Stanford University, located in Stanford, California, is a private research university that enrolls approximately 7,000 undergraduate students. They are known for their rigorous engineering school and boast some of the most impressive alumni—from former Presidents to the co-founders of Google. Stanford is one of the most difficult and selective schools to get into, with extremely high academic requirements and an extremely low acceptance rate.
In 2019, Stanford stopped publishing their acceptance rate, but they still publish their raw admissions data. For the class of 2024, 45,227 students applied to Stanford, with 2,349 being admitted and 1,607 enrolling. For those of us who aren’t math majors, that equals a 5.2% acceptance rate. We want to emphasize how difficult it is to get into Stanford, with almost 95% of applicants not receiving admission. But it actually gives you some freedom to have a little fun with these essays and really show them who you are.
When preparing to write Stanford’s supplemental essays, you’re going to want to pause and think about who you are as a person. There are 8 questions to answer, and each one should reflect a different side of yourself if possible. Stanford claims to practice a “holistic approach” to admissions, which means they are looking for depth and character with these answers, so choose things to talk about that are not already reflected in your application or resume. We have covered Stanford’s supplemental essays before, but if you find yourself stuck, this guide will help you craft the best possible answers to their prompts.
Essay Questions
What is the most significant challenge that society faces today? (50 words)
Remember that your theme for Stanford’s prompts is expanding on aspects of yourself that are not already reflected in your application. Don’t feel that you need to choose something small, and don’t pick something completely unique to your community. Rephrase the question as “what problem do you care the most about and why?” Maybe you live in an area really plagued by climate change, or you’re concerned about rising healthcare costs because you’ve witnessed your family struggle. You can choose something that’s in the news, just make sure to expand on the “why” and connect it back to a key part of who you are.
How did you spend your last two summers? (50 words)
This is not a trick question, but you do have very little room to expand on your last two summers. Be direct, concise, and straight to the point. You’re not trying to bring us into the scene of the hot, sweltering July afternoon that you spent lifeguarding at the community pool. Just tell them the bare bones of your last two summers. Also note that this may be a section with some overlap with your application. If you play tennis and you also spent your last two summers predominately playing tennis, it is okay to mention that.
What historical moment or event do you wish you could have witnessed? (50 words)
What was the first thing you thought about? Signing the Declaration of Independence? Seeing the moon landing? Ok cool, now throw those out. You want to think a little deeper, what is something you’ve studied on your own or do in your free time that you haven’t covered? If you’ve already covered your love of sports, find something different to discuss. Let’s say you love writing poetry and Stanford doesn't know that yet - maybe you’d love to witness the first time someone ever wrote anything down. Maybe you love to bake and you’d like to see the first time someone came up with the concept of butter. Make sure to connect it back to your overall message of showing Stanford the complexities of your personality. For example, one of our writers wrote about the Waco Seige. Her dad had filmed it while on a news truck before she was born and she had grown up hearing his crazy stories. It was personal, specific, and she obviously got in.
Briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities, a job you hold, or responsibilities you have for your family. (50 words)
One thing we love about this prompt is that it puts your extracurriculars, your job, and your family at the same level. A lot of students may not have the time to deep dive into their passions, and Stanford seems to recognize this. You’ll want to use this to add another side to your personality (are you sensing a trend??) - so if you primarily do debate and that already exists on your resume, dive into your family responsibilities or the job you have. If it is your responsibility to drive your siblings to school, talk about why that’s important to your family and important to you. If you work after school at a local restaurant, talk about what skills it’s taught you.
Name one thing you are looking forward to experiencing at Stanford. (50 words)
Ok first off, don’t say “everything” and don’t say “the campus.” All schools have both everything and campuses. This is the question you’re going to want to do extensive research for, and pick something that shows another side of you. Whatever you choose will be a reflection of the person you are, so do research on your interest areas on campus. If Stanford doesn’t know you love to sing, talk about how you want to join one of their a capella groups, or if they don’t know you have a passion for news, talk about joining the staff at The Stanford Daily or their radio station.
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)
This is a great question because it allows you to tell a more in-depth story about something you haven’t covered yet. Talk about things like the night you became obsessed with trains—so you spent hours upon hours researching everything you could and watching train YouTube videos until 5 in the morning. Now you can identify the difference between a large train horn and a small air horn by ear. Bring us into the scene of the day you spent at the Natural History Museum and wanted to know every and anything you could about gemology. Explore how it felt to learn something new, what it felt like to satisfy your curiosity. Connect it back to something you haven’t covered and have fun with the story.
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)
This is a really fun question - and it’s so great that Harvard stole it from them! Write an actual letter, Dear Future Roommate, and tell them what you’re all about. Think about what you would bring to your room and really think about what it will be like when you live with a stranger. What kinds of vibes are you bringing to your room? Do you have prized possessions that you’ll be bringing with you? What kinds of posters will you hang on your wall? Use this to explore sides of yourself that haven’t been mentioned yet, like maybe you’re really into interior design and will help your roommate decorate the space. This is a space to get creative, have some fun, and expand on who you are.
Tell us about something that is meaningful to you and why. (250 words)
This is another story prompt. Maybe what is meaningful to you is a physical item or a value you have, so bring us into the space when you realized how important that thing was. If family is meaningful to you, tell us a story about how your family interacts with each other. If you received a treasured item from a friend, tell us a story about how your relationship with your friend is reflected in that item. Use this essay to humanize yourself a bit - you are not just a collection of grades and facts. Really think about what is important to you that cannot be captured by your application, and use the story to demonstrate the reasons why it’s important to you.
The Stanford supplement can be a difficult application to complete. If you find yourself struggling or need assistance, please feel free to contact us here.