How to Write the Stanford Supplemental Essays
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If you’re applying to Stanford, you’ve got some work ahead of you. What do we mean?
Well, most colleges will have anywhere from 1-4 supplemental essay prompts you’ll need to answer in addition to the Common App essay.
Stanford is sitting comfortably with eight supplemental essay prompts, with a combined possible 1000 words. On top of that, Stanford has the lowest acceptance rate of any college in the US at 4.3%. (And that’s not including legacy cases and athletes.)
So it’s easy to say that if you’re gonna’ roll up your sleeves and tackle the Stanford supplemental essays, it’s not going to be easy.
Good news: Here’s a guide that covers each of the Stanford University supplemental essay prompts.
Before you begin writing, you may want to get deeper insights into the kind of student Stanford is looking for, and how it views itself. You’ll find an extensive, by-the-numbers look at its offerings, from enrollment and tuition statistics to student life and financial aid information, on its Common Data Set. For a better sense of how Stanford envisions its role in academia and how it wants to grow and evolve, read its vision here.
What are Stanford’s supplemental essay prompts?
Prompt #1
What is the most significant challenge that society faces today? (50 words)
Prompt #2
How did you spend your last two summers? (50 words)
Prompt #3
What historical moment or event do you wish you could have witnessed? (50 words)
Prompt #4
Briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities, a job you hold, or responsibilities you have for your family. (50 words)
Prompt #5
List five things that are important to you. (50 words)
Prompt #6
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)
Prompt #7
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. (250 words)
Prompt #8
Please describe what aspects of your life experiences, interests and character would help you make a distinctive contribution as an undergraduate to Stanford University. (100-250 words)
How to Write Each Supplemental Essay Prompt for Stanford University
How to Write the Stanford Supplemental Essay #1
What is the most significant challenge that society faces today? (50 words)
Our advice: Get specific. Don’t go super broad with this (i.e. “racism” or “ignorance,” as these are basically impossible to tackle in 50 words). Instead, try for a more specific, nuanced version of something that feels really important to you.
Here’s a nice example essay for this prompt:
I see many of my peers engaged in overly dogmatic discussions. I mourn the loss of discourse based on learned experience and individual perspective and how that seems to be creating social aggression. On a larger scale, I’m worried we are moving toward a homogenous society ruled by tyranny.
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Another example:
We are trying to police AI to mitigate misuse; however, how do we even begin defining misuse? These questions belong not in computer science but in sociology and ethics. As I learnt with Stanford SKY, we need interdisciplinary committees to ensure standards are made in human interests, not profit incentives. (50 words)
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Tips & Analysis
One possible approach: Ask a question and then make a statement. Rhetorical questions can be very effective if used sparingly—and if they raise complex, possibly unanswerable questions. In this response, the writer sets the framework for the rest of the response by asking the definitional question about “misuse,” but then pointing out how complex the answer is (because it needs input from multiple fields.
A mini why us. This student mentions a Stanford program IN their response to the Stanford prompt. Why is this a good strategy? It lets the school know this writer has done their homework, that they care enough about getting admitted to dig deeper than what’s on Stanford’s homepage, and that something specific at Stanford is of interest to them, all things that application readers want to learn from prospective students.
Make sure you’re answering the prompt. So, this is one area in which this response could be stronger. The prompt asks about society’s most significant issue, and this writer could definitely be more specific about this. Is it AI itself? Policing AI? Looking to the wrong places for answers? This response would benefit from a clearer, more explicit statement about the significant issue. If you only have 50 words, don’t be afraid to be direct!
How to Write the Stanford Supplemental Essay #2 + Example
How did you spend your last two summers? (50 words)
This is pretty straightforward. You can use bullet points and sentence fragments.
Many students choose to pack in as much as they can, which can work. But if you decide to do that, make sure to put in 1-2 things that show you also have a life. Because you do. Right? :)
Here’s an example:
2017: Attended FBLA Nationals in California. Researched Artificial Intelligence.
2018: Worked as coding teacher with self-developed Java curriculum. Built automated chicken-pen-door for grandparents’ farm. Created applications ranging from GPA Calculators to Foosball Tournament Software.
Both Summers: Interned at tech startup. Worked as Olympiad Math teacher for Combinatorics and Number Theory.
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Here’s another example:
2015: Playing select basketball, rehabbing ACL injury, researching East Asian culture, studying positive psychology, consolidating my creative writing research, posting writing critiques to discussion forums, pen-palling foreign friends
2016: All of the above plus learning chess, starting nonprofit, writing Instagram poetry, drafting my novel, two-weeks in Japan, brainstorming volunteering projects for NHS
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And one more example:
Founded the Texas MCS Camp—created a two-week curriculum (and taught courses) covering topics from combinatorics to game theory
Montecito Music Festival—organized outreach concerts to assisted-living communities
Debate—researched possible joint U.S.-China research venture to explore hydrothermal vents
Aaaaand travel—saw the Tour de France finish at L’Arc de Triomphe!
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And another, with analysis:
Besides tinkering on Playflow and two Stanford papers, I designed websites raising $500 for Thai children and developed business plans for my COVID-prevention app, Securus. I gave talks twice at Singapore Management University’s Cloud Computing class and organised the YFS@SG competition. I also relished street-food-hopping with my family in Singapore. (50 words)
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Tips & Analysis:
Use those verbs! When you only have 50 words, each word in your response needs to pack a punch. This writer uses verbs that are descriptive, varied, and engaging (“tinkering” sounds like an awesome way to spend the summer!) Instead of saying “I did this” and then “I did this,” the writer uses their limited wordspace to create some difference in each sentence.
This is not just your resume! Although this student lists some pretty amazing accomplishments, they also make sure to include something that would likely never end up on their resume or activity sheet (eating street food in Singapore) that give us quick windows into interests/personality. Remember to use the different parts of the application to reveal different sides of yourself. Relishing street food? Check. Raising money for children? Check. Being a tech genius? Check and check. It’s all in this response.
How to Write the Stanford Supplemental Essay #3 + Example
What historical moment or event do you wish you could have witnessed? (50 words)
Think moment for this one. Some students try to go too broad/big with this (i.e. World War II or The Renaissance—what, like, all of it?). Instead, pick a really specific moment and say why you wish you were there.
Pro-tip: Don’t say “Big Bang” or anything related to dropping the atomic bomb, unless you’re going to surprise us with your explanation (AKA your “so what?”), as these tend to be pretty common choices for students.
Also, you can have some fun with this. Here’s a great example:
I want to watch George Washington go shopping. I have an obsession with presidential trivia, and the ivory-gummed general is far and away my favorite. Great leaders aren’t necessarily defined by their moments under pressure; sometimes tiny decisions are most telling—like knickers or pantaloons?
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Tips & Analysis:
If you can make them laugh, do it! We find this response both hilarious and effective. The writer is still taking the prompt seriously, but the image of George Washington shopping for knickers is laugh-out-loud funny, and it’s one that will stick in the reader’s mind after they finish reading this application and move on to the next one. Humorous writing is not easy to do well, but if this is in your wheelhouse, by all means go for it. It will make your essay stand out, and that’s what you want!
Avoid the obvious. There are certain historical events that will pop up again and again in student responses to this prompt, and you don’t want yours to get lost in that noise. Even if you REALLY wish you could have been there to see the Declaration of Independence being signed, our guess is that you won’t be the only one to write about that. Think about an historical event that you can somehow tie to a broader issue/idea. In this response, the writer brilliantly connects the shopping habits of George Washington to thoughts about leadership. Who would have thought? But it works perfectly!
Here’s another nice example response to this prompt:
I wish I was in the studio the day Norman Rockwell finished “Triple Self-Portrait.” I would love to have gotten a chance to ask him about capturing America at a specific time in history and what he thought it might look like in the future.
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And another example:
My late grandfather practised Traditional Chinese Medicine, treating families who couldn’t afford Western hospitals. Skipping lunch, squeezing in critical-care patients, and sacrificing his health, he taught me about social impact since kindergarten. I wish to sit beside him—penning poems before sunrise—and ask how he stayed compassionate, devoted and driven throughout. (50 words)
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How to Write the Stanford Supplemental Essay #4 + Example
Briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities, a job you hold, or responsibilities you have for your family. (50 words)
This is a classic extracurricular essay, but in 50 words. You’ll find a really in-depth step-by-step guide at this link, with specific advice for the 150-word format (plus some really great examples) towards the end. I recommend using that post to guide you as you’re writing.
But if you want to see the short version, here’s what to do:
Go to your Common App activities list and pick 2-3 possible topics.
Then, go through the Best Extracurricular Activity Brainstorm I’ve Ever Seen (AKA BEABIES exercise), either mentally or by filling out the chart. This will help you decide which topic might yield the most content for your essay. If you’re unsure, maybe do a simple outline for two different topics.
Write a draft! To guide you, each of those columns could provide a sentence or two of your first draft that you can later tweak and add some style to.
Pro-tip: Be careful about writing about an activity that you’ve already shared a lot about elsewhere on your application. If you’ve already written about your most important extracurricular activity in your main Common App personal statement or any of the other Stanford supplemental essays, write about your 2nd or 3rd most important activity.
This essay is your chance to say “Hey, there’s this other cool thing I’ve spent some time doing that I haven’t told you guys about yet!”
Here’s a nice example essay for this prompt:
Falafels. Construction Work. Wave-Particle Duality. These describe my train ride for two hours every Saturday to attend the Columbia Science Honors Program. One side of my brain ponders the inception of subway route-optimization while the other side empathizes with the little kid tugging on his mom’s jacket for more candy.
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Tips & Analysis:
Don’t tell your English teacher, but incomplete sentences can be totally cool here. Because the essays you write for college applications aren’t as formal as the academic writing you’ve likely done in your English classes, you can play a little with things like sentence fragments, punctuation, and “weird” words. This writer begins with phrases rather than complete sentences, and it works well! It creates a cool rhythm to the writing and hooks you in right away.
Imagery, imagery, imagery. When you have such limited word space, using language that is evocative and descriptive is key when trying to make use of each and every word. This student appeals to our sense of smell, to the things we see around us, and to the feelings we get when we occupy a space with other people. And all of this happens in 50 words. Think carefully about your word choice, make sure each one serves a purpose, and use those words to paint a picture for your reader.
Make sure you really understand the prompt… and then answer it! This prompt is a way for readers to learn more about something specific (how you spend your time outside of school), and this writer addresses the prompt in a subtle but really effective way. Although they could have spent a little more time explaining what they actually did in the Science Honors Program, there’s a good chance that comes up in their Activities List and/or Additional Info. Instead, they use this space to illustrate what else they get to experience as a result of the Honors Program. It’s creative but still focused, and application readers love that.
Another example:
When I produced Stanford SKY’s marketing film in rural China, I realised background noise was deafening, muffling the interviewees’ words. Since SKY’s Dell sponsorship depended on this, I re-strategised and spent 38 hours cleaning an 8-minute video. Thankfully, the film won SKY the sponsorship, even earning me 3 research internships. (50 words)
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How to Write the Stanford Supplemental Essay #5 + Example
List five things that are important to you. (50 words)
How do you narrow this list down to just five things?! Remember that you’re writing this response for a specific purpose—to help you get into college. So, be a little strategic.
Here are some tips on how:
Use this space to show sides of you that don’t pop up in other parts of your application. If you’ve already written about being the captain of your swim team, for example, you don’t need to repeat that here (even if it’s really important to you). Use this prompt as your chance to show your readers something new.
Consider listing five things that show the range of your personality and interests. You only get 5, and each one can show a different side of yourself, so 3 of these 5 should not all be about your love of hiking (if that’s what you’re into). But ONE of them definitely should!
Use our 21 details exercise to help you brainstorm! You’ll be surprised what you learn when you have to come up with 21 cool, seemingly random things about yourself, and you can pull directly from this list to answer this prompt
Example:
Finding a manatee mother with her baby on Banana River, open gym volleyball, sunny but cool California weather, when my coding works the way I want, creating funnily-shaped breads with my sister Amy, aroma of cinnamon tea wafting from my cart as I pass out tea to the nurses station (50 words)
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Tips & Analysis:
Let your values shine through. This prompt is yet another opportunity to share your values and priorities, and this writer does an excellent job of letting us know what those are without just saying, “I value x,y,z.” When we read this response, we see this person as someone who loves nature, who is an athlete and a computer whiz, who values family, and who dedicates themselves to volunteering. Their examples show us these values instead of the writer just telling us, which makes for far more interesting writing!
Think about the order of your list. As you organize your 5 things, you should consider starting with one that is most significant to you. Essay readers can assume that the things you list first (and sometimes last) are most important to you, so be mindful of where you begin and where you end.
Make it personal. Essay readers are bound to read many, many responses to this prompt about climate change or the use of technology, or any number of “big” issues. And these big issues are important! But they aren’t very specific to you. This writer gives us some great personal details in their list of important things, which in turn will help their response stand out amongst the sea of lists the essay readers will encounter. Again, always keep in mind that you’re writing these responses for a specific purpose!
And here’s another example to get your brain exploring:
Six-word stories; poems by Jorge Luis Borges; the state of peace from doing yoga; immersing myself in history fictions before bed; Friends; holding my mom’s hand on our walks; the breathtaking sunset of Mount Hermon; talking and laughing across from a dear friend selfishly wishing the moment could last forever.
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How to Write the Stanford Supplemental Essay #6 + 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)
Get really specific with what the idea is. (In my experience, a very particular idea tends to work better than an experience.)
If possible, clarify what the idea is in the first 50 words (some students wait too long to clarify and the essay feels vague as a result, as we’re not sure what to focus on).
Consider using this another opportunity to share a part of yourself you have yet to share.
Connect the idea, as abstract as it may be, back to something personal. Many students keep the essay focused outwardly (on ideas) and as a result the essay feels abstract and swimmy. (Yes, that’s a technical term.)
If you need some inspiration, check out this Excel document with almost every single TEDTalk ever given.
Here’s a nice example essay for this prompt:
What’s more probable: dying from a shark attack, or dying from falling airplane parts? Surprisingly, the answer is falling airplane parts. But why does our intuition point us towards shark attacks?
The answer lies in the availability heuristic, or the WYSIATI (“what you see is all there is”) rule, which describes how our minds evaluate decisions based on how easily we can think of examples to support both sides. From Jaws to YouTube surfer videos, we have all likely heard of a horrific shark attack, and by WYSIATI, the ease with which we conjure up that memory leads us to assign greater probability.
Learning about WYSIATI evolved the way I communicate my ideas. When I first started debate, I over-focused on comparing statistics at the expense of clearly communicating larger arguments. WYSIATI taught me that a more effective approach involves weaving in memorable images like that of a horrific shark attack.
This past summer, when debating whether labeling environmental activists as “eco-terrorists” is justified, my opponents cited dozens of crimes associated with activists from 1995-2002. With my knowledge of WYSIATI, I looked past the numbers and searched for more memorable, image-based examples and discovered that most of the so-called terrorist acts were actually “pie-ings”: environmental groups throwing pies to protest. So, instead of responding with only numbers, I declared that “the only thing that could make pie-ings terrorist acts is if the activists didn’t know how to make a good key lime pie!”
Much clearer. And perhaps, a little bit funnier.
Nice, right?
Additional example from Markus, who is very excited at the idea of his essays being shared publicly:
During the first lockdown, I learnt the mathematical foundations of AI, inspired by how my middle-school friend created new Shakespearean plays via AI. My nagging curiosity propelled me to finish Professor Andrew Ng’s 5-month Stanford course in 3 weeks. As AI buzzwords—gradient descent, hyperparameter optimisation—became familiar, I became gripped by the realisation that AI was trial-and-error at hyper-speed: making AI take tests, backtracking to identify mistakes, and repeating a billion times.
Having grasped core concepts, I craved to see AI helping in real life. I asked the Stanford SKY professor I was already working with for econometrics projects using AI, and he appointed me as the lead intern of a breakthrough project to shorten IQ and EQ tests for babies without compromising test accuracy. Quicker tests are more humane and increase sample sizes threefold, making its statistical research more trustable—while costing less. I witnessed how AI could reform and accelerate the standards of social science research—marrying big data with socially-conscious academic research. I knew Big Tech’s flashy AI might fill fifty football stadiums of server space, but what for? Serving better ads for “boba tea”? Rural children just above the poverty line certainly aren’t in their profit-driven purview, but at SKY, while working with postdocs, I learnt to close this gap. This winter, I plan to keep harnessing AI to understand—through analysing thousand-hour audio—how parents’ verbal cues shape infant character development. I’ll keep myself starstruck with Stanford’s CS+Social Good community, as we explore how AI can impact the bottom line. (252 words)
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Tips & Analysis:
Make sure you’re actually excited about the idea or experience you’re writing about. Essay readers read thousands of applications, so they’ve very good at recognizing when a student is writing about something they think will sound impressive, as opposed to something they’re genuinely excited and curious about. This writer’s excitement about the possibilities of AI jumps right off the page, and you want your response to do the same. Don’t worry about what readers think will look good; instead, use this space to geek out about the thing that lights you up and energizes you. If you are authentic and genuine, it will shine through!
Don’t just list your accomplishments. It would be very easy to use this prompt as a place to rattle off your academic achievements, but there are other places on the application reserved for just that purpose. Instead, explain why this idea or experience excites you and what you still hope to learn about it. This student has obviously learned a lot about AI, but the cool thing about this response is that he doesn’t just stop there. He also tells us how he hopes to move forward and continue to explore and discover. His response shows readers that he is still curious, and that’s what colleges are looking for in prospective students (not someone who thinks they’ve already learned it all)!
How to Write the Stanford Supplemental Essay #7 + Example
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. (250 words)
We actually have an entire separate blog post on this that we’d recommend reading.
Here’s a nice example essay for the Stanford roommate essay:
3:13AM
Hiya roomie! Please forgive the email at this late hour—my energy levels are directly proportional to how late it gets.
I figured I’d introduce myself before we meet at NSO. Here are some cool (I hope) things about me:
First off, true to my mountainous heritage, I’m quite outdoorsy, having spent many weekends trekking around state parks. I can’t wait to explore these uncharted waters—wanna join me on a trip later this week to SLAC?
I should warn you beforehand: I explore at an unusually zippy pace and tend to perk up at minor disturbances. That’s because a bluebird day in my state can change into a roaring thunderstorm within just a few minutes, turning Fourteener hikers into lightning rods, so I’ve learned to always be on the lookout.
Oh, and no matter what I’m doing, there’s always music in the background. You’ll notice that I have profound kinetic responses to melodies, which come in the form of flailing my arms during the climactic moments of symphonies. I guess music really does move me!
What kind of songs do you like? I love to recreate radio music with my violin—feel free to request a song anytime, and I promise I’ll give it my best effort!
Lastly, I must share that there are things I will miss as I leave home. Most of all, I will miss biking with my sister around the neighborhood. So, hopefully you won’t mind my daily family FaceTimes after each day’s festivities!
See you soon! :)
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How to Write the Stanford Supplemental Essay #8 + 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. (100-250 words)
