<p>On the stanford optional update form (for the deferred), they ask:
Tell us about your current year studies – what intellectual ideas, insights or connections do you intend to deepen at Stanford? (max. 500 characters)</p>
<p>I’m not really sure how to answer it. They only let me use 500 characters, which is less than 100 words, so (1) should I focus on one subject, like Chemistry, or talk about more than one? (2) Do I talk about classwork or my own ventures into the subject outside of class? (3) what qualifies as ‘intellectual’?</p>
<p>Hi there fellow deferral student! I’m filling it out right now as well, so you don’t have to listen to anything I’m saying since ‘technically’ I’m your competition. But at least the way I see it is as a broad question, similar to the intellectual vitality question on the stanford supplement. What in your studies this year (and since it does ask pretty specifically about your current year studies) has inspired you or intrigued you? Maybe take that knowledge and connect it out to one of your ECs. Personally I have a pretty clear passion for one field (neuroscience), so I wrote about attending a conference on neuroscience and the subsequent senior thesis I’m writing for a post-AP bio class, and the ways I’d further explore that at stanford. If you have a singular passion like that then go for it, if not, maybe weave together the connections you see between your fields of study. I think intellectual is a broad term, and it’s absolutely a plus to demonstrate how something you learned in class translated into continuing exploration outside of class. Shows the “intellectual vitality” I think they’re looking for. Good luck!</p>