In what’s shaping up as a very busy week on the essay topics front, Stanford has just released their essay questions for the 2006-07 application cycle. We’ve included the topics and instructions below.
As always, we’ll be back in the near future with some analysis and thoughts on this year’s questions. In the meantime, it’s worth noting that things have stayed the same for essays A and B, but that Stanford has introduced some additional “Short Essays” this year. The admissions committee has also offered more guidance in terms of the length of the essays – lowering the recommended length somewhat (perhaps to accommodate the introduction of the additional essays for this year).
Without further ado, here are the topics and brief instructions from Stanford’s web site:
Stanford GSB Essays
We read the essays to get to know you as a person and to learn about the ideas and interests that motivate you. Because we want to discover who you actually are, resist the urge to “package” yourself in order to come across in a way you think Stanford wants. Such attempts simply blur our understanding of who you are and what you can accomplish.
Essay Questions for Fall 2007
Please answer essay questions A, B, and C. We provide recommended lengths for each essay, but these are only guidelines. Most applicants will find 7-11 pages (in total) sufficient. If your responses total more than 11 pages, you need to upload the remaining pages in the Additional Information section.
Essay A: What matters most to you, and why? (Recommended length is 3-4 pages, double-spaced)
Essay B: What are your career aspirations? How will your education at Stanford help you achieve these? (Recommended length is 2-3 pages, double-spaced)
Essay C: Short Essays – Options 1-4
Please answer two of the questions below. In answering each question, please tell us not only what you did, but also how you did it. Describe what you felt, said, and thought during these experiences. Tell us the outcome, and describe how people responded. Your responses should describe experiences that have occurred within the last three years.
Option 1: Tell us about a time when you did something that was not established, expected, or popular. (Recommended length is 1-2 pages, double-spaced)
Option 2: Tell us about a time when you felt effective or successful. (Recommended length is 1-2 pages, double-spaced)
Option 3: Tell us about a time when you had a significant effect on a group or individual. (Recommended length is 1-2 pages, double-spaced)
Option 4: Tell us about a time when you tried to reach a goal or complete a task that was challenging, difficult, or frustrating. (Recommended length is 1-2 pages, double-spaced)
In other parts of the application, we learn about your academic and professional accomplishments (i.e., what you have done). Through your personal essays, we learn more about the person behind the achievements (i.e., who you are). This is the time to think carefully about your values, your passions, your hopes and dreams. In your short answer responses, we learn more about the experiences that have shaped your attitudes, behaviors, and aspirations.
We want to hear your genuine voice throughout the essays that you write. Truly, the most impressive essays are those that do not begin with the goal of impressing us.
