<p>Well, it doesn’t look that random to me. In fact, it makes perfect sense. </p>
<p>They are taking the best people in the planet. If anything shows them that, they take you in. They are looking for people who will solve this global warming problem or establish something as revolutionary as Google (Google’s CEO studied at Stanford too) or be the next president of the US. Look at famous Stanford alumni: Herbert Hoover, Condoleeza Rice, the guys who established Google, Yahoo, Wipro, Dell, HP, the guys who invented Laser, IQ Test, GPS, MRI, who did the first heart transplant, the guys who are winning Nobel, Pulitzer prizes, fellowships to very very prestigeous societies of engineering, bla bla bla. Even if they aren’t that great, at least they are extremely innovative; they are building cocktail shakers that are extremely elegant, introducing street car plans that are going to revitalize a part of a city, and that have been accepted by Mayors, the list is endless.</p>
<p>And obviously for this, we need to be human beings. I think we can agree on the fact that to get great grades and SAT Scores, all you need to do is work hard. No offense, but even a computer can do that; what is our value as a human being? Being passionate, having a goal or a dream and working towards it no matter what, having a resolve to change the society. Stanford is looking for that in our essays, our ECs and our recos. </p>
<p>And even great recos sometimes just give a succinct message that ABC is a great student-again, not enough to be stanford material. ECs sometimes just show that we can work hard which is again not enough. So the message is pretty clear-we need to show that we are human beings with potential to be great at life. Not just students with great numbers and recos which show just that. Show that you are a unique being with a goal in life and you will stand a chance.</p>