Personally, I'd say it really just depends. If you've got strong numbers for Stanford, I wouldn't take any risks. If it's a crazy reach, I'd gamble with something a little crazy.
@Freddy_D said:
Like the Genie told Aladdin, "Be yourself" (within reason of course). It is another opportunity for you to show them who you are and how you think.
At the end of the day you need to figure out a way to set yourself apart from the rest of the competition. Take every opportunity to showcase your "you"uniqueness. Stanford is known for their holistic approach to decision making. This is your time to shine!
@"Cant Get Right" said:
Personally, I'd say it really just depends. If you've got strong numbers for Stanford, I wouldn't take any risks. If it's a crazy reach, I'd gamble with something a little crazy.
@Freddy_D said:
Like the Genie told Aladdin, "Be yourself" (within reason of course). It is another opportunity for you to show them who you are and how you think.
Reviving this thread, because A) i'm trying to write these now, and Bee) I am dying to know if admissions officers actually adhere to the music recommendations they receive. They should! It would be so very Stanford of them, and oh man what a question for you psych majors! What music encourages positive evaluation and might increase our chances???
@"Cant Get Right" said:
I’m working on the literary character one. Huckleberry Finn. Really tough. 250 words is either way too much or way too little to say anything.
I agree so strongly. I have the same problem with my Yale 250. I can't elaborate on anything in 250 words!!
I did a light hearted version of the three songs essay. Anyone who wants profundity in 250 words but doesn't give the option of a haiku is a fool and you should dismiss their school immediately. The pretentiousness of the Yale application was a serious turn off. I also think that the word limit encourages contractions and other informalities in the writing, which I took as a nod to be less formal in content as well. I'm nowhere near Stanford numbers so I wasn't running much risk as I'm pretty close to an auto-reject. They're unlikely to reject me twice in the same cycle.
I think that light-hearted would work for these but maybe wouldn't foray into the neighborhood of goofy. Like maybe not books of bad poetry, but I personally might say Tina Fey's book because she is a legit inspiration to me and expand a bit on how I think comedy benefits us. I don't think you'd need to go into the Yale level of seriousness but maybe keep it reasonable. Haha. At least, that is how I would approach it. But I'm not exactly an admissions coach here and am below Stanford's numbers, so take my advice with a grain of salt probably.
Hah. This thread has this Reddit /r/Tinder (a guilty pleasure) vibe.
"I dunno man, I wanna get her attention by being lighthearted and funny, but I'm trying to marry and wanna be true to myself, know what I'm saying?"
@"Leah M B" We have really similar scores, but I've been thinking about applying to one T3 as a shot in the dark. I'll apply if you do.
In all seriousness: I don't think the approach matters a whole lot as long as you're telling the reader about yourself in a deep way, whether you're doing so in a creative way I think matters less (unless you want to show the reader you're creative, but there might be easier ways to do that :B).
Comments
I'd think you can be playful so long as you are not being facetious
Like the Genie told Aladdin, "Be yourself" (within reason of course). It is another opportunity for you to show them who you are and how you think.
Personally, I'd say it really just depends. If you've got strong numbers for Stanford, I wouldn't take any risks. If it's a crazy reach, I'd gamble with something a little crazy.
I believe what he said, actually, was "Bee yourself."
http://www.newsmax.com/Newsmax/files/c8/c8e92578-63a5-4b4c-9a43-01acd493a9cd.jpg
At the end of the day you need to figure out a way to set yourself apart from the rest of the competition. Take every opportunity to showcase your "you"uniqueness. Stanford is known for their holistic approach to decision making. This is your time to shine!
Oh god... I have a bee phobia and that photo is my literal worst nightmare. ::shudder::
Reviving this thread, because A) i'm trying to write these now, and Bee) I am dying to know if admissions officers actually adhere to the music recommendations they receive. They should! It would be so very Stanford of them, and oh man what a question for you psych majors! What music encourages positive evaluation and might increase our chances???
I’m working on the literary character one. Huckleberry Finn. Really tough. 250 words is either way too much or way too little to say anything.
I have spent way too much time on the three song essay...
I agree so strongly. I have the same problem with my Yale 250. I can't elaborate on anything in 250 words!!
is this new for this cycle? I thought they had this type optional essays before
It’s not new, it’s just always sucked, lol. I actually think it’s a good length. The restriction is what makes it a valuable writing sample.
I know I'm late to this topic...but 100-250 is so hard! lol
I did a light hearted version of the three songs essay. Anyone who wants profundity in 250 words but doesn't give the option of a haiku is a fool and you should dismiss their school immediately. The pretentiousness of the Yale application was a serious turn off. I also think that the word limit encourages contractions and other informalities in the writing, which I took as a nod to be less formal in content as well. I'm nowhere near Stanford numbers so I wasn't running much risk as I'm pretty close to an auto-reject. They're unlikely to reject me twice in the same cycle.
I think that light-hearted would work for these but maybe wouldn't foray into the neighborhood of goofy. Like maybe not books of bad poetry, but I personally might say Tina Fey's book because she is a legit inspiration to me and expand a bit on how I think comedy benefits us. I don't think you'd need to go into the Yale level of seriousness but maybe keep it reasonable. Haha. At least, that is how I would approach it. But I'm not exactly an admissions coach here and am below Stanford's numbers, so take my advice with a grain of salt probably.
Hah. This thread has this Reddit /r/Tinder (a guilty pleasure) vibe.
"I dunno man, I wanna get her attention by being lighthearted and funny, but I'm trying to marry and wanna be true to myself, know what I'm saying?"
@"Leah M B" We have really similar scores, but I've been thinking about applying to one T3 as a shot in the dark. I'll apply if you do.
In all seriousness: I don't think the approach matters a whole lot as long as you're telling the reader about yourself in a deep way, whether you're doing so in a creative way I think matters less (unless you want to show the reader you're creative, but there might be easier ways to do that :B).