<p>I know that adcoms are always talking about wanting diversity, so is it OK to apply without any particular interest in tech? I’m planning on studying economics. I guess if most applicants really care about tech/compsci and show that in their apps, having different interests might set you apart, right?</p>
<p>Adcoms don’t accept based on your prospective major.</p>
<p>I also meant going beyond your major, in terms of you extracurriculars, interests, etc.</p>
<p>I applied undecided, and just displayed my passions. I’m pretty tech-savvy, but I’m not a tech-passionate person, but I did show my love for history, writing, learning about other people, social justice, the brain, etc. Be yourself :)</p>
<p>Global, “most” applicants here don’t discuss a passion for tech stuff in their applications, though a good number do. That’s an impression you can easily get from this site though, and from the media. You should definitely be yourself and not try to game your chances. Econ is a very popular major, by the way.</p>
<p>Setting yourself apart and standing out in the application process isn’t a matter of strategically picking a few random data points and inserting them in the application. It’s about showing who you are in a very integrated, cohesive way, through your essays, experiences reflected on your transcripts, recommendations, etc. You should be conveying that you have a strong sense of yourself and of what you can bring to, and take from, the Stanford community. This applies to admissions at all the uber-selective schools.</p>
<p>Strong sense of yourself, as in being confident and able to implicitly tie in your extracurriculars into one big picture?</p>
<p><em>Explicitly</em> tie together all aspects of your application into one compelling big picture, Global.</p>
<p>Zenkoan’s right. It’s not an adcom’s job to guess at the theme of your application, you have to tell them.</p>
<p>OK, but is it still better to “show rather than tell” on your essays? That’s where I got the implicit idea from.</p>
<p>I suppose it depends on the essay. For “Why Stanford?” you want to <em>explicitly</em> say what <em>specific</em> things about Stanford appeal to you, and then–in the next sentence–explain how that thing relates to you and you alone. This is your chance to explain to Stanford why they’re a good school for you (I can say this because it’s the same with every “Why [college]” essay xP).</p>
<p>As for the others, I honestly didn’t apply to Stanford. Never considered it (figured I wouldn’t get in, found a school I loved so much more). But as long as you can “show” in a very obvious way. </p>
<p>I’ve always heard “show don’t tell” for creative works. So if you’re going a more creative route, I guess the advice applies.</p>
<p>Ok thanks. And by the way the “Why Stanford” essay was removed a few years ago.</p>