<p>I think it’s safe to say that all essays have a purpose for the admissions officers. What about hte roommate essay? Is it as simple as it sounds like just telling who you are, habits, interests, stuff like that?</p>
<p>or is there a bigger picture involved? something else they’d like to see?</p>
<p>This was the only essay that my son had a problem with last year. He tried to come up with some cute quirky responses and when we had our college advisor (Yes, we hired someone to review these things.) She kept telling him that he was missing the point. The point being- be honest. If you wrote to your roommate what would tell them about yourself. What would you want them to know about you. This isn’t a trick. Stanford just wants to get to know your personality. They want to know who you are.</p>
<p>My S spoke about his study habits, sleeping habits, what he is excited to do once he is on the campus.</p>
<p>ie. He explained that he can’t want for the Stanford v. Notre Dame game because his cousin goes to ND and he is dying to crush the Fighting Irish. He explained that he was looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner with all the family so he can truly talk about Stanford football, because he was now a Cardinal.</p>
<p>Hope that helps.</p>
<p>that’s really helpful, thank you</p>
<p>would you advise getting a college advisor?</p>
<p>My niece is a year older than my son. My sister was given the name of a woman who was suppose to be very good. This was of interest to my sister because the guidance counselors at her daughter’s school were terrible. They were extremely happy with her services. She was pricey but always available to answer questions, review essays and make sure that the student was performing all tasks on a timely basis. She doesn’t write your essays, although she will critique them for content and grammar. </p>
<p>As a result, I used the same woman. We were really pleased. She pointed out some schools for my S to apply to that we would never have chosen. However, I know some people who weren’t quite as happy as we. If you decide to go with a college counselor make sure you get your monies worth and they truly have the experience and background necessary for the job. Otherwise it could be a big waste of your money. Our counselor was a retired english/guidiance counselor. She sat in on the Harvard and Stanford application committees. She visited hundreds of schools all over the country over the years and was always up to date on the current events for the schools. We loved her and would swear by her. She started to work with her students in January of your Junior year and stays with you until the end of Senior year. All of her advise was “spot” on. She really knew some interesting tricks and was outrageously helpful. I’m just hoping she will be around when my D gets to be a junior.</p>
<p>Dungareedoll is right, Stanford does want to get to know you. Write your essay from your heart and be honest. </p>
<p>I’d recommend getting the book “What Colleges Don’t Tell You (And Other Parents Don’t Want You to Know): 272 Secrets for Getting Your Kid into the Top Schools”. We ended up getting a copy for $1 at one of the colleges we visited the summer before her senior year. It had a lot of great advise on the application process and essays. Best $1 we ever spent!!</p>
<p>Good luck!!</p>