that you know what really matters, be sure you also have an absolute blast while doing it. 

Want more help writing your Stanford supplemental essays? Check out our college essay coaching packages .

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How to Write the Stanford Roommate Essay

This article was written based on the information and opinions presented by Johnathan Patin-Sauls in a CollegeVine livestream. You can watch the full livestream for more info.

What’s Covered:

How to approach the stanford roommate essay.

• Topics to Cover in Your Stanford Roommate Essay 

Stanford University is known for a lot of things, and their roommate essay is one of those things. Each year, Stanford puts out an essay prompt asking you to write a note to your future roommate. This prompt isn’t very common, so there is a lot of room to get creative with your response. 

This essay question allows a lot of room for brainstorming. Think about it—you can tell your future roommate anything. Questions like this aren’t meant to be taken too seriously. They’re meant to show your fun and creative side. 

Remember all of those awkward first impressions you’ve made in your life? If you’re anything like me, you probably went home and wished you could do them over. Well, this is your chance. You have complete control over your response to this essay. So, what would you say to your future roommate? 

Telling Stanford might sound daunting, but what would your response be if your friend asked you this? Reframing your audience is a great way to approach this question because you would give your friend an authentic answer. This is a great tip to help get the ideas flowing. Of course, the Stanford admission’s committee will be the ones reading your response, so make sure it is appropriate. 

Topics to Cover in Your Stanford Roommate Essay

1. living habits.

This essay is all about who you are in your home. The topics you could write about are endless. If you want to go down the more serious route, you can do that. There are a lot of students who write about their gender identity, sexuality, culture or home life. If that’s the most important thing you want your roommate to know, then definitely talk about that. Afterall, you will be living with this person in a fairly small room. 

If writing about your sexuality is important to you, then that is a great topic to write about, but it’s important to understand the difference between sexuality and sex life. This essay is not the place for you to write about your sex life. If you’re writing about something you wouldn’t tell your grandma, it might be best to choose a different topic. 

2. Hobbies and extracurricular activities

The roommate essay is a good place to show admission what kind of student you are going to be. One option is to write about how you’ll be involved on campus. Stanford wants to choose students that are going to come onto campus and get involved with everything the campus has to offer. They want someone who adds value to the community. Asking yourself how you would do this is a great way to begin your response.  

3. Academic plans (with a fun twist)

A great approach to this essay is linking your academics to something fun. One of the most successful responses to this essay was from a student who wanted to be a chemistry major. They wrote about learning how to bake a chemically complex cake for their dad’s birthday. 

Another response was from a business major who wrote about losing all of his life savings when he was teaching himself how to navigate the stock market. Both of these topics showed the student’s academic interest and tied that into their personality. 

Looking for more Stanford essay tips? Check out our full Stanford essay guide .

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

The Admissions Strategist

How to write the stanford roommate question & other supplemental essays 2020-2021 (examples included).

Stanford University is notoriously difficult to get into. In fact, it is one of the most selective schools in the country, accepting just under 5% of applicants .

Does that mean you have no chance of acceptance?

Of course not!

But what it does mean is that every piece of your application matters , including how you answer questions on Stanford’s supplement. This year, Stanford has five short answer questions, each with a word limit of 50 words, and three short essays which need to be between 100-250 words.

This supplement is found in Stanford’s Questions section of the Common Application and the Stanford Application Questions section of the Coalition Application.

In this article, we’ll guide you through each of the supplement’s questions and essays to help boost your chances of success !

Tips From Stanford University

Before we get into the individual questions, let’s take a look at the advice from Stanford University itself.

Click above to watch a video on Stanford Essays.

When it comes to writing essays , the university’s website recommends:

• Writing in a natural style
• Writing essays that reflect who you are
• Beginning to work on the essays early
• Asking parents, teachers, and friends for constructive feedback (including if the essay sounds like your voice)

Stanford emphasizes that these questions and essays are an opportunity to get to know you, saying, “We want to hear your individual voice in your writing.”

The tips below will give you inspiration and guidance as you complete the Stanford Supplement, but the most important thing is for you to write about topics that are meaningful to you in your own unique voice.

Now, we’ll take a look at Stanford’s questions one by one, starting with the short questions, which all have a 50 word limit.

Stanford Supplement Short Answer #1: Society’s Most Significant Challenge Essay

This is the first short answer question that appears in the Common Application. It reads,

What is the most significant challenge that society faces today?

This question gives you a chance to let admissions officers know what you’re passionate about. The possibilities abound, but consider the following questions to help you get started:

• When you listen to the news, what issue makes you want to take action?
• What issues have you protested in the past?
• When you’re in conversations with friends, what are your most heated discussions about?
• If a genie appeared and offered to fix one problem in the world, which one would you solve? How would you fix it?
• How controversial is the subject you’re thinking of? Try to avoid anything too contentious, as you never know who will be reading your application.

The goal is to think of an issue that genuinely bothers you and that you would like to change.

• You can talk about an issue that relates to something else in your application. This could be an activity or even a future career.
• Consider presenting a solution or discussing how you’ve explored this issue on your own time. This could have taken the form of watching documentaries, reading books, or viewing TED Talks on the subject.

To give you an idea, the two short bullet points above total 62 words. So 50 words is really not much. The nice thing is, this means you don’t have to worry about writing a formal introduction or doing anything fancy. 

Start by introducing the challenge and why it’s so important to you. If you have words left, briefly offer a solution too! Regardless, get to the point quickly and succinctly. 

Society’s Most Significant Challenge Essay Example

Here is a example of what this essay could look like: 

Many citizens resort to stereotypes and generalizations when speaking about others. The Internet, and especially social media, makes it easier than ever to absorb a set of beliefs without encountering criticism. If citizens left their bubbles more often, eliminating discrimination and prejudice would be a much easier proposition.

Stanford Supplement Short Answer #2:Your Last Two Summers Essay

As the second question on the Common Application, this question asks,

“How did you spend your last two summers?”

As one of the short questions, it retains the tight 50-word limit, so you won’t be able to talk about everything that happened during both summers. Try to focus on information that doesn’t appear anywhere else in the application.

Rather than selecting an answer that you think would impress admissions officers, think about what stands out to you the most. The following questions may help you get started:

• How did you spend both of your summers? Was there anything in common between the two?  This could be something as concrete as the same job or as abstract as studying.
• Does your family have a vacation that they take every summer?
• What did you do to relax over the summers? Did you read, spend time outdoors, play games, create artwork, or play an instrument?

Again, skip the introduction and focus on the most important details. If you have a particular difficulty or hardship, this is also a good chance to mention it. You shouldn’t explicitly say that you are disadvantaged, but if you have circumstances that are a significant time commitment during your summers, this is a chance to explain it. This can include:

• Taking care of a sick or disabled relative
• Working to support your single-parent household
• Moving from one home to another due to parental separation

With only 50 words, you’ll also want to edit your grammar and spelling to perfection.

Your Last Two Summers Essay Example

For an idea of what this essay could look like, see the following example:

I served free, healthy lunches to kids at the library and saved their parents a little money. Additionally, I helped mom with a business law class for a job she’s pursuing. I was fascinated with the intricacy of laws that must be enforced to maintain a fair market.

Get personalized advice!

Stanford supplement short answer #3: witnessing a historical moment essay.

This is the third question of the short questions on the Stanford application, and the one that allows for the most imagination and creativity. It reads,

“What historical moment or event do you wish you could have witnessed?”

For this question, try to avoid topics that you think many other students will address. Popular events include Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech and the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Unless you have a short personal story or detail that relates to the topic, try to pick something unique. Given the number of words allowed, you’ll have just enough time to briefly summarize the historical moment and explain why it’s so significant to you. With the space you have available, try to provide personal details and insights into who you are. The following questions may help you:

• Is there a specific story or event that occurred in your city?
• Does your family have a tale they tell about a relative or ancestor?
• Was there a defining event or events related to the significant challenge you mentioned above? 

As you write the question, ask yourself why you chose the specific historical event and what significance it has to you. 

Witnessing a Historical Moment Essay Example

To help get you started, here is an example:

My life needs historical context. Aunts, uncles, second-cousins, and the seamstress down the street fled to escape the war. Both grandpas fought in it. One died in it. When they wave their South Vietnam flags alongside the American one, I wonder what they endured during the communist takeover of Vietnam.

Stanford Supplement Short Answer #4: Extracurricular Activities Essay

The prompt from Stanford reads,

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

Before you get started, glance over the rest of your application, and take a look at the other questions included in the supplement. While you can, and should, be working to create a cohesive story, you don’t want to repeat anything. Keeping that in mind, what’s an activity or work experience that won’t be featured anywhere else?

Another goal for this question is to personalize your application as much as possible. Thus, try to think of an activity or work experience you have that is unique to you. Talk about something meaningful that other students might not be able to write about.

If you do decide to write about a more common experience or organization, brainstorm some personal details that make it unique to you. You should always strive to write something that only you could write.

Lastly, you want to be analytical and reflective about the experience. Consider:

• Why is this activity or experience so meaningful to you? 
• How has it impacted or shaped you as a person?
• What have you learned from this experience?
• How did you contribute to this activity, and what does it tell admissions officers about how you will contribute at Stanford?

Whatever you decide to write about, it should be an activity that you’ve spent considerable time and energy on. If your chosen topic didn’t impact your growth or personal development, then you should choose another. If possible, select an activity that resonates with the narrative of your application:

• If you’re someone who wants to study engineering, perhaps you could talk about your time serving as design head of your FRC team.
• If you love politics and want to major in political science, consider discussing the time you canvassed for a local politician or solicited signatures for a petition.

As always with these short questions, you only have 50 words, so focus on the most meaningful and memorable details. 

Extracurricular Activities Essay Example

Here is an example of what an essay might look like for an applicant interested in one day becoming a doctor:

While I run to get the door for a visitor, a nurse hurriedly hands me a lab sample to deliver. Smiling, I walk down the hall, plastic bag in hand. I like stressful days when I’m working as a family birth center volunteer at the local Methodist Hospital.

Stanford Supplement Short Answer #5: One Thing at Stanford Essay

The last of the short questions asks,

“Name one thing you are looking forward to experiencing at Stanford.”

Hopefully, as someone who has already decided to apply to Stanford, you already have a basis for this question. However, much like the last topic, it’s important to not pick an obvious answer.  While valid reasons for attending Stanford, this is not the place to gush over how good a school it is or the fact that your family lives down the road. The admissions committee is already aware that Stanford is an exclusive school or that you come from California. You should dig deeper.

The good news is that this doesn’t need to be complicated. Here are some questions to help you think about this question:

• What makes Stanford special, especially compared to other top schools?
• Is there a community, event, or club that you’re especially looking forward to experiencing?
• Is there something academic you’re particularly interested in, such as a research project or class?

This is the last question with a limit of 50 words, but all the previous advice still holds. Be judicious with your word choice, don’t bother with an introduction, and focus on one idea.

One Thing at Stanford Essay Example

An excellent answer to this short question could look like this:

As someone who loves a variety of topics, I cannot wait to take advantage of Stanford’s quarter system. Whether taking beginner ceramics or computational biology, having the opportunity to explore all of my passions would be invigorating.

Stanford Supplemental Essay #1: Driven to Learn

This is the first of Stanford’s three short essays. All of them have a word count of 100-250 words. This one reads:

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.

As this is the first of the short essays, you have a few more words, but not enough to craft an entire formal essay, complete with an introduction and conclusion. You’ll still need to get to the point quickly

As you can tell from the prompt, Stanford is looking for students who are hungry for knowledge, self-motivated, and eager to actively participate in classroom and campus life, so choose a topic or experience that makes you feel enthusiastic.

• Is there a type of homework assignment you actually love to do?
• Is there an idea you’re constantly reading articles or watching videos about?
• Have you encountered a problem or concept that you just can’t stop thinking about?

The first step of the essay should be describing the experience, then explaining why this idea is so exciting to you.

Because of the prompt, it is important that the topic you choose is something you have spent your own time exploring, as this is one of the things that demonstrates a genuine desire to learn. The tone of this essay should also be enthusiastic, as you want to clearly demonstrate your inquisitive nature and passion for your education.

Driven to Learn Essay Example

As the first of the short essay questions, take a look at this example:

At the end of freshman year, I enrolled in AP Chemistry. I didn’t think much of it; I was used to picking the hardest classes offered. Over the next few weeks, I was bombarded with warnings from wary upperclassmen about what was supposedly the hardest class in school. The teacher even had a meeting to scare the freshmen away. Refusing to let up, I planned on teaching myself some of the content before the next year started. I was mesmerized from the first chapter. As the author explained VSEPR theory, I was amazed at how the simple geometric shapes I’d been learning since elementary school could explain the repulsion between electron clouds. That summer, I read two chapters a day in pure awe. Chemistry was the first science class that challenged me to visualize abstract concepts on a completely new scale while incorporating the problem solving and logical deduction that I loved from math. During labs, I felt a genuine sense of purpose. Rather than following a list of directions, I brought theory to life by testing the properties of chemical reactions. Science was no longer about memorizing facts; it became discovery and application. Chemistry was my first experience blending math with science. Now that I’ve been introduced to physics, biology, and calculus, the interconnectedness of these subjects inspires higher pursuits within me. There’s so much more to learn in the world, and I want to use chemistry as my window to see it.

Stanford Supplemental Essay #2: Stanford Roommate Essay

Everyone is nervous about sharing a room with a stranger, but don’t think about this question that way. Instead, take this as an opportunity for you to influence who you spend the first year of college with. As such, the tone of this should definitely be more casual. Here is the question:

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. 

While you definitely want to maintain perfect grammar and spelling, this is a great place to inject humor, personality, and fun information about your living habits. Remember, you’re supposed to be addressing a fellow student, not an admissions officer. Here are some ideas to get you started:

• What should your roommate know about you?
• What are your hobbies? Do you like to cook? Play a sport? Build robots ?
• Are you a lover of the outdoors, but will always be careful not to track in dirt?

Whatever it is, this is an opportunity to reveal an aspect of your personality that really wouldn’t fit anywhere else in the application.

Make it unique, interesting, and memorable, while keeping it within the 100-250 word limit. Try to go offbeat here – this is the perfect chance to add to your application without worrying about narrative. 

Stanford Roommate Essay Example

This is a great, quirky example written by a student:

Hi roomie! If there’s anything you should know about me, it’s that I’m kind of like a dog. Hold on, let me explain: I love going on walks, frolicking in the water, and needlessly exploring. Feel free to join me in finding the best study spots or taking a few laps in the rec pool. Chicken wings and getting in the car make me happy. I’m always up for late-night drives and boba runs. I love kids. I’m always in a good mood after facetiming my little cousins or volunteering in an elementary school or library. If you listen to music, I’ll start humming (or howling) along. I’m a sucker for piano, and I can have High School Musical or Gustav Holst’s Planets Symphony stuck in my head at any given moment. I exude positivity. If you need a pep talk before a big test or a confidence boost when taking a fashion risk, I won’t hesitate to cheer you on. We’ll experience a lot together, so I hope you do the same. I just want to make people happy. I’ll always be your friend. We’ll have our disagreements, but I can’t hold grudges. I’m a first-generation American and college student, so a lot of things will be new to me. But like a wolf, my life has always been about adapting to my surroundings. Being here is already a symbol of leading my “pack” of younger cousins to higher education. Puns aside, I can’t wait to meet you!

Stanford Supplemental Essay #3: What’s Meaningful to You

This is the last of the short essay questions, so congratulations!  You’re almost done. This reads,

“Tell us about something that is meaningful to you and why.”

This is a very broad question, and you only have 100-250 words to answer it. However, since it comes at the end of your application, there are definitely a few different ways to approach it. Ask yourself:

• Is there an activity you care about that you haven’t mentioned yet?
• Did you really like one of the topics you brainstormed for a previous question, but it didn’t seem to fit quite right there?
• Is there a person, object, tradition, religious ceremony, experience, concept, or memory that really explains who you are?

The goal is to tell admissions officers something they don’t already know about you, so be sure to clearly explain why this is meaningful. How has it impacted your life and shaped you as an individual?

Don’t feel pressured to choose something grand or esoteric. The best responses to these questions are personal, speaking to your character, struggles, challenges, or ambitions.

What’s Meaningful to You Essay Example

This response is about seizing an opportunity to give back to a community, successfully highlighting several attributes that were meaningful to the writer.

When I learned my Boy Scout Troop would officially disband within the year, I knew I had to do something. Unflinchingly, I decided to run for the position of Senior Patrol Leader (SPL) on the platform of returning my troop to its former glory.  The biggest issue was diminishing scout attendance, so I collaborated with my Patrol Leader Council to create weekly meetings filled with activities such as water balloon fights, 3-on-3 soccer tournaments, and model rocket launches. Next, to build interest in troop events, I organized a two-night campout at Six Flags. Finally, to ensure troop involvement, I employed email marketing, encouraging members to rekindle their interest in Boy Scouts. Finally, after a six-month term as SPL, I increased Scout participation sixfold, successfully postponing the troop shutdown for a minimum of two academic years and allowing nine additional scouts to earn Eagle, with six more to graduate in 2019.  As an Eagle Scout, I found a community that has guided me toward becoming a better citizen. Boy Scouts has shaped me into the young adult I am today. In becoming a SPL, I reinforced the primary principles of the scout law within me: being trustworthy, loyal, and helpful.

Conclusion: Writing the Stanford Supplemental Essays

As you complete your Stanford Supplement, keep a few key things in mind:

• Don’t be repetitive
• Write in your own unique voice
• Be specific, and try to provide answers that are unique to you
• Polish your spelling and grammar to perfection
• Ask other people you trust to read your essays and give you feedback

If you follow the tips here and do your best to showcase your unique personality and writing style, you’ll increase your chances of being accepted to Stanford!

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How To Write Stanford Room Essay With An Example

Introduction

If you are applying to Stanford, you must have probably heard about Stanford’s popular roommate essay, one of three supplemental essays required to use. The roommate essay is infamous for its unique premise—write a letter to your future roommate—that many applicants find challenging to tackle. 

The roommate essay causes uncertainty among Stanford students because it is entirely unlike most essays that college applicants are generally asked to write, including the Common App Essay . Rather than presenting the typical challenge or extracurricular activities, the roommate essay allows applicants to talk about more daily or “normal” aspects of their lives.

You get a valuable opportunity to reveal something about your personality and interests beyond the usual resume-building fare.

This chapter will look at what qualities make a Stanford roommate essay stand out and discuss what students will want to avoid. We will also go through a successful essay from one of our students, break down exactly why it works, and help you understand what lessons you can take from this example.

Check out: How To Get Into Stanford 

What can you write in the roommate essay?

With an acceptance rate under 5 percent , it is easy to say that Stanford has their pick of astonishingly qualified applicants. By adding the roommate essay prompt, Stanford is looking to see what qualities besides outstanding academics and extracurriculars you will bring to campus: in other words, how students will contribute and fit into student life. 

In drafting the essay as a note between roommates, Stanford asks you when they are relaxing by themselves or hanging out with friends at the end of the day.

Because it’s directed towards a peer, it is more than fine to use an informal, fun tone in writing this essay. This is a great space to include offbeat elements of humor—but only if they represent your personality. You should sound like yourself. Stanford even states on their website, “ We want to hear your voice in your writing. Write essays that reflect who you are and write in a natural style. ” 

We want to caution you against writing only about what kind of roommate they would be. I know it seems easy to spend 250 words describing your sleep schedule or management habits, but we ensure that this kind of essay is a sign that they have taken the prompt too literally.

Remember that Stanford indicates something about itself as an establishment, even as it asks you to do the same. It’s saying: community matters here, and people matter. Social skills matter. Who are you, and why should we let you into the school and the club?

Similarly, writing about how your child can’t wait to share typical Stanford experiences like lazing about beneath the California sunshine with their roommate doesn’t reveal much about your child other than…well, that they want to go to Stanford or getaway their Midwestern winter. As such, we recommend staying away from platitudes like “I can’t wait to sit together at football games” or “I look forward to studying for finals together.” 

Instead, you must focus on personal, intimate details about yourself to write a standout roommate essay. Think: what would your close friends know about them that others wouldn’t? You can also use help from an English essay writer to help you draft content for the essay.

For instance, maybe you are a gaming nerd and always talk about video games. Perhaps you like to sit under the stars late at night when your parents are sleeping, and sometimes you tinker with an electronic skateboard in the garage. Or maybe you cannot go to bed without laying out your clothes and essentials for the next day—and perhaps you have some unique kind of well-known costume among your friends. These are the kind of minute details that are less likely to make it into the usual personal statement but reveal glimpses into your personality.

• Here are some questions to help you brainstorm what those details might look like:
• What about you would surprise other people? This could be an interest, a habit, or a goal.
• What’s in your room that no one knows about? (And is it something appropriate to share on a college application?!)
• What daily routines do you have? Is there something you can’t go without in the morning or evening?
• What do you like to do for entertainment or to relax (other than extracurricular activities)?
• Do you have a code or unique way of talking to your friends?
• What is your favorite inside jokes?
• Where do you and your friends go to blow off steam?
• What are you most excited about sharing with a new friend or roommate?
• How do you know when you’ve clicked with someone? What’s the sign that you two are now true friends?

Once you have brainstormed some exquisite personal details, you should write out the motives or reasons behind these habits. In other words, your roommate essay should not only give Stanford a sense of what you are like in your day-to-day life but also provide a larger structure or context explaining what those details say about them.

Also, parents should always give their children some distance when letting them prepare their college essays, especially here. This is a common social topic. A parent standing on top of their child will result in a challenging, awkward, and uncool essay. 

Tell your child to get feedback by encouraging them to read the essay with older friends, admission advisors, counselors, or favorite teachers. But this might be one where you need to step away to let their personality shine.

Stanford Roommate Essay, Example

Let’s have a look at a real-life example of an excellent roommate essay, and observe how an idea of how these concepts can be applied.

The actual Stanford roommate essay prompt:

Essentially 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)

Here’s what our student, Angelica, wrote:

Dear Future Roommate,

When first meeting me, most people describe me as “quiet.” I’m glad I have this chance to tell you that this isn’t the case. Don’t get me wrong: I know how to relax with a good book and a cup of tea, and—don’t worry—I always wear headphones when I study. My family and close friends will tell you that once you get to know me, I have plenty to say.

As an aspiring psychology and philosophy double major, long analytical conversations are my jam. People fascinate me, so I love to talk with my friends about what everything from our favorite cereals to our phobias says about us (by the way, that would be Rice Krispies and spiders—any interpretations?). If you don’t feel like sharing, though, it’s fantastic. I make sure to journal every night before bed and write down my dreams when I wake up.

You could say I’m a sucker for human expression. I would be delighted if you ever want to go to a museum or take a poetry class together. I’m looking to try new things in college, though, so if you’d instead bond by going rock climbing or to a comedy night (or whatever you’re into), I’m game.

I look forward to learning about what makes you you

What's great about Angelica’s essay? Let’s cut it down: 

Paragraph 1: Angelica’s essay starts by immediately laying down a hook: outsiders think she is quiet, but that isn’t the case. Not only does this grab the reader’s attention and lure them to keep reading, but it also sets up the rest of the essay by creating a structure for Angelica to explain how she is not what she seems. See how she also manages to hide in a few specific details of things she enjoys. 

Paragraph 2: Now, we start to get an idea of who Angelica is. Though she does choose to write about how she enjoys something fairly common—long conversations with friends—she makes it unique to her by grounding the activity in her interests in psychology and philosophy. By writing about her daily habits of journaling and recording her dreams, we get a picture of her as someone who naturally loves analysis and interpretation, even outside the scope of academic work.

Note: though we have demonstrated why the roommate essay is a valuable space to discuss interests other than academic or extracurricular ones, if your child can tie such interests or activities to their personality in a completely natural way, as Angelica did, it’s outstanding. It’s proof that their intellectual passions are organically related to their personal and private lives.

Paragraph 3: In this paragraph, Angelica does a great job of moving seamlessly through a sequence of ideas. First, she further explains why she loves long analytical conversations: she is interested in human expression. Not only does this first sentence help explain the previous paragraph, but it also sets up space for her to discuss other subjects and activities she enjoys, like art and creative writing. In turn, by framing these interests as possible activities with her future roommate, Angelica can naturally write about how she hopes the college will be a place to try new things. 

Paragraph 4: A standard one-line to demonstrate that she is keenly interested in learning about other people. This sentence seems completely honest and in line with what she’s already shown us about herself.

Why it works

Angelica’s essay works because she uses intimate personal details to create a larger story about who she is. She gives the reader a sense of what she likes to do and why these things matter to her. Through this, we come to understand her personal qualities. In reading Angelica’s essay, we get a sense of her as initially reserved but ultimately chatty, interested in other people, analytical, creative, and open-minded.

Angelica uses an easy, conversational tone with the occasional dash of light humor. As such, her essay doesn’t read like it’s trying too hard to be something it’s not and instead just sounds genuine.

She also takes advantage of the prompt to show humility and friendliness. Her parentheticals show a sweet but not put-on awareness that it won’t just be her interests and biases that drive the new roommate relationship.

As with other successful college essay examples, Angelica’s essay also shows us that writing a compelling roommate essay doesn’t have to involve detailing a super obscure or quirky interest or activity (though that’s lovely too). Instead, it demonstrates that something ordinary can be interesting so long as your child can show why that topic reveals something important about who they are. 

Final Thoughts

The roommate essay gives a unique opportunity for you to demonstrate that they will bring more than just a fabulous resume to Stanford. Though many applicants initially find the roommate essay challenging, many students often report that it is among their favorite college essays once they have completed writing it. With lots of brainstorming, attention to detail, and self-reflection, you can find something unique to say.

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• Ryan Murphy
• Oct 29, 2019

How to Write the Stanford Roommate Essay

Halloween is this week. And do you know what that means? The Early Action deadline is upon us!

With all the Early Action colleges out there, you probably feel the weight of the various short essay responses. Thankfully, many of these prompts follow the standard fare of college admissions essays, but one topic seems to always throw students for a loop: Stanford’s “roommate letter” short essay.

Stanford’s roommate essay is one of the few times that admissions officers ask you to write directly about how you see yourself fitting in with your prospective roommate and, to some extent, the university’s social climate as a whole. Because of this focus on the interpersonal, students struggle to balance a casual tone with a formal style.

So let’s talk about how best to approach this short response !

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.

Structure & Content

You should include a greeting, approximately three or four paragraphs, and a closing. The middle paragraphs should build on a theme, revealing something about yourself that would otherwise be left out of the application, something that the admissions officers would only know if they lived with you. Perhaps that is an eating habit, such as a favorite food, or maybe a workout routine. Or maybe it is something even more interesting, like singing to yourself.

Whatever you decide to write about should highlight how you connect with others. And it wouldn’t hurt if your plans with your roommate included elements of Stanford that you like but don’t really fit in any other essays, such as those omni-present fountains, or maybe the tree mascot.

What to Avoid

It isn’t a bad idea to address a few ways that you hope to bond with your roommate (all the while, revealing more about yourself), but don’t just list a bunch of activities. Like for any other essay topic, the best responses are focused, not those that cram in several ideas. Go for depth, not breadth!

Also, since this response lends itself to more casual tones, students often attempt to inject the letter with humor--to varying results. My general recommendation is that you should completely avoid adding jokes to your essays unless the joke is very obvious or clearly appeals to everyone. But even then, humor can turn off whoever is reading the essay, so it is better to keep the essay lighthearted without being outright comedic. Similarly, don’t get too gimmicky. Poems, creative writing, imagined dialogues--these are all interesting but often not really informative, so you could be taking a major risk and offering nothing useful to your application.

Final Thoughts

Generally, try to present yourself as a likable, HUMAN applicant. This is true for all essays, but here you should be more willing to “let loose” and “reveal personality” because that is the point of the question. Just do so in an appropriate, friendly manner, and you should be fine! Don’t overthink yourself!

Need last-minute help on your Stanford short essays before the Early Action deadline on November 1st? No worries! Check out B2A’s College Admissions Services (CAS)! Our professional, qualified admissions counselors and essay specialists can help you refine and focus your responses, giving you a better chance at meeting your new roommate at Stanford!

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Stanford Essays Examples

Stanford essays examples – introduction.

Located in sunny California, Stanford is a top choice school for many students. In this guide, we’ll look at the Stanford supplemental essays. Then, we’ll review some Stanford essays examples and discuss how they can help you write your own Stanford essay.

Stanford is ranked as one of the best colleges in the US , and for good reason. Students are in control of their learning, whether that means exploring STEM research opportunities or double majoring thanks to Stanford’s quarter system .

It’s no surprise that with Stanford’s popularity, it is a hard school to get into. According to US News, the Stanford acceptance rate is just 4%. The Stanford acceptance rate also ranks Stanford among the most selective schools, so receiving a Stanford acceptance letter is no small feat. 

As you begin the Stanford application process, it can be helpful to review Stanford essays that worked. Then, you can apply the tools from these Stanford essays examples to your own writing.

Our guide to the Stanford essays examples will include:

• The number of Stanford essays to expect on the application
• What matters to you and why Stanford essay examples
• Stanford roommate essay examples, and more!

How many essays does Stanford require?

There are eight required stanford supplemental essays for 2022-23 applicants ..

While eight Stanford essays may seem like a lot, remember that not all the Stanford essays are full-length essays, like the two-to-five-page essays you write for class or the 650-word personal statement you will write for the Common Application. Your Stanford essays help the admissions team get to know you. 

Before we dive into some Stanford supplemental essays examples, let’s think about the Stanford essay prompts. Unlike other schools that only require applicants to write one or two supplemental essays , Stanford requires students to answer multiple short answer and short essay prompts.

Put simply, your Stanford essays help the admissions team learn about you on your own terms.  Just wait until you read our Stanford roommate essay examples – how many college applications ask you to write a letter to your future roommate?

There are two types of Stanford essays: short answer and short essay. 

Stanford short answer.

Short answer Stanford essays can only be 50 words max , so they are only a few sentences long. As you’ll see in our Stanford supplemental essays examples, 50 words is not a lot of space. When answering the short answer Stanford essays, you’ll need to learn how to use your words carefully to make a clear and memorable impact on your reader.

Before you’ve read some Stanford essays examples, you may think these types of Stanford essays don’t allow students much room to express their thoughts and ideas. Later, when we look at Stanford essays that worked, you’ll see just how creative you can be when answering the short answer Stanford essays.

Stanford Short Essay

The short essays are slightly longer. These Stanford essays are between 100 and 250 words long , so you can expect these Stanford essays prompts to be more comprehensive than the short answer prompts. As you read our why Stanford essay examples, note that they fall into this category. Instead of being quick snapshots, the Stanford essays that worked will have more of a narrative , taking the reader through a beginning, middle, and end.

No matter if you are responding to the short essay or short answer Stanford essays, make sure you answer the prompts completely. As the admissions team reviews your Stanford essays, they’ll quickly notice whether you successfully answer the prompt . That means if there is a “what” and “why” section of the prompt, your Stanford essay should thoroughly address both.

By now, you’re probably ready to get into some Stanford essays that worked. First, let’s take a look at the prompts behind our Stanford supplemental essays examples.

What are the Stanford essay prompts?

Next up is the Stanford essay prompts. As previously mentioned, Stanford supplemental essays are two lengths: up to 50 words or 100-250 words. 

Since the Stanford essays are so short, you might think they matter less. However, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Stanford is a prestigious and selective school. So, Stanford Admissions will expect your most thoughtful and well-executed responses to their questions.

Currently, there are three Stanford short essays (100-250 words) and five short answer Stanford essay prompts (50 words max). These prompts are subject to change each year, so make sure you’ve done your research and found the most up-to-date prompts on Stanford’s application and essays page for first-year applicants and transfer applicants .

Note that some of the Stanford essay examples in this guide are from previous admissions cycles. This means that your Stanford application may ask you to complete a slightly different prompt than you’ll see in our Stanford essays examples. While some of the examples included in this guide may not reflect the current Stanford essay prompts, they can still help you complete your Stanford application.

The short answer Stanford supplemental essay prompts (50 words max) include:

• 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.
• Name one thing you are looking forward to experiencing at Stanford.

The longer Stanford supplemental essay prompts (100-250 words) include:

• 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.
• Tell us about something that is meaningful to you and why.
• 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.

Before we dive into the Stanford essays examples we’ve provided below, let’s start thinking about what it takes to write a great Stanford essay.

How do I write a good Stanford essay?

Just like there is no easy answer to how to get into Stanford, there is no easy answer to how to write a good Stanford essay. Our Stanford supplemental essays examples are all as different and unique as the students that wrote them. You’ll especially notice this once we start looking at Stanford essays that worked (like our what matters to you and why Stanford essay examples). While these Stanford essay examples all respond to the same prompt, each is unique.

That being said, when you look at different Stanford essays examples, you’ll start to notice they have some things in common. All of our Stanford essays examples clearly and concisely answer all aspects of the prompt. They do so in an engaging and specific voice that reflects some element of the writer’s character. This may include their creativity, humor, intellect, or values.

Overall, good Stanford essays examples will reflect positively on who a student is and why they’d be a good fit for Stanford. Part of Stanford’s vision is making a difference, so don’t be afraid to keep that in mind when reviewing our Stanford essays examples.

Stanford Essay Examples

Now, let’s jump into our Stanford supplemental essays examples. Rather than showing you a random collection of Stanford essays, we are focusing on Stanford essays that worked. Each of these Stanford essay examples is well executed . Each of these Stanford essay examples takes a strong approach to the prompts and shows a clear sense of identity and perspective.

First, we’ll take a look at some short answer Stanford supplemental essays examples. Then, we’ll move on to the longer Stanford essay examples, including our Stanford roommate essay examples and our what matters to you and why Stanford essay examples. 

Stanford Essays Examples- Short Answers

What is the most significant challenge that society faces today (50 words), stanford essay examples #1:.

The deterioration of political and personal empathy. There’s been an aggressive devaluing of inclusive mindsets and common ground rules—the kind of solidarity of purpose necessary to accommodate divergent viewpoints, respect evidence, share burdens, and tackle national/international emergencies like climate change and immigration. We are fumbling—in backwards tribalism—while the world burns.

Stanford Essay Examples #2:

Where’s Waldo books. 

By searching for Waldo, we subconsciously teach children that certain people aren’t meant to belong–they are meant to be hunted. Our brains may be hardwired to notice people who are different, but we are instructed to treat those people differently. 

Searching for Waldo must be consciously unlearned. 

Stanford Essay Examples #3:

Ignorance poses a paradoxical issue: we can’t solve a problem that we don’t know exists.

For fifteen years, I heard gentrification and thought humanitarian. The Oxford English Dictionary had even taught me that gentrification means “positive change.” How can such atrocities become noticed when our perceptions are so skewed?

Stanford Essay Examples #4:

Greed. The root of all evil. To make momentous strides towards improving societal conditions, people and corporations must put aside their greed. Unfortunately, greed – the deep, dark desire for power and money – is the dominant force at work in many aspects of society, making it society’s most significant challenge.

These Stanford essays examples are powerful. Each of these Stanford essays examples is also unique. In each response, the writer uses the prompt to showcase their core values and beliefs. 

You might be surprised how much these Stanford essay examples are able to contain in just 50 words. While this prompt does not contain two separate parts asking “what” and “why,” the above Stanford essays that worked answered both parts anyway. All four Stanford essay examples start by clearly naming the challenge (“deterioration of political and personal empathy,” “Where’s Waldo books,” “ignorance,” and “greed”), then explaining why it is a challenge or what this challenge keeps us from.

Next, let’s look at more Stanford essays that worked for other short answer prompts.

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

Stanford essays that worked #1.

Learned to drive; internship in Silicon Valley (learned to live alone and cook for myself!); a government Honors program; wrote articles for a publication; lobbied at the Capitol; attended a young writers’ program; read a whole lot.

Stanford Essays that Worked #2

My goal: Adventure

2015: Moved from North Carolina to Texas (mission trip to Birmingham, Alabama in between), vacationed in Orlando.

2016: Pre-college math program in Boston, engineering program at another university, Ann Arbor, mission trip to Laredo, Texas, vacation to northern California including the lovely Palo Alto.

These two Stanford essay examples are snapshots that capture your life outside of school . Both of these Stanford essay examples choose to forego typical sentence structures for a more abbreviated, list-type presentation. This can give you room to include more experiences from your summers.

While these two Stanford essays examples are good, these Stanford essays examples aren’t the end-all be-all for this type of prompt. To improve your response, you might sneak in a “why” element to your answer. 

You might not wish to just list what activities you did over the summer , as this may repeat the kind of information found in an extracurricular or resume portion of your application. So, try to touch on what you learned or how you grew from these activities.

The second of our Stanford essay examples does this well by framing up their experiences into a unified goal: adventure. We then learn more about this student by the fact that adventure to them means exploring STEM topics and giving back to their church community. 

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

Stanford essay examples #1.

Valentina Tereshkova’s 1963 spaceflight. Tereshkova’s skill, grit, and persistence carried her from working in a textile factory, through grueling tests and training, to becoming the first woman to fly solo in space. Her accomplishment remains symbolic of women’s empowerment and the expanded progress that’s possible with equity in STEM opportunities.

Stanford Essay Examples #2

In 2001, Egyptian authorities raided a gay nightclub, arresting 55 men. The prosecutors tried them under fujur laws—initially passed by Egyptian nationalists to counter British ‘immorality’ during colonization. 

Watching the prosecution construct homosexuality as un-Egyptian would illustrate the extent anti-Western sentiment drove homophobia and how similar anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric remains today. 

Stanford Essay Examples #3

Most definitely Paganini’s legendary one-stringed performance; one-by-one, his violin strings snapped mid-performance until he was left with only the G-string. Being Paganini, he simply continued to play flawlessly all on that single string!

Stanford Essay Examples #4

Change does not happen without courage. I wish I could have witnessed the courage it took for the four A&T students sit in at the Woolworth’s counter in my hometown. I want to see the light overcoming darkness that created a change to last forever.

These Stanford essays examples show what each writer cares about. They also illustrate how these students connect with the world around them. In each of the above Stanford essays examples, the reader learns more about what the writers are passionate about as well as what they value: perseverance, courage, justice, and beauty.

While these are not exactly why Stanford essay examples, they do showcase what kind of revolutionary or impactful work you might dream of accomplishing with your Stanford education. Never underestimate the opportunity to layer meaning into your essays. Each of these Stanford supplemental essays examples use an external event to show something about an individual student. 

What five words best describe you? (5 words)

Stanford essays #1.

Speak up. Take action. Together.

Stanford Essays #2

Peter Parker meets Atticus Finch

Stanford Essays #3

The light of the world

Although these are the shortest of the Stanford essays examples, they are perhaps the most difficult to write. Summing yourself up in five words is no easy task. Each of these Stanford essays examples takes a different approach, whether that is a few small sentences, a cross of characters, or a poetic line.

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

Read: The New York Times, Vox, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Quora. Favorite authors include Siddhartha Mukherjee, Atul Gawande, Dushka Zapata, and Zora Neale Hurston. 

Listen: This American Life, The Daily, Radiolab, Invisibilia, U.S. and French pop. 

Watch: The Good Place, Brooklyn 99, YouTube science, baking, and fingerstyle guitar videos.

Read—an unhealthy number of self-help books, re-reading Just Kids by Patti Smith, every one of Audre Lorde’s books… 

Listen to—Danez Smith’s slam poetry (my personal favorite? Dinosaurs in the Hood), Still Woozy, Invisibilia… 

Watch—all the television I was forbidden from watching when I was twelve, POSE, ContraPoints, YouTubers criticizing ContraPoints… 

Read: On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, The Wendigo, How To Write an Autobiographical Novel, Night Sky With Exit Wounds, Brainpickings.org weekly newsletter

Listen: Shostakovich, Lauv, Atlas, 20-hour-rain soundtrack on Spotify 

Watch: Avatar, Forrest Gump, Schindler’s List, Hachi (if in the mood to cry), any Marvel movie!

These Stanford essays examples showcase each writer’s interests and influences. They highlight intellectual media where appropriate, but they also remain honest. As you write your own Stanford essays, remember to stay authentic. 

Name your favorite books, authors, films, and/or artists. (50 words)

Stanford essay that worked.

I love literature and art that helps me explore my roots and learn to love myself. These works and authors include: The Color Purple, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Maya Angelou, Day of Tears, Hope for the Flowers, and Langston Hughes.

This essay is very similar to the Stanford essays examples above. It gives the reader a sense of this student’s interests and shows what they might engage with on Stanford’s campus. 

What newspapers, magazines, and/or websites do you enjoy? (50 words)

Stanford essays that worked.

I enjoy newspapers and magazines that enable me to learn something everyday. I like National Geographic because it lets me learn more about science. Once it even inspired me to do a self directed project on albatrosses. I also enjoy The Economist as it gives me a well rounded view of today’s politics and economics.

This essay is another of the “content” Stanford essays examples. This prompt, however, asks students to articulate the sites and sources where they turn to find content. 

Unlike our other Stanford supplemental essays examples, this example limits itself to two sources. Generally, we wouldn’t recommend essentially repeating the prompt, as this essay does in its first sentence. Instead, jump right into your details and specifics, and utilize that extra space to tie in something more valuable.

What were your favorite events (e.g., performances, exhibits, competitions, conferences, etc.) in recent years? (50 words)

“December 24th, 9pm, Eastern Standard time.” Rent began. I was sitting in between my best friends. We were losing circulation in our hands from holding on too tight and washing off our make-up with our tears. I felt an immense sense of harmony with the play and it was fantastic.

This is another variation of the above Stanford essays examples. This prompt, however, focuses on events. The narrative quality drops you right into the moment, which says so much about how this writer felt about the performance by showing an action rather than only explaining with words.

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

I live by my motto: “Dare!” in all instances of Truth or Dare.

Apparently, so do the students who brave Secret Snowflake. It spotlights what I love most, Truth or Dare minus the truth. Will I attempt to break the jalapeno eating record? Hop into The Claw in sub-zero temperatures? 

One of the reasons this “why Stanford essay example” works so well is its specificity. The level of detail included in this “why Stanford essay example” shows that this writer has done research into what Stanford has to offer. This highlights their enthusiasm and dedication to Stanford over another top college. 

If you aren’t able to take an in-person tour to visit the campus, there are plenty of ways to learn more about Stanford and its campus culture. We have countless webinars to help you get a sense of what life at Stanford is like. Check out our virtual college tour , Stanford University panel , and our How to get into Stanford: My Admissions Journey series to learn more about Stanford.

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

I’d split my hour two ways, investing time in my own wellbeing and in others. Half I’d spend baking treats for friends, which would double as a personal gift, since I find baking—like running—relaxing and restorative. The second half I’d spend answering Quora questions—something I’ve been meaning to pay forward.

At eight, I dreamed of becoming a YouTuber, documenting life in rectangular video. Each year, this dream drew further from reach.

With extra time, I’d retrieve what time stole. Creating comedic skits or simply talking about my day, I’d pursue what I value most—making others laugh and capturing beautiful moments.

These Stanford essays examples show how some prompts are more open-ended than others. There’s an infinite number of possibilities you could explore with more time. However, both of these Stanford essays examples discuss something the writer values. Making others laugh, and giving to others—these are traits of people who will likely want to build community with their peers on campus.

Stanford Supplemental Essay Examples – Short Essays

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. (250 words), stanford essays examples:.

From my earliest days, I have been a storyteller. I have imagined futuristic worlds where climate change has turned plants carnivorous, or where simulation technology has allowed us to learn history by experiencing it. But of all of these worlds that I write into stories, there is one in particular that captivates me:

“Which face should I get? I’m debating between these two, but I think I like the nasal bridge on this one more.”

In this futuristic world, people shop for faces that can be affixed with a head transplant. The people simply browse through a catalog and choose from the available options in the way we might shop for wedding cakes. Following the transplant procedure, one’s previous head is added to the catalog for purchase by the next buyer. 

The idea seems completely bizarre.

That is, until we begin to more carefully consider the present. On Earth, beauty sways society, leading to the emergence of cosmetic surgery as one of the fastest-growing industries. Here, rapid scientific advancement trumps every earthly limitation, and scientists have recently completed the first successful head transplant on a monkey. 

These considerations coalescing, my bizarre idea suddenly comes to life. What is to say that, in 100 years or so, we won’t break the barriers of cosmetic limitations and wear a head that we weren’t born with? The idea terrifies me, but perhaps that is why I am so drawn to it: Science eliminates limitations. It is already eliminating the “fiction” in my “science fiction.”

Many of our other Stanford essays examples explicitly answer the prompt in the opening line. This essay, however, begins by revealing a broader truth about the writer: that they are a storyteller. This is something they embody throughout their essay, allowing the reader to imagine what the writer was like as a child before plunging them into a futuristic idea of their own.

They then connect this with the real-world science that connects to this broader idea. This grounds their interest and imagination with something going on in our world. By the end of the first of our short Stanford supplemental essays examples, we understand that this individual has passions across multiple disciplines. This essay merges science and literature to create a vivid picture of who the writer is and how they’d contribute to Stanford’s campus. 

Stanford students possess an intellectual vitality. Reflect on an idea or experience that has been important to your intellectual development. (250 words)

“Indefinita eres.” Latin for “you are limitless.” I believe that we are all limitless. That with passion, hard work, and resilience almost any dream can be accomplished. And I have a lot of dreams.

My entire life, except for the two years I wanted to be Hannah Montana, I have strived to help others. My dream is to be a leader in bioengineering, shaping and contributing to the forefront of bioengineering research, in order to make a positive impact on the lives of others. Through my endless passion for math, science, and engineering, combined with my resilience and collaborative abilities, I know I will be able to accomplish this.

I have countless other dreams and aspirations as well. I started Latin in 6th grade and I was terrible at it. I decided I would become a “Latin master” to lay a foundation for Spanish fluency in college. I studied hard for four years and by my sophomore year I was extremely honored to earn a silver medal in the Latin III National Latin Exam. I want to run a half marathon (after my sprint triathlon, of course). Through dedication and discipline I have worked from barely being able to run to morning 7 mile runs and will be at 13.1 by April 2nd for the Big D half marathon.

Like other Stanford supplemental essays examples, this piece showcases how much information and personality you can fit into a single essay. This writer chose to focus on an idea versus an experience, which allowed them to talk about multiple moments of growth and perseverance and their variety of passions.

Great Stanford supplemental essays examples will make the most of any prompt. So long as you answer the prompt completely, don’t be afraid to pull together different moments of your life. Just make sure you have a through line to keep everything focused and connected!

Stanford Roommate Essay Examples

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. (250 words), stanford roommate essay examples #1.

In the spirit of inaugurating the life-long relationship I hope we’ll build this year, let me tell you a little about myself.

Hi, I’m Tom. I’m the second child of a comically over-optimistic refugee mother (my Vietnamese name translates, literally, to “celestial being”) and a proud Kentuckian with a deep passion for student-driven advocacy. I have two parents, two stepparents, a nineteen-year-old sister (a junior in Product Design, here, at Stanford), a three-year-old half-sister, two cats, one dog, and a complicated life that spans two households. So, I’m used to sharing space and managing shifting schedules.

I’ve also always been the “Mom” friend. To me, the little things—a chocolate chip cookie when I know a friend has a rough day ahead, words of encouragement before a big presentation, or staying up late to explain a tough physics problem—mean the most. I’ll be there when you need me—be it studying for tests or navigating personal challenges.

I recycle incessantly and am known to snatch cans out of the trash, wash them, and relocate them to neighboring blue bins. I keep a regular sleep schedule, rarely going to bed past midnight or waking up later than 8:30. I’m averse to gyms, opting instead to go for runs in the morning or follow along to a YouTube workout in the afternoon. 

I’m passionate, but also even-keeled. I think life is best taken in stride—worrying has never gotten me anywhere, but flexibility has taken me everywhere. I look forward to an awesome year!

Stanford Roommate Essay Examples #2

Dear Roomie, 

Some disclaimers before we room together: 

1. If I arrive before you, don’t be alarmed by the tissue boxes everywhere. My parents made the conscious decision to expand our cat population despite (or because of) my allergies, and my four cats probably ambushed my suitcase while I was packing. So don’t be surprised if I invite you to one-too-many games of Exploding Kittens. It’s me projecting my fantasies, so please indulge me.

2. Whenever you open a Google Doc around me, change the font to Georgia or Cambria (my personal favorites). If you’re a seasoned Arial user, you’re likely mindlessly going along with what everyone else is doing—I get it. But Arial is objectively a bad font; the only acceptable time to use Arial is if you’re being passive aggressive… and even then, just use comic sans… (Criticizing people’s font choices is only half my personality, I promise.) 

3. You’ll see me embarrassing myself around campus by flailing on the dance floor, doing improv, or in drag, and I hope to see the same from you. I want to get excited about everything you’re passionate about– interests I’ve probably never even thought about before. 

When I’m armed with a bottle of Zyrtec, being my roommate isn’t all bad. I’ll bring copious amounts of Peach Snapple bottles, probably enough to last the semester. You can take as many bottles as you want, so long as you leave me the Snapple “Facts”…. I’m an avid collector. 

Stanford Roommate Essay Examples #3

Hey Roomie! Yesterday was insane. I still can’t quite get over the energy in that stadium after that final play. I guess Berkeley couldn’t take back the axe to cut down these Trees!

I’m writing you this since I have an 8:30 Syntax and Morphology with Dr. Gribanov. I know, it’s early, but that class is honestly worth waking up for. Last Friday, he spent the entire period rambling about why regardless and irregardless are the same thing, but responsible and irresponsible aren’t. Just a fun little thought to start your day.

I’m also writing you this as a quick apology. I won’t be back from Mock Trial until late evening, and then I’ll be practicing for Stanford Symphony auditions. So, if you hear cacophonous noises in your sleep, it’s most likely me. Plus, it’s Mahler Symphony No. 1, so you might not sleep much anyway. Kidding.

These next few days are jam-packed, but I’m craving some much-needed bonding time! I have a proposal: how does a jam session this Friday at Terman Fountain sound? I’ll bring the guitar and plenty of oldies sheet music, you just gotta bring a snack and the desire to sing! I’ve sold a few people already. Join us?

Well, I’m headed to breakfast now. Text me if you want me to grab you anything.

Stanford Roommate Essay Examples #4

Dear Roomie,

Tupac Shakur is not dead. You might believe that he is, because yes, his body is buried somewhere. But many of his messages are still very much alive. So future roomie, if we are going to be as close as I hope (and if you see me rapping “Life Goes On” in my Star Wars pajamas), you should know this about me:

As a biracial person, I have felt extremely troubled for the past few years regarding the social inequalities and injustices in our society. 2PAC says in his song “Changes,” “I’m tired of bein’ poor and even worse I’m black.” He says “I see no changes.”

I want to change this. I want Tupac’s spirit to behold a United States in which everyone has equal access to education and to healthcare. A U.S. where no one is discriminated against based on their race, gender, sexuality, or religion. I have already begun working towards equality, through educational outreach and political volunteerism. I will continue this at Stanford, through participating in peaceful protests and spreading awareness of the issues at hand. This might mean you’ll notice me coming and going a lot or going on frustrated rants about the ignorance and injustices in our society and our world. However, I hope you’re a person who will not only understand my perspective but be willing to march towards equality with me.

I am so excited for this year and the many years to come!

As noted in our Stanford Essays Guide , the Stanford roommate essay shows up nearly every year. These Stanford roommate essay examples show how fun a prompt like this can be to answer. Each of our Stanford roommate essay examples takes a slightly different approach. Some students write from the perspective of already attending Stanford; others opt for a list of important need-to-know facts.

The Stanford roommate essay examples show how open-ended this prompt actually is. If, after reading our Stanford roommate essay examples, you feel like you have no idea what to write about, know that there is no perfect recipe for responding to this prompt. Each of our Stanford roommate essay examples has a unique quality and flair.

A good rule of thumb you can take from our Stanford roommate essay examples is to remember who your audience is. Some essays touch on classic roommate topics, like sleep schedules, activities, and sharing snacks. However, the writer only includes these facts as a means of showing who they are. 

What Matters to You and Why Stanford Essay Examples

What matters to you, and why (250 words), ‘what matters to you and why’ stanford essay examples:.

“You’re stupid!!” exclaimed James. “Well you’re ugly!” shouted Ethan. We were sitting around the dinner table and my brothers, as usual, were bickering. After about two minutes of this, my dad broke into song. He sang, in a mostly on pitch falsetto, “what the world needs now, is love sweet love.” My brothers, my mom and I all rolled our eyes, but of course we kept singing. Then we sang “All you need is love” and “I’ll be there.” After years of this constant playlist, during laundry, dinners, and hikes, I realized what truly matters to me: love.

Love is what makes my life worth living. Whether it be love of my family, of my friends, of my activities, or of my future it makes me excited to get up and start my day. The sense of harmony I feel when dancing in the car with my family, or painting with my friends, or working with my team on our solar car is indescribably fulfilling. Through playing ukelele and singing with my family to working diligently in a lab to create a process that will alleviate the pain of another person, I will have the love that is of utmost importance to me. I will fill my life and the lives of others with love and harmony.

The last of our Stanford supplemental essays examples shows just how honest and vulnerable you can be in your essays. This essay does a great job of showing rather than telling. It gives us a great example of what love looks like to this student and how love continues to be the most important thing in their life.

How to write Stanford Supplemental Essays: 5 Tips!

1. start early.

If you’re worried about getting your Stanford essays up to par with these Stanford essays examples, don’t leave them to the last second. Begin by familiarizing yourself with the Stanford prompts and reviewing our Stanford supplemental essays examples. This can be the first step in your writing process. Next, start brainstorming topics and ideas you can start incorporating into your drafts.

2. Keep an idea journal

Now that you’ve reviewed different Stanford supplemental essay examples and have read Stanford essays that worked, it’s time to get brainstorming. Try writing down the main topics of each Stanford essay prompt, like “roommates,” “important experiences,” or “content I like.” Have a place where you can write down all your ideas as soon as they come to you. That way, when it comes time to start drafting your Stanford essays, you’ll have plenty of ideas.

3. Think outside the box

If you’re having trouble coming up with an answer to one of the Stanford essay prompts, don’t worry. Remember our “what matters to you and why Stanford essay examples?” These questions are at the core of what Stanford admissions is looking for. You’ll include traces of them in every Stanford essay you write regardless of which prompt you answer.

4. Consider what Stanford Admissions will take away from your Stanford essays

For instance, think about the Stanford roommate essay examples. While the prompt asked students to direct their attention to their future roommate. Remember your reader will be coming in with the perspective of an admissions officer, not your potential future roommate. While this may seem like the space to offer up fun, random facts about yourself and your interests, consider how the characteristics you choose to highlight build upon other aspects of your application and Stanford essays.

5. Draft, edit, rewrite, edit, and edit again

These Stanford supplemental essays examples weren’t written overnight. You can’t expect to produce Stanford essays as engaging and effective as our Stanford essay examples unless you put in enough time and effort. Remember, our Stanford essays examples are final drafts. Make sure you get your first draft down on paper as soon as you can so you have plenty of time to edit, proofread, and finalize your essays.

Stanford Essay Examples- Final Thoughts

Applying to Stanford can feel overwhelming, especially given the low Stanford acceptance rate. If Stanford is your dream school , you should do all you can to ensure your Stanford essays shine.  

If you’re looking for answers on how to get into Stanford, think carefully about every aspect of the Stanford application. Knowing the requirements for the Stanford application will be much more helpful than worrying about the Stanford acceptance rate.

Focus on what you can control

So, focus on the parts of the Stanford admissions process you can control, like your responses to the Stanford essay prompts. Understanding the prompts, then looking at Stanford essays that worked, can give you a sense of what Stanford admissions looks for when reviewing applications. Then, you can take the lessons and learnings from Stanford essay examples and incorporate them into your own essays.

Take a look at our how to get into Stanford guide for more tips on the Stanford application process. We discuss how Stanford Admissions reviews applications, the Stanford acceptance rate, the interview process, and more strategies on how to get into Stanford.

As you begin working on your Stanford essays, feel free to look back on these Stanford essays examples. Rather than using them as a shining example you need to model your own Stanford essay after, think about why they worked, the impact they had on you, and how you can incorporate those techniques into your own essay. So remember, get started early, and good luck.

This article was written by Stefanie Tedards. 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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5 Successful Stanford Roommate Essay Intros

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• college application essays

On top of the personal statement, Stanford also asks for 3 additional supplemental essays. One of them, and probably the most well-known Stanford essay prompt that appears year after year, is the letter to your future Stanford roommate:

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)

What is an admissions officer looking for in this essay? What can you talk about or what  should  you talk about as a roommate? How personal should you get? Here we have 5 essay intro examples from the most recent application cycles to help you grapple with your writing:

To my future roommate,

I hope this reaches you in good condition and not found underneath a mound of boxes or pinned underneath heavy furniture; in which case, my deepest apologies (and no need to thank me for the exercise). Keep reading .

2020foshofro

Dear Roommate,

Have you ever tried archery? There’s this feeling of complete silence in the mind and body, of harmony between finger and eye and feet, of unity and peace and focus. When I stand in front of my straw-bale range, watching the trees for wind, I’ve learned that the isolation is, truly, the most beautiful gift I can give myself. View full profile .

My name is Tannar, and I cannot touch my tongue to my nose.

I’ll start out by giving you the candid details about my eighteen years upon this wonderful spaceship called Earth. Most notably, I’m known to be a ruthless player of board games (Settlers of Catan in particular), I enjoy exploring the great outdoors, I love Christopher Nolan films (Interstellar, Inception, etc), and one of my most exciting adventures took place on a fog cloaked Mount Thielsen. Continue reading .

I love rainbow sherbet. Why? Because it’s made out of so many different colors! Though this cold sweet refreshment is perfect on a sweltering day, its assorted colors are what truly make it special. Read on .

Aloha future roommate,

I hope you are a rather humorous individual yourself, because you’re in for a pile of pun… sorry, that was weak. On a more serious note, though, I’ve lived a pretty peculiar life, resulting in quite a few rather quirky habits: Read full essay . 

———

Interested in reading these students’ full personal statements in addition to their full responses to the Stanford Roommate supplemental prompt? Unlock all of them in one go with our  Stanford Roommate package ! 

Our  premium plans  offer different levels of profile access and data insights that can help you get into your dream school. Unlock any of our  packages  or search our  undergraduate profile database  to find specific profiles that can help you make an informed choice about where to apply! We have 60,000+ successful college application files uploaded by college students. See how they got in, and how you can too!

About The Author

Frances was born in Hong Kong and received her bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University. She loves super sad drama television, cooking, and reading. Her favorite person on Earth isn’t actually a member of the AdmitSee team - it’s her dog Cooper.

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How to write Stanford's Roommate Letter

Of all the creative college application supplements out there, perhaps the most deceptively simple is this infamous prompt from Stanford University:

“Letter to your Roommate -- 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)”

Many students interpret this as a straightforward assignment and write something generic, missing the larger opportunity to strengthen their application. To help you brainstorm for this essay, let’s break down the prompt into what it's not vs. what it is .

What the Roommate Essay is NOT:

It's not a roommate preference survey.

Many colleges and universities will send their matriculating students a roommate preference survey to help Student Services make more optimal roommate pairings. This survey includes questions like, “What time do you like to wake up and go to sleep?,” “What is your preferred studying environment in your room?,” and “How often will you be in your room during the day?” Using the Roommate Essay to share your cohabitation ground rules and preferences is probably the most common way students misinterpret this question! In general , the responses to these questions will be generic and non-specific - we want to make sure that the Roommate Essay highlights your unique personality and interests. 

it's not An actual note to your future roommate

To dispel a common misconception, your future roommate will never see this essay (unless you show it to them!) if you end up matriculating at Stanford. Your audience for this essay is the admissions committee, not a fellow high school senior.

What the Roommate Essay IS:

This essay is a chance to share something new about yourself..

College essays are like mini-interview questions, and you only get so many chances to showcase what makes you special. Though academic rigor is obviously important for Stanford admissions, almost equal importance is placed on selecting students who will thrive in and enhance Stanford’s unique campus culture. Many students have unique interests, hobbies, and experiences that don’t fit elsewhere in their college applications, but are still important for the admissions committee to get a holistic picture of that student. The Roommate Essay provides a rare chance to show the committee who you are (beyond your grades and test scores) and how you’ll be a valuable contributor to the Stanford community.

But how do you fit all of that into just 100-250 words? First, you want to pick out which of your awesome traits you want to highlight. Think about the following questions to kick start your brainstorming:

• What would your friends and family say makes you special?
• If you had a completely free day, how would you spend it?
• What habits, rituals, or quirks do you have?
• Do you have a “life motto” or words you live by?
• What kind of things do you have on your walls/your desk at home?
• What could you give a talk about for 20 minutes, without any preparation?

The framing of your unique trait/experience/habit is the crucial difference between a generic essay and one that helps your application come alive, even with the exact same initial topic. For example, if the only thing Student A can say about their habit of waking up early is that they have to do it to be on time for school, the most we can say about them is that they are punctual for their commitments. On the other hand, if Student B writes about how they leap out of bed every day at 5:30am to catch a glimpse of the rare owl species that lives in the tree behind their apartment complex, we suddenly have a vibrant picture of a bird-loving individual who is so motivated by their passions that they are willing to wake up at odd hours. Think back to your personal statement - how did you use storytelling to convey the message you were trying to communicate?

Next, think about why it’s important for someone to know this fact about you. Do you enjoy sharing your early morning adventures with others? Does this example represent a larger joy of exploring your surroundings that you look forward to continuing at Stanford? The key is to relate this trait to how you will engage with your fellow students and the Stanford community.

Finally, it’s time to structure this unique part of your personality in the form of a letter. Common ways to start and end this essay include “Dear Roommate,” and “Sincerely, (your name),” but don’t be afraid to show off some personality in the salutations! Keep the body of the letter concise (remember your word limit), and don’t forget to address your roommate from time to time using the second person point of view (at least one of the pronouns “you,” “we,” or “us” should appear in your essay). 

Done correctly, the Roommate Essay is a unique opportunity to show the Stanford admissions committee who you are at heart - don’t be afraid to share your true self!

Samantha H.

Samantha attended Stanford University, where she explored the role of synaptic proteins in visual system development for her honors thesis research. She graduated with a BS in Biology conferred with honors and with distinction. She is currently pursuing a combined MD/PhD at Harvard Medical School and MIT in the Health Sciences and Technology program.

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How to Write Stellar Stanford Essays: 3 Expert Tips

College Essays

Are you hoping to be one of the less than 4% of students admitted to Stanford this year? If so, you'll need to write some amazing essays as part of your application.

In this article, we'll outline the different types of essays you need to write for your Stanford University application and teach you how to write an essay that will help you stand out from the thousands of other applicants. We'll also go over the five short answer questions that are part of the Stanford supplement.

So let's get started!

What Are the Stanford Essays?

Stanford requires that you complete a total of four essays as a part of your application for admission.

You'll need to answer one  prompt provided by the Common Application or Coalition Application , depending on which one you use to submit your Stanford application through. You can find more information about the Common Application essays here , and more info about the Coalition essay prompts here .

You'll also need to respond to three Stanford-specific short essay questions .

The Stanford essay prompts offer you plenty of opportunities to show off your qualifications as an applicant and wow the admissions committee.

2022-2023 Stanford Essay Prompts

You'll need to respond to three Stanford Questions for your Stanford supplement essays. You'll submit the Stanford supplement essays online with your Coalition or Common app.

You need to respond to all three of the Stanford essay prompts for your application. Each one of the Stanford essays has a 100-word minimum and a 250-word maximum.

Here are the 2022-2023 Stanford 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—know you better.

#3 : Tell us about something that is meaningful to you, and why?

Stanford Essays Analyzed

In this section, we'll be looking at each of the three Stanford supplement essays in depth. Remember, every applicant must answer every one of the Stanford essay prompts, so you don't get to choose which essay you would like to write. You have to answer all three of the Stanford essay prompts well in order for your application to stand out.

Let's take a look at each of the three Stanford short essay questions and see how to write something meaningful for each.

Stanford 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 word min, 250 word max)

This Stanford essay prompt is very broad. The structure of the prompt indicates that the committee is interested in learning about your curiosity inside and outside of the classroom, so don't feel like you have to limit the lessons you talk about to ones that occur at school.

The most important thing to remember here is to be specific. The committee doesn't want you to wax poetic about the virtues of remaining eternally curious; they want to see how a real-life example has affected you.

For instance, instead of talking about how a trip to a foreign country opened your eyes to different cultures, pick a specific moment from your visit that really hammered home the importance of curiosity. Go into detail about how that one experience affected you. Being specific is more powerful than speaking in generalized platitudes.

Similarly, you want to write about something that you're genuinely passionate and excited about. After all, it says so right in the prompt! Pick a topic that you truly love, such as a historical fiction book that you read that inspired you to learn about a new era in history or the science fiction movie that sparked curiosity about how time works in space.

Don't feel limited to your potential major. Stanford doesn't require that you pick and stick with a specific major for your application, so you don't have to write about a moment here that relates to your predicted course of study. In fact, picking a learning experience in a different field will better show that you're curious and open to new ideas.

Stanford 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 word min, 250 word max) 

Stanford's roommate essay question is notorious. While the other two of the three Stanford essays may change from year-to-year, the Stanford roommate essay is always on the application.

First, remember that this essay is written to your future roommate, who will be one of your peers. You can adopt a more informal, fun tone with this essay, because the prompt indicates that it's going to someone who is your age.

The Stanford roommate essay is your opportunity to show a different side of your personality than the admissions committee will see on the rest of your application. This essay is your chance to show yourself as a well-rounded person who has a variety of different interests and talents.

Don't repeat information that the committee can find elsewhere on your application. Take the time to share fun, personal details about yourself.

For instance, do you make awesome, screen-accurate cosplays or have a collection of rock crystals from caving expeditions? Think about what you love to do in your spare time.

Be specific—the committee wants to get a real picture of you as a person. Don't just say that you love to play video games, say exactly which video games you love and why.

The roommate essay is also a great time to show off your community—the friends, family, teammates, etc. who make up your current life. You can talk about the deep bonds you have and how they have affected you. Showing your relationships to others gives the committee a better idea of how you will fit in on Stanford's campus.

All in all, the Stanford roommate essay is a great opportunity to have some fun and show off some different aspects of your personality. Let yourself shine!

Stanford Essay Prompt 3

Tell us about something that is meaningful to you, and why? (100 word min, 250 word max) 

While all three of the Stanford essay prompts are fairly broad, the third Stanford essay prompt is by far the broadest. You can write about anything that's meaningful to you here— the prompt doesn't specify that you have to talk about something academic or personal.

Sometimes, broad prompts can be more intimidating than prompts that have a very narrow focus. The trick here is to (again) pick something specific and stick to it.

Don't, for instance, say that world peace is meaningful to you because it won't sound sincere. You should talk about something that is uniquely important to you, not the other thousands of students that are applying to Stanford.

Pick something that is really meaningful to you. You could talk about your relationship with your grandmother and how she taught you how to cook or a specific musical album that reminds you of an important experience in your life. You might talk about a club or after-school activity that has broadened your horizons or an academic award you won after an extreme challenge.

Whatever topic you choose, your essay should feel sincere. Don't write what you think the committee wants to hear. They'll be more impressed by a meaningful experience that rings true than one that seems artificial or implausible.

Stanford Short Answer Questions Analyzed

Along with your essays, you'll also need to answer five short questions. You'll only have 50 words to answer each one...so you'll need to make it count!

Question 1: The Social Challenge Question

What is the most significant challenge that society faces today?

There are two ways you can answer this question. First, you can choose a significant social challenge that matters to you. For instance, perhaps your parents are essential workers, and the COVID pandemic revealed the unfair labor practices that exist in the US to you. Labor issues are a major social issue both in the US and abroad, and because you're impacted by it, you'll be able to put together a very compelling and powerful answer.

The other approach you can take to this question is linking it to your academic interests. Perhaps you want to major in mechanical engineering. One huge social issue is access to clean drinking water. In your response, you can explain the issue and then talk about how it inspired you to become a mechanical engineer. Maybe you want to develop better water decontamination systems! That would be a great response to this question.

The big thing to remember is you need to include a why in your answer. Why do you think this challenge is significant? And how are you planning to help solve this problem? Make sure you include these answers in your response!

Question 2: The Summer Question

How did you spend your last two summers?

This is a pretty straightforward question. Make a list of everything you did the past two summers, then parse it down so that you're including the most important aspects. For example, say you volunteered at a summer camp for the past two summers, but you also helped your family with chores and volunteered with a political campaign. Our recommendation would be to leave the chores out and focus on the bigger, more notable aspects of your summer vacation.

But maybe you had to work over the summers. Or perhaps you weren't able to take on extracurriculars because your parents needed your help caring for your younger siblings. Don't worry: those are great answers here, too. Your response doesn't have to be flashy —you don't have to have spent two summers participating in scientific research!

The important thing is to include a why in your answer . Why did you spend your summer vacations this way? And what do your choices say about your values? For instance, if you helped care for your younger siblings, you can explain that family is important to you, and that's part of why you're driven to get a college education. Counselors are trying to get a sense of who you are and what you care about!

Question 3: The Historical Moment Question

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

Think back to your history classes. Is there a historical moment you're fascinated with? This is a good time to share it with the admissions committee! Maybe you love legal history, so you would have loved to have attended Ruth Bader Ginsburg's swearing in ceremony. Or perhaps you're more interested in medicine, so you'd have loved to witness Wilhelm Röntgen discover x-rays.

Our best advice for answering this question is to be specific and original. Stay away from popular and obvious answers, like "the signing of the Declaration of Independence" or "Lincoln's Gettysburg address." Pick something more unique so that you stand out from other applicants. Once you've picked your historical moment, explain why you'd want to witness it!

Question 4: The Extracurriculars and Responsibilities Question

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

The key word in this question is "one." The admissions counselors don't want to read a list of your responsibilities. They want you to talk about one of them and then explain why you participate and/or why it's important to you.

For this question, avoid discussing something that's already evident from the rest of your admissions packet. For instance, if you've already listed band as an extracurricular and talked about it in one of your essays, you don't really need to talk about it here. Give the admissions counselors new information about yourself that they wouldn't be able to learn from other parts of your application.

For instance, maybe you help your dad out with his lawn care business in the summers. That would be a great thing to discuss here, especially if you haven't had a chance to talk about this elsewhere in your application. You could use this opportunity to discuss how helping your family out is important to you, and you also appreciated getting to know the people in your community while cutting their grass.

Whatever activity you choose, be sure to do more than just explain what that activity entails . Go into detail about what it means to you. Why do you participate in that activity? How has it impacted you as a person? You'll have to keep it brief, but these kinds of personal details are what Stanford admissions counselors are looking for.

Question 5: The Stanford Question

Name one thing you are looking forward to experiencing at Stanford.

Answering this question starts with research. What is one—again, just one —thing you can't wait to learn, experience, or participate in as a Stanford student? You'll need to spend some time on the Stanford website looking into the different opportunities available to students.

First things first: limit your answer to academics or academic-leaning extracurricular activities. Yes, Palo Alto is beautiful. And yes, Stanford has a fun football program. But admissions counselors want to see that you're going to be a thoughtful, involved member of the Stanford community. So while these things are true and fun, this question is your chance to explain how you're going to get involved on the Stanford campus ...and maybe even give back, too.

Also, the best answers to this question are going to be specific. Instead of saying that you can't wait to participate in clubs, pick one (like the Food and Agribusiness Club) and discuss why it's so exciting to you. The more specific you are, the more you'll show admissions counselors that you're super serious about being a Stanford student.

How to Write a Great Stanford Essay

Regardless of which Stanford essay prompt you're responding to, you should keep in mind the following tips for how to write a great Stanford essay.

#1: Use Your Own Voice

The point of a college essay is for the admissions committee to have the chance to get to know you beyond your test scores, grades, and honors. Your admissions essays are your opportunity to make yourself come alive for the essay readers and to present yourself as a fully fleshed out person.

You should, then, make sure that the person you're presenting in your college essays is yourself. Don't try to emulate what you think the committee wants to hear or try to act like someone you're not.

If you lie or exaggerate, your essay will come across as insincere, which will diminish its effectiveness. Stick to telling real stories about the person you really are, not who you think Stanford wants you to be.

#2: Avoid Cliches and Overused Phrases

When writing your Stanford essays, try to avoid using cliches or overused quotes or phrases.

These include quotations that have been quoted to death and phrases or idioms that are overused in daily life. The college admissions committee has probably seen numerous essays that state, "Be the change you want to see in the world." Strive for originality.

Similarly, avoid using cliches , which take away from the strength and sincerity of your work.

#3: Check Your Work

It should almost go without saying, but you want to make sure your Stanford essays are the strongest example of your work possible. Before you turn in your Stanford application, make sure to edit and proofread your essays.

Your work should be free of spelling and grammar errors. Make sure to run your essays through a spelling and grammar check before you submit.

It's a good idea to have someone else read your Stanford essays, too. You can seek a second opinion on your work from a parent, teacher, or friend. Ask them whether your work represents you as a student and person. Have them check and make sure you haven't missed any small writing errors. Having a second opinion will help your work be the best it possibly can be.

What's Next?

If you want to be one of the 6% of students accepted to Stanford, you'll have to have a great GPA. Check out our guide on how to get good grades in high school for some tips and strategies!

Confused or intimidated about the college admissions process? Check out our complete guide on how to apply to college.

If you want to stand out from the crowd as an applicant, you'll need a solid resume of extracurricular activities . Learn more about your extracurricular options and why they matter.

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Hayley Milliman is a former teacher turned writer who blogs about education, history, and technology. When she was a teacher, Hayley's students regularly scored in the 99th percentile thanks to her passion for making topics digestible and accessible. In addition to her work for PrepScholar, Hayley is the author of Museum Hack's Guide to History's Fiercest Females.

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How To Top in a Stanford Roommate Essay (With Example)

The Stanford letter to roommate is one of three supplemental essays required to apply. It allows you to write a note to your future roommate. We can all attest to how difficult such a task may seem. Imagine writing to someone you have never met – where do you even start?

Unlike other college essays, which require you to discuss contemporary issues, this one presents to you a chance to describe yourself to your future college roommate. Well, I know some can fill booklets when asked to write about themselves while others can only go as far as writing their name and stopping there.

Either case, this Stanford letter to roommate essay writing guide is for you.

Key Points on a Roommate Essay Stanford

Besides excellent academics and performance in extracurricular activities, a letter to roommate brings out the personal qualities that the student is bringing to school. It shows their contribution to student life and how they will fit in.

There are vital considerations that will get your Stanford roommate essay accepted. These include:

• Tone and language

For Pete’s sake, this is a letter to a roommate, not a university vice-chancellor! Therefore, you should use fun and casual tone in writing this essay. Don’t scare your future roommate away with an official, stern, and unwelcoming tone.

• Be yourself

When you want to write a note to your future roommate, do not force or make up any character that is not yours. Ensure that you use your voice in your writing and let the result reflect who you are, and write in a natural style.

• Do not be ‘selfish’ in your letter .

By this, I mean that you should not only write about what kind of roommate you are going to be. Describing everything about you may stir up some sense of egoism. Ensure that your letter shows your contribution to the community or social life in general.

Stanford essays that worked followed the guidelines stated above. You can look up Stanford roommate essay examples available online to familiarize yourself with these three concepts better. If that’s not enough, you can seek professional writing help and get your paper done in a split of a second.

Stanford Letter to Roommate Example

Dear Future Roommate, I am excited to tell you about myself already. I have a high affinity for friends, and that’s why I can’t wait to see you so that I can also know you in person. My friends here call me ‘skinny,’ not because I am skinny – I am huge! An elephant is my sister for that case. Don’t mind my body size; we can comfortably share a bed for your information. They call me skinny because I love using the word skinny in almost every sentence that I make – you’d have noticed that already. There’s more behind ‘Skinny’ that I am sure you’ll be thrilled to know. My passion for journalism has aroused a curious person in me. I will inquire almost about everything – even why you are reading this letter in the first place, yet you do not know me. I am kidding. I am an outgoing person with a great love for friends. I feel like greeting everyone I meet along the streets. And just before I forget, my greetings are endless. I can say hi to you as many times as possible. But don’t worry, I am not that noisy as a parrot. Talk about food, and you’ve touched the nerve-center of my heart. The kitchen is one place I hold so dear to my heart. I am carrying along my kitchen apron and cap. If you want to know about any recipe, ‘Skinny’ has got you covered! I may not know about all the cuisines but trust me, I can juggle my way around them all and present some mouthwatering meal to anyone. My fingers are itching to tell you about my appetite for sushi but let me hold that for now. I look forward to learning about you, too, roommate! Sincerely, Magdalene.

From the sample above, we can deduce how to structure a Stanford roommate essay and get it accepted.

How To Write Stanford Roommate Essay

• Paragraph 1

Magdalene begins her letter with a bait that will hook the roommate to her as soon as possible. By introducing herself as ‘Skinny,’ she is already creating a rapport with the roommate. It’s not difficult for one to miss out that she is an amusing person with a deep sense of humor – the elephant is my sister. The last line of the first paragraph excites the person reading it to find out more about this ‘Skinny’ who is the opposite of her nickname.

• Paragraph 2

Here, Magdalene sneaks into what she loves doing and her character. She merges her academic field (journalism in this case) with her general nature. One can deduce that her passion for journalism and her everyday life are related. Instead of sounding too official, she brings it out in a light and humorous way.

• Paragraph 3

She now talks about her hobbies in this paragraph. Her roommate will know from this that Magdalene is a foodie and a master chef in the kitchen. From this, the roommate can be able to relate her hobbies to those of Magdalene.

• Paragraph 4

She closes her letter by showing interest in getting to know her roommate too. You can see that she is calling her ‘roommate’ already.

Looking at the many ‘dear future roommate’ college essay examples gives you a more in-depth insight into what is expected of you. Nonetheless, you can use an essay writing service with the best essay writers and get a top-notch letter ASAP!

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How To Answer Stanford's 2024/2025 Supplemental Essays: Tips & Insights

Essay Prompts

Intellectual Curiosity Essay

The Roommate Essay

The Personal Essay

Stanford Essay Examples

As a former admissions officer at Stanford, I've noticed a few elements that all strong application essays have in common. Likewise, there are common mistakes that can make a student's essay much less likely to stand out.

In this guide, I’ll explore the best practices and common pitfalls when answering Stanford’s essay prompts—from the famous roommate essay to the community essay. Let’s go over everything you need to know.

Stanford’s Essay Prompts & Requirements

Gaining admission to Stanford University is a competitive university, with its acceptance rate ranging from 3.6 to 4.6% . To gain admission, your application has to be as close to perfect as possible - supplemental essays included!

Besides the common app and coalition app , Stanford requires you to submit 3 additional short essays in answer to these following prompts or questions for the academic year of 2024/2025:

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—get to 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.

For all three of these essays, the length has to be between 100 to 250 words. You don’t have a huge word limit, so every word counts. Let’s get right to business: how should you answer each Stanford prompt, and what mistakes should you avoid?

Prompt #1: The Intellectual Curiosity Essay 

How to answer it.

This is a fairly common prompt across many schools—what I call the "intellectual curiosity" essay. The key to standing out is to focus on a topic you’re genuinely curious or passionate about.

There’s no right or wrong answer here. I’ve read essays on everything from the Pythagorean theorem to Schrödinger’s cat. As long as you choose an intellectual idea that excites you, even if it’s niche or unfamiliar to the admissions committee, you’ll be on the right track.

In this essay, you'll need to embrace your inner nerd and dive deep into a topic that interests you. For example, as a psychology major, one of the things that fascinated me was parapsychology—the study of the supernatural, like telepathy and telekinesis.

While many would argue it’s not a critical science, I believe it’s an intellectually stimulating topic that fits within the realm of my studies - and it made my essay stand out.

An admissions officer has only 15, maybe 20 minutes to review your application. If you can talk about something that is both personally meaningful and unique, it becomes a trigger for them to remember you.

I’d start by jotting down all the different intellectual ideas that fascinate you, whether or not they're related to my declared major. Even if they don’t seem to connect at first, just write them down—you can decide later which one to focus on.

Think about what excites you about these topics, how you've explored them so far, and how you hope to explore them further.

Mistakes To Avoid

A common mistake that students make is thinking they need to write about a specific topic because it aligns with their chosen major . For example, if you’ve listed mechanical engineering as your first major of interest, you might feel compelled to write about mechanical engineering.

This isn’t necessarily true. If it fits your application and you find it compelling, then by all means, go for it. But keep in mind that admissions officers aren’t looking for an essay that simply supports your major. They want to see you nerd out on a topic you genuinely love. Focus on what excites you, not what you think they want to hear.

It’s that intellectual curiosity that catches their attention and sets you apart. They’re more interested in seeing your personality and passion than just how well your essay aligns with your major.

That said, if you’ve built your entire application narrative around your passion for a particular discipline, writing about something related to your major might make sense—as long as it fits within your overall application structure. Even then, it needs to be something where your genuine passion shines through—something that shows that intellectual spark!

Otherwise, this essay is a great opportunity to showcase other interests and broaden the character you present to admissions officers.

Prompt #2: The Roommate Essay

The roommate essay has been a Stanford staple for quite a while. The key to answering it isn’t so much about standing out as it is about avoiding common pitfalls.

The goal is to show that you’d be a good, empathetic, and thoughtful roommate. Admissions officers want to understand who you are within the community—who you’ll be when you finish your classes and get back to your dorm. How do you share space with others? How do you build relationships and contribute to your living environment?

This essay is all about highlighting the ways you want to connect with your roommate and foster a positive relationship. There’s no single way to go about this, so you have some flexibility.

One option is to talk about the campus events and activities you’d want to experience with your roommate, and how you’d want to go take your roommate to them to experience these things together or create a bond together.

• An example of this: I’ve seen an essay in the past written about making homemade ramen, which was a favorite activity of the student. They talked about how they planned to bring a small warming set to teach their roommate how to make it their own way, sharing what the process meant to them. It was a cute and personal way to express how they wanted to build a relationship
• Another example: A student wrote about a favorite Stanford tradition —jumping in different water fountains on campus. They described a day where they and their roommate could go around campus, hopping into all the fountains, creating a great experience they can share. They imagined repeating the tradition four years later, just before graduation.

This essay worked well because it referenced a specific tradition Stanford is known for while also tying it to building an authentic relationship with their roommate.

A lot of people have the question of whether they should write this as a normal essay or as a letter to their roommate. I recommend writing this essay as a letter to your roommate —not in the typical format of your other supplemental essays.

Even though it won’t actually go to your future roommate, pretend it will. The goal is to make it feel like you’re writing to someone you’re about to meet and embark on an adventure with. Try to tap into the heart of that connection—that’s the essence of this essay.

Basically, when writing this essay, it’s important to stay true to yourself while avoiding common pitfalls. Speaking of which…

In the roommate essay, the worst mistake you can make is presenting yourself as an unlikeable or unwelcoming roommate. Highlighting any non-community-oriented qualities is something you absolutely want to avoid.

For example, if you focus too much on a rigid schedule—like waking up at 8 AM, going for a jog, and detailing all the things you do—it can come across as self-centered. If your essay is more focused about what you want to do at Stanford, with little regard for how you’ll create a shared, communal space with your roommate, it’s not going to win the admissions officers over. This approach can be off-putting.

A good way to gauge if your essay is hitting the mark: imagine receiving a letter from your future roommate. If all they did was talk about themselves and what they want to do at Stanford, how excited would you be to meet them?

Compare that to a letter where they talk about creating memories, sharing experiences, or building a specific environment together. Which would you prefer?

Prompt #3: The Personal Essay 

This essay prompt is designed to delve into the personal experiences that have shaped who you are.

The approach I’d recommend here is to aim for impact rather than just trying to stand out. Your goal should be to leave a lasting impression on the admissions officer, giving them a moment to pause and truly understand who you are as an applicant.

In this essay, be candid about the experiences and relationships that have profoundly impacted you—how they’ve shaped your thinking, your character, and how you hope to bring those qualities to the Stanford community.

• An example of this: I’ve seen students write about caring for a parent with a degenerative disease. That experience instilled a deep sense of empathy and a collaborative spirit, making them realize that we accomplish things better together rather than alone. They then expressed a desire to bring that energy to Stanford, to be actively involved in a community that values and lives by collaboration.

This type of essay is powerful because it shares a specific, personal experience that allows the admissions officer to see a unique layer of who you are. It also illustrates how that experience has shaped your character and how you’ll bring that character to campus.

• Another example: An essay that really stood out to me was a blog about Hot Cheetos. Initially, I was skeptical—why would someone write about Hot Cheetos? But as I continued reading, the story revealed a deeper message. The student’s grandmother used to give her Hot Cheetos every day, and at first, the student just enjoyed them without thinking about sharing. As she grew older, she noticed that her siblings didn’t receive the same treat. Eventually, she realized her grandmother was teaching her a lesson about privilege and sharing resources.

This was a profound lesson about sharing, privilege, and responsibility, which the student planned to carry with her to Stanford.

The essay highlighted how she intended to use her intellectual growth to contribute positively to the community, and to continue building on her own intellectual interest to build knowledge that can help make the community better. By the end, the story left a strong impact on me—I’ll never forget that Hot Cheetos essay!

When writing your essay, consider what values Stanford cares about—community, social responsibility, contributing positively to the world—and connect those values with your personal experiences.

Focus on the relationships and moments that have shaped how you think, interact with others, and engage with the world. Then, explain how you’ll bring those qualities to Stanford in a way that aligns with the university’s values, such as social good and intellectual curiosity.

The biggest pitfalls you can run into with these kinds of essays are being too vague or staying too surface-level.

Sometimes students think they shouldn’t get too personal or too detailed because they assume admissions officers don’t want to read such personal pieces. However, this is exactly what can make your essay forgettable.

If you don’t personalize it and dive into your own history and experiences, you miss the chance to stand out. While many people may share similar experiences, only you have lived your unique version of it. If you don’t speak directly to that, you’re not giving yourself the chance to shine.

Another common mistake is focusing too much on someone else without relating it back to your own experiences.

• An example of this: a student wrote about someone they deeply admire—a grandparent who survived difficult circumstances and showed incredible resilience. While that’s a powerful story, if the essay spends too much time on the grandparent and doesn’t connect it to the student’s own life, the admissions officer may end up knowing more about the grandparent than the applicant. By the end of the essay, I might be ready to admit the grandparent, but I still won’t know much about you.

The key is to ensure that, while you can certainly highlight the influence others have had on you, the essay should ultimately focus on your personal experiences and how they’ve shaped you. That’s what makes your story unique and memorable.

Stanford Essay Examples 

The intellectual curiosity essay example.

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. (250 words)

When taking Abnormal Psychology freshman year, I was fascinated to learn that my family’s stoic attitude under stress stems from culture's influence on human behavior. The course concluded, but I hungered to learn more about culture’s connections with the mind. Sunlit days crept into moonlit nights as I learned that culture impacts visual perception (that’s why East Asian websites are more “cluttered” than Western ones) and influences decision-making (such as through a focus on collectivism or individualism). Some cultures even have unique disorders, like ataque de nervios, a panic disorder in Latinx patients. I fell in love with reading about culture influencing cognition and plunging into the science explaining it.

My fascination led me to conduct two independent studies assessing mental health apps’ cultural competency and the DSM’s cultural elements. I was mesmerized by case studies like one about a Japanese woman, “M,” who was misdiagnosed with depression instead of adult separation anxiety because her psychiatrists didn’t factor in the cultural context of her immigration story. While assembling my papers, I grappled with even more questions. How do sociocultural frames of reference influence the way mental illness is treated? How can technology provide more equitable access to mental health care?

If I’ve learned anything from theater and literature, it is that context deeply affects how humans think and act. Sherlocking the connections between culture and cognition and analyzing their impact on science, medicine, and design doesn’t just feed my curiosity; it energizes my soul.

The Roommate Essay Example

Dear Roommate,

My bedroom is my refuge, and I hope ours will be the same. Through immersive design, there are countless possibilities to personalize our room. All it takes is the simple command: “Alexa, it’s Christmas time,” and we teleport from a hot, stuffy room in June to a winter wonderland. The ceiling lights turn red and green, Christmas lights begin to sparkle, “Jingle Bells” bounces through the speakers, and The Christmas Story is cued. My friends giddily sing along to Christmas carols, and we joke about Alexa’s unquestioning loyalty. When my friend [Name Redacted] got dumped last summer, he asked for “Christmas time” in my room to cheer him up. And when my basketball team won the semi-finals, we said “Alexa, it’s party time” and celebrated as disco lights whirled and “Bohemian Rhapsody” blasted. We have a command for (almost) every occasion. Rigging my room has brought laughter and joy into the lives of friends and family and is something I look forward to doing with you. We can learn about each other while we set up our room. Whether it’s our music, lights, jokes, or auto-stocked products, I’m excited to create a room that reflects both of our identities, cultural backgrounds, and humor. In our spare time, I also look forward to taking a hiatus from indoors to head out to surf, play basketball, or plan spikeball matches on the oval. Whether we’re indoors or out, I can’t wait to get to know you. “Alexa, it’s Cardinal time.”

The Personal Essay Example

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

Starling murmurations move synchronously, traveling across oceans. Each bird focuses on supporting its seven neighbors, which lets over a million birds fly at once. [Organization Redacted] is my murmuration.

Growing up, my passion for Taylor Swift songs (“Red” is still a bop!) morphed into a love for opera. However, when I joined the [Organization Redacted] Opera, though other queer artists surrounded me, I quickly realized I was one of two people of color in the room. I cherished how opera let me tell stories through music, but the stories didn’t represent me.

So, I joined [Organization Redacted], where I’m surrounded by starlings telling the stories of marginalized communities. At [Organization Redacted], I learned how to create art centered around the decolonialist principles of sustainability and equity. I learned through outreach events on [Place Redacted] how art brings glimmers of joy into the eyes of children and elders alike. I learned through working on “[Redacted Content],” which showcased the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, how art unites people and creates social change. I was finally surrounded by artists like me, who tell stories about blazing our path in a society that often silences BIPOC and queer voices.

At Stanford, I hope to become a student fellow with the IDA to spotlight marginalized voices. Within the IDA, I’d connect my fervor for music with my passion for analyzing STEM’s impact on society by designing and collaborating on an opera with my peers about data justice or colonialism’s negative impacts on South Asian healthcare.

The Best Way To Stand Out

The best way to perfect your essay is to work with an expert .

Working with expert strategists makes you 7x more likely to gain admission to your dream school! Our experts, including former admissions officers, guide you through the admissions process from A to Z, tailoring your application to maximize your chances of admission.

What Makes Crimson Different

Key Resources & Further Reading

• Acing your College Application Essay: 5 Expert Tips to Make it Stand Out from the Rest
• MIT Supplemental Essay
• Northwestern Supplemental Essay
• Harvard Supplemental Essay
• Columbia Supplemental Essay
• Princeton Supplemental Essay
• Cornell Supplemental Essay
• Brown Supplemental Essay
• UPenn Supplemental Essay
• Dartmouth Supplemental Essay
• Johns Hopkins Supplemental Essay
• University of Chicago Supplemental Essay
• NYU Supplemental Essay
• How to Tackle Every Type of Supplemental Essay
• What are the Most Unusual US College Supplemental Essay Prompts?

About the Author

Shane Trujillo

Former Admissions Officer

With experience in highly selective admissions at Stanford and Haverford College, and a master's degree from Harvard University, Shane has worked with thousands of students who have been admitted to some of the most prestigious schools and programs in the United States, including Stanford University, the Wharton School of Business at UPenn, and Harvard University.

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16 min read

Introduction

Stanford University is one of the most prestigious universities in the world and their admissions process is highly competitive. Writing compelling supplemental essays that stand out from other applicants is key to getting accepted into this top-tier school. However, approaching these essays does not have to be an intimidating endeavor! With some preparation and guidance, you can write powerful and persuasive supplemental essays that will help your application shine among the thousands of other applicants vying for a spot at Stanford University. In this article, we'll look at the supplemental essay prompts for Stanford University and provide an in-depth analysis of how to approach them. We'll also examine real-world examples of successful essays written by past applicants to give you a better understanding of what makes a great supplemental essay. By the end, you'll have all the tools needed to create powerful and persuasive supplemental essays that will make your application stand out from other applicants vying for admission into one of the most prestigious universities in the world. So let's get started!

Stanford's Essay Prompts

Stanford applicants will have to write eight essays in total. This includes writing three longer-form essays (with a 250-word maximum count) and answering five short answer questions (with a 50-word maximum count). Stanford's supplemental essay prompts include the following:

• 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.
• Tell us about something that is meaningful to you and why.

Short Answers:

• 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.
• Name one thing you are looking forward to experiencing at Stanford.

Writing Stanford's Essays

Approaching stanford's intellectual vitality essay.

"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."

When approaching Stanford's 250-word essay prompt about an "idea or experience that makes you genuinely excited about learning," it is important for students to take some time to reflect on what truly excites them. Asking yourself questions such as “What topics engage me the most?”, “What have I enjoyed learning recently?”, and “What interests motivate me to take action or dive deeper into a topic?” can help you identify what ideas or experiences make you truly passionate about learning.

Once you have identified at least one idea or experience with which you are passionate, brainstorming specific examples of times when this passion has been demonstrated can be helpful in creating a stronger and more compelling essay. This could include recalling particular moments in school when the topic was discussed, describing challenges that were overcome during research related to the topic, or even sharing reflections on how this idea has impacted your life outside of school.

In addition, it is important to consider ways in which your passions may connect with others, demonstrating how your passions may create new opportunities for collaboration and growth among students at Stanford. For example, if you are passionate about environmental studies and sustainability initiatives, discussing ways in which Stanford could become a more sustainable campus could highlight both your enthusiasm for learning and potential contributions to the overall community.

By taking the time to reflect on moments where their passions have been demonstrated and thinking creatively about potential connections between these passions and Stanford's goals and values, students can effectively craft powerful supplemental essays that demonstrate their genuine excitement for learning.

Here's a great example from Hannah, a Stanford student who was also accepted to UPenn, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, and many other great schools! You can read all of Hannah's essays and activities here.

Whenever I need an extra boost while studying, I listen to iconic film soundtracks. Not only are they beautiful artistically, but the carefully-selected notes and motifs often unknowingly alter your emotions, giving me a subconscious spike in motivation.

I watched Titanic four times in three days because I was entranced by the repetition of musical themes in critical moments. Similarly, I printed out pictures of certain shots in Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby because the color schemes were aesthetically pleasing while also matching up with the characters’ emotions.

As I’ve been exposed to more music and film, I’ve learned how heavily artists can rely on psychology. Not only can certain colors or musical motifs foreshadow events, but they can complete some of the most iconic shots in cinema.

I plan on further exploring this intersection of science and art on Stanford’s campus. As a psychology major, I will study the intricacies of the human brain and its effects on behavior; on the other hand, I can take advantage of the rich creative culture on campus by participating in the Stanford Storytelling Project. By pursuing both, I can learn how masters of cinema capture audiences’ attention and deliver a beautiful, impactful story.

Tackling Stanford's Roommate Essay

"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."

To ace the Stanford roommate essay, it's important to focus on personal and intimate details about yourself. The essay is an opportunity to reveal something unique, quirky, and memorable about yourself to your future roommate. As you write, think about what sets you apart from others - what makes you special and interesting. Here are some specific tips for approaching the Stanford roommate essay:

• Highlight your unique quirks: The admissions committee is looking for something that sets you apart from other applicants. Consider what makes you different and let those quirks shine through in your essay. For example, maybe you have an obsession with collecting old maps or you're a huge fan of a lesser-known band.
• Think about your ideal roommate: As you write the essay, think about the kind of roommate you want. What qualities would you look for in a roommate? Reflect on those qualities and think about how you embody them yourself.
• Avoid controversy: While it's important to be authentic in your essay, it's also important to avoid controversial topics or anything that might be offensive to others. Stick to lighthearted, positive aspects of your personality and interests.
• Use imagery and senses: To make your essay stand out, use vivid imagery and sensory details. Engage the reader's senses by describing your favorite flavors, sights, sounds, and smells.

We have some specific tips on approaching Stanford's roommate essay here . In the meantime, read through one of our favorite Stanford roommate essay examples from Atman, a Stanford student who is now studying biology and design! You can read Atman's entire application here.

Don’t mind the morning clutter! I’ll be swapping out jewelry. My daily earring choices are contingent on anything from the outfit to the weather—today, I’ve got on a dangly butterfly and a silver key, but I may shift to some big resin sunflowers to protest this Minnesota cold.

Unfortunately, my beautiful smile won’t greet you some mornings as I’ll be starting bright and early in the lab. If I feel like leaving the excitement, we’ll go rate bubble teas from local shops (my spreadsheet would benefit from more Californian influence).

If you’re the type of person who “doesn’t really listen to music,” that will definitely change. Our room will be playing a variety of sounds 24/7—I’m talking tunes from Tyler the Creator to Thundercat, Michael Buble to Baby Keem. You’ll find me making my viral TikToks dissecting Frank Ocean songs—share your music taste with me and maybe I’ll remember you when I’m famous!

I’ll be passively beatboxing as we study, arbitrarily prompting any stranger to freestyle over my bizarre, yet curiously potent beats. Prepare yourself: You’ve arrived at Stanford’s “Bars 101” class.

You play Ping-Pong? Check again. Against more ill-advised challengers, I’ll replace my paddle with objects around me—a stray shoe, my hospital ID, my wallet, or even your wallet (you’ll grumble now, but true mastery requires complete material detachment). This habit had a shamefully large impact on my decision to buy a larger phone, so meet me at the tables!

How to Write Stanford's "Something Meaningful Essay"

"Tell us about something that is meaningful to you and why."

When writing the "Something Meaningful Essay" for Stanford University, it's crucial to choose a topic that encompasses your personal values and beliefs. Your essay should connect with the reader emotionally and relay how an experience or moment has influenced your character. In order to demonstrate your perspective on life and the world around us, you will want to creatively depict the significance of the moment or experience you have chosen. Here are some specific tips to help you approach the "Something Meaningful Essay" confidently:

• Reflect on your values: The "Something Meaningful Essay" is an opportunity to share something that is important to you. Start by reflecting on your values and beliefs. Consider what matters most to you and how those values have shaped your life.
• Choose a specific moment or experience: Once you've identified your values, think about a specific moment or experience that embodies those values. For example, maybe you volunteered at a homeless shelter and learned the importance of compassion and empathy.
• Write with emotion: The admissions committee wants to see that you care deeply about your subject. Write with emotion and use descriptive language to bring your story to life. Don't be afraid to include dialogue or sensory details if they add to the story.
• Connect to the bigger picture: While your essay should focus on a specific moment or experience, it should also connect to a larger theme. Think about how your experience relates to the world around you. What broader implications does it have?

For inspiration and guidance, read through this beautiful Stanford "something meaningful" essay example below from Apollo. Apollo was accepted to Stanford, Harvard, and Princeton! You can read every single one of his college applications here.

I pull out the piano bench, lift the fallboard, and prop up my music. Today, I'm playing Liszt's "Mazeppa." It's one of the toughest pieces ever written for the piano, but to master it, there’s only one thing I need: the metronome.

First, 48 beats per minute, an easy largo.

I hated practicing. Simultaneously, I was a perfectionist. Those two traits clashed throughout my early piano years, contributing to a "limbo" period full of botched performances. Frustrated by my lack of progress, my teacher began imposing slow metronome practice. Although I was stubborn at first, I gradually learned to steady myself. "48" taught me patience, and encouraged me to seek deeper levels of ability.

Now, 112, a striding allegretto.

When I began competing seriously, I discovered a new enemy: performance anxiety. In practice, I came back to the metronome, setting a moderate tempo where I could be rock-solid. Through "112", I was able to build my confidence.

192, a barrelling presto.

My fingers fly. It’s a speed I once viewed as beyond my capability, but it now feels completely natural. "192" was when practice transformed into performance, freeing me to explore new worlds of artistic growth.

0. In high school, I learned how damaging it is to get caught up in a perpetual cycle of work; by taking breaks, I could open up valuable time to reflect on myself. As the foundation of my practice, "0" taught me balance.

I click the metronome off. Practice is done for the day.

Answering Stanford's Short Answer Questions:

Approaching stanford's "significant challenge" question.

"What is the most significant challenge that society faces today?"

To approach this Stanford essay prompt, consider a challenge that you are passionate about. Be specific in identifying the issue and its impact. Then, focus on developing a unique perspective on the challenge and propose potential solutions. Remember, Stanford values diversity of thought, so be sure to express your individuality in your response. Here's a great example of an amazing Stanford significant challenge essay from Ryan, who got into Stanford, Princeton, Columbia, and Brown. You can read all of Ryan's college applications here.

Through many forms of corruption, the ever-increasing wealth and power of the ultra-rich is seeping its way into our governments, slowly redefining who those in power aim to serve. With no control left in the hands of the people, I worry tyrannical, systematic exploitation is only a few "votes" away.

Answering Stanford's Last Two Summers Prompt

"How did you spend your last two summers?"

To approach Stanford's essay prompt "How did you spend your last two summers?" be specific and focus on highlighting your passions, interests, and how you spent your time productively. Did you volunteer or partake in any internships related to your career aspirations? Did you travel to a new place and discover a new culture? Did you learn a new skill or participate in a program that challenged you? Be sure to explain why these experiences were meaningful to you and how it has contributed to your personal growth. Showcasing your unique experiences and interests can make you stand out in your application. So, be bold, creative, and honest. The example below comes from Emma. You can read all of Emma's successful college applications, including her Stanford application, here.

Taking Fiction Writing at Stanford Summer Session, volunteering for the Aspire Education Project, being mentored by fiction author Deborah Davis, assembling masks for essential workers with my nana. Immersing myself in Northwestern’s Medill program, working as a day-camp counselor, teaching sewing at a children’s fashion camp, crafting inventive short stories.

How to Write Stanford's "Historical Moment" Essay

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

To approach Stanford's essay prompt "What historical moment or event do you wish you could have witnessed?" choose a specific moment or event that genuinely interests you. Research the moment or event and provide context on its historical significance. Share why you wish to witness it – what do you hope to learn from that experience? Would it enrich your life experiences or understanding of the world around you? Explain how this moment or event could help you shape your personal and academic path in Stanford. Lastly, showcase your intellectual curiosity and passion to learn by highlighting the specific details you found most fascinating. For more information about writing this essay, read our article here ! Below, we've provided an excellent example of Stanford's historical moment essay from Andrew, who got into incredible schools like Stanford and Columbia. You can read his complete set of college applications here.

The broken concrete of the Berlin Wall, encapsulated by Leonard Bernstein’s An die Freude on Christmas Day 1989, still resonates as a symbol of collective self-determination. I am inspired by the power of music to unite people, especially as we seek strength and reassurance to overcome our own challenges today.

Approaching Stanford's Extracurricular Prompt

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

To approach Stanford's essay prompt "Briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities, a job you hold, or responsibilities you have for your family", choose a specific experience that highlights your character. Start by briefly describing your role or responsibilities, then focus on specific instances or achievements that demonstrate leadership, teamwork, or personal growth. Be sure to highlight how this experience has influenced you and contributed to your personal growth. Use concrete examples and quantify your impact, if possible. Remember, the goal is to showcase your unique experiences, skills, and character traits to the admissions committee. This awesome example comes from a Stanford premed student, Jude. You can read all of their applications here!

Heading the lighting department for my school’s theater company is the most difficult and rewarding position I have ever undertaken. Staying at school into the night, I spend hours hanging lights from scaffolding 50 feet in the air and methodically designing each and every lighting cue to tell a story.

How to Approach Stanford's "Looking Forward to Experiencing" Essay

"Name one thing you are looking forward to experiencing at Stanford."

To approach Stanford's essay prompt "Name one thing you are looking forward to experiencing at Stanford", be specific and personal in your response. This question is an opportunity to showcase your individuality, so choose something that genuinely excites you and aligns with your interests and passions. You might describe events, courses, clubs, or traditions at Stanford that you are eager to participate in. Focus on how this experience will impact your academic and personal growth, and how it will help you achieve your goals. Research the specific opportunities at Stanford and show that you have a genuine interest and connection to the university. The incredible example below comes from Thu, who got into Stanford, Yale, and Brown, and also won over $2.5 million in scholarships! You can read about his incredible essays and accomplishments here.

After watching countless videos about it on Youtube, I’ve become obsessed with it. I can clearly picture it in my mind: the bright California sun, the Spanish colonial architecture, and their grief-stricken faces. Rodin’s Burghers of Calais replicated in Memorial Court. It’s my favorite artwork and coincidentally at Stanford.

Reading example essays is an invaluable tool for students when crafting their own college application essays. Remember, the goal is not to copy the examples, but rather to learn from them and apply those lessons to your own unique experiences and perspective. If you want to read more excellent essay examples for Stanford, visit our massive essay database for a wealth of inspiration and guidance.

Writing essays for Stanford University requires more than just good writing skills; it requires ingenuity, creativity, and authenticity. You have the opportunity to showcase your unique experiences, perspective, and personality to the admissions committee. The key is to approach each essay prompt strategically, focus on specific experiences that demonstrate your character and potential, and edit and revise your work thoroughly. Remember that Stanford values diversity of thought, so don't be afraid to express your individuality in your responses. By following these tips, you can craft essays that make you stand out as a candidate and capture the attention of the admissions committee.

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Hey everyone! So I'm working on the famous Stanford roommate essay, and I'm honestly struggling. Does anyone have any examples or tips for writing a standout roommate essay? I really want to make mine shine! Thank you!

Hey there! I totally understand how the Stanford roommate essay can be a challenge, but try not to worry too much. It's a really great opportunity for you to showcase your personality and let the admissions team see a more casual, fun side of you.

When writing your essay, think of what kind of roommate you'd like to have and what you'd want them to know about you. Focus on your hobbies, quirks, or habits that you think would make you an interesting roommate. For example, maybe you have a love for exotic teas and would be excited to share your collection with your roommate. Or perhaps you have a tradition of going on weekend nature hikes and would love to invite them along.

One way to make your essay stand out is by leaning into humor and presenting yourself in a lighthearted way. Just keep it genuine and true to who you are. Also, remember to keep it concise; you don't want to overload your future roommate with too much information.

Here are two examples in this CollegeVine blog post: https://blog.collegevine.com/stanford-essay-example

Best of luck with your Stanford roommate essay, and I'm sure it'll come out great if you stay true to yourself and write with a friendly, welcoming tone!

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