On the Stanford Supplement to the Common App, it says, "...Tell us something about you that will help your future roommate -- and us -- know you better. " Does this mean I need to limit my essay to just one thing I would want them to know about me, or can I tell about a few things I would want them to know about me?
I kind of wanted to tell about a few things, because I can't think of one specific thing that is the most important thing about me.
If applicable, did you focus on one thing, or write about a couple of things?
i think that the admissions officers don't really want us to think about it so much. a friend of mine who goes to Stanford said that her friend wrote her roommate essay about dipping oreos in peanut butter lol. another guy i know wrote how much he loved harry potter and fan fiction. this gives me the idea that it can basically be about anything, as much or as little as you like. sorry, this is a really broad answer but i'm sort of unsure about it too.
Our D, who is a freshman at Stanford, wrote her roommate letter about how she tends to lock herself out of dorm rooms and some other quirky personality traits. It was pretty funny, in an odd, slightly sarcastic way.
Okay great, thanks guys. That helps, I'm glad other people are writing this essay more casual than the others, and that they're talking about more than one trait.
I think it's up to you how you format it. From what I've heard, try to make it as interesting as you can without losing professionalism. This specific prompt sounds more casual though, so you might be okay being less formal.
I think this is where they are looking for uniqueness. I didn't choose just one thing but incorporated a little about my life, what was important to me and then gave fair warning about some personality traits in a light-hearted kind of way.
Is it inappropriate to write about overcoming a hardship in the room essay, or should I stick to being light hearted? I just feel like there’s so much more I can reveal about my character through writing about a certain hardship….
As long as it helps them to "know you better", then by all means write about it. Your essay does not need to be light-hearted or funny; that is simply one way to approach it. I think the most important thing is that you be sincere. Reveal something about yourself that might not be evident elsewhere in your application.
My S wrote an amusing essay about how he & his brother ceate complicated booby traps for each other. They prrobably don't get too much serious info on this question - it would probably scare them off if they did.
Yeah it doesnt matter that much specifically, its just another essay to get across something about yourself that's not in the big long essay. I literally just used my essay from the common ap (this was 2007 so stanford wasn't on it yet), which I think was about wandering in a thrift store to find a wrench.
lustellarz- imo, you come off as unreasonable and spoiled from that one line.
I wouldn't treat this essay lightly guys. It's one of three supplementary questions for a reason. If it didn't matter, or if it were virtually insignificant, it would not be on the app.
This essay has a lot of value for admissions committees. As someone else mentioned, it is a time to diverge away from structure and cut-and-dry responses. That means that, if one essay shows the true you, it is the one where you are given the most freedom. This essay arguably fits that mold. So be wary. Don't lie about yourself, but just make sure you put your best self out there.
My other essays were all quite serious, so I used the roommate essay to show my lighter side. It was also a little more poetic than my other supplemental essays.
