Stanford Essay A: What matters most and why?
As a follow on to my previous post, on Stanford Essay A, what matters most and why?
I had promised to post more on this essay, once I got to know the result from Stanford, which fortunately was positive. It is my strong belief, that:
a) This essay cannot be written in one go. It needs several iterations to evolve
b) Stanford is definitely looking for people, who are driven by certain fundamental beliefs and convictions. Deep down inside, I believe, that we all are indeed driven by some beliefs and convictions, and it takes some introspection for us to understand this. I discovered this, much to a pleasant surprise, during the application process (read previous post on this evolved)
c) Be honest, cos if you are not, it will not be your voice, and i honestly believe that a true and honest voice connects better with the reader...
So this is what I wrote in my essay. Because of the personal nature of the essay, I am not going to post the entire essay and shall just post the first few paragraphs. But this is what drives me and forms the basis of my beliefs and this is what I hope to be honest to, for the rest of my life.
I am posting this on the site, to to illustrate that the Stanford Essay A is not about one's writing abilities, but it is all about reflecting on some honest thoughts which drive the individual, and penning them down (sounds easy, but it takes a lot of time).
Cheers and best of luck with future B school apps.
Ash
As a young kid I remember being disappointed in my geography classes to learn that most of the planet had already been explored and that one could circumnavigate the world in 24 hours, unlike the 3 years that it took Magellan’s crew. I have since discovered that the joy of exploration lies in discovering new societies and cultures for oneself; even if the exploration begins by filling out forms in long immigration queues, instead of landing on sandy beaches propelled by winds bellowing in the sails of a wooden ship.
I have found meaning in exploring cultures to discover the ideas and practices that define the fabric of the society. In the process, I try to see how they could contribute to other societies, and help people break out of traditional approaches to embrace change and new ideas.
I had promised to post more on this essay, once I got to know the result from Stanford, which fortunately was positive. It is my strong belief, that:
a) This essay cannot be written in one go. It needs several iterations to evolve
b) Stanford is definitely looking for people, who are driven by certain fundamental beliefs and convictions. Deep down inside, I believe, that we all are indeed driven by some beliefs and convictions, and it takes some introspection for us to understand this. I discovered this, much to a pleasant surprise, during the application process (read previous post on this evolved)
c) Be honest, cos if you are not, it will not be your voice, and i honestly believe that a true and honest voice connects better with the reader...
So this is what I wrote in my essay. Because of the personal nature of the essay, I am not going to post the entire essay and shall just post the first few paragraphs. But this is what drives me and forms the basis of my beliefs and this is what I hope to be honest to, for the rest of my life.
I am posting this on the site, to to illustrate that the Stanford Essay A is not about one's writing abilities, but it is all about reflecting on some honest thoughts which drive the individual, and penning them down (sounds easy, but it takes a lot of time).
Cheers and best of luck with future B school apps.
Ash
As a young kid I remember being disappointed in my geography classes to learn that most of the planet had already been explored and that one could circumnavigate the world in 24 hours, unlike the 3 years that it took Magellan’s crew. I have since discovered that the joy of exploration lies in discovering new societies and cultures for oneself; even if the exploration begins by filling out forms in long immigration queues, instead of landing on sandy beaches propelled by winds bellowing in the sails of a wooden ship.
I have found meaning in exploring cultures to discover the ideas and practices that define the fabric of the society. In the process, I try to see how they could contribute to other societies, and help people break out of traditional approaches to embrace change and new ideas.
posted by Ash at 4:52 PM
9 Comments:
good points, ash. as an unsuccessful stanford applicant, i would add a few tips on what possibly not to do:
1) don't go crazy with the length - if you're beyond 2000 words, think about cutting down.
2) despite the essay's "vague" topic, don't forget what it's for.
3) understand that - except in rare cases - a "moving" Essay A will not save you from an unbalanced profile. they have plenty of applicants with great stories who also did well in college and rocked the GMAT.
i'll say more about this on my blog in my application wrap up.
Also don't go under on words. I'm not sure they were impressed with my 500 word essay :-)
i heard a rumor that someone submitted a one-word answer this year. they did not get in.
as a fellow stanford admit, i completely second ash's advice about going through alot of iterations and introspection to find your theme & your voice. I think stanford deliberately uses the essay to see which of the many qualified applicants could "get the most" out of the application experience, concluding that those people will also get the most out of the mba experience.
Thanks for sharing your exp on this Ash.. this is one of the biggest dilema a prespective student faces as to how the essays should be like.
And the most impt one :)
If we can make it to the school or not :)
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hi, im planning to apply for stanford. but, i dont know if i can start making one right now coz im still a soph.
do you think it's helpful?
I like your post on Stanford's "What matters most and why?" essay. Check out my tips on how to best answer this question: http://blog.magicmba.com/2009/07/how-to-answer-stanfords-what-matters.html
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