Weekyl
Oct 25, 2010
Undergraduate / "I want to know whom we are" - Stanford (intellectually engaging idea) need criticism [5]
"Stanford students are widely known to possess a sense of intellectual vitality. Tell us about an idea or an experience you have had that you find intellectually engaging."
I often ponder what people would do in an extreme situation. Looking around a classroom, I wonder what my classmates would be like as soldiers on a battlefield, or as survivors of a plane crash stranded in a desert. Who would be a leader, and who would break down? Who would be a self-sacrificing hero, and who would survive no matter what? Hypothetical situations play out in my head; in essence, I want to know who we really are.
For example, a girl sits beside me in Physics. Although I don't know her very well, I observe her. She is petite and pretty; she has thick-rimmed glasses, dresses plainly, talks quietly, and never looks directly at a person in a conversation. She writes in an organized, albeit rigid, style, and this might reflect the way she thinks. I imagine her on a tropical island. There, she would have some trouble; her size would make her a victim to animals and limit her ability to climb trees for fruit. Besides, a rigid thinking process-perfect for survival in society-would not adapt well to a jungle. I see her wandering the shores of a South Pacific island. Perhaps a desert, I think. Her small body requires less water, and she would organize a camp quickly before she dehydrates. I see her signaling a passing plane with a mirror and saving the day. Then, I sit back and wonder just how right or wrong I am about her.
Like this girl or myself, everyone has a side that can go unseen and untested for a whole lifetime; by the end, few know how brave or cowardly, how strong or weak they are. I imagine these unique journeys to glimpse that mysterious inner person. I want to know who we really are. Nonetheless, I would be lucky if I could even know myself that well!
"Stanford students are widely known to possess a sense of intellectual vitality. Tell us about an idea or an experience you have had that you find intellectually engaging."
I often ponder what people would do in an extreme situation. Looking around a classroom, I wonder what my classmates would be like as soldiers on a battlefield, or as survivors of a plane crash stranded in a desert. Who would be a leader, and who would break down? Who would be a self-sacrificing hero, and who would survive no matter what? Hypothetical situations play out in my head; in essence, I want to know who we really are.
For example, a girl sits beside me in Physics. Although I don't know her very well, I observe her. She is petite and pretty; she has thick-rimmed glasses, dresses plainly, talks quietly, and never looks directly at a person in a conversation. She writes in an organized, albeit rigid, style, and this might reflect the way she thinks. I imagine her on a tropical island. There, she would have some trouble; her size would make her a victim to animals and limit her ability to climb trees for fruit. Besides, a rigid thinking process-perfect for survival in society-would not adapt well to a jungle. I see her wandering the shores of a South Pacific island. Perhaps a desert, I think. Her small body requires less water, and she would organize a camp quickly before she dehydrates. I see her signaling a passing plane with a mirror and saving the day. Then, I sit back and wonder just how right or wrong I am about her.
Like this girl or myself, everyone has a side that can go unseen and untested for a whole lifetime; by the end, few know how brave or cowardly, how strong or weak they are. I imagine these unique journeys to glimpse that mysterious inner person. I want to know who we really are. Nonetheless, I would be lucky if I could even know myself that well!