Undergraduate / 'pressure of my GCSE art course' - Intellectual vitality - stanford [4]

Stanford students possess an intellectual vitality. Reflect on an idea or experience that has been important to your intellectual development.

I was required to create four projects for my GCSE art course during the year. The first project I had made was being stored in the basement of the design and technology workshop. A few weeks before I had to submit my projects for evaluation, I came back from vacation to be told, "Your work has been contaminated by asbestos and needed to be incinerated." It was rather ironic because the artwork had been a large sculpture of a toaster created to look like burnt toast. It was frustrating to have all of that hard work go up in smoke. Literally.

It was five weeks worth of work gone. I had to submit the artwork for assessment in two weeks and was forced to start from scratch. I decided the situation was an opportunity for me to improve my work. I was also working on a sculpture of the Greek mythological character Icarus, made out of plaster moulds of my body and feathers melted with wax. Multi-tasking and working on two different projects was a challenge. I hobbled around the workshop with a plaster cast around one leg, trying to make a mould, whilst constructing a giant plug out of wire for the toaster. The clean slate gave me the opportunity to be innovative and creative. Instead of making a new toaster sculpture, I used a massively enlarged photo of the old one, brightened up the colors and attached the giant plug I had made. It was better than the original.

I worked endlessly for those two weeks because I wanted the satisfaction of having a complete project and being able to present an art exhibition that I was proud of. I learned how to manage projects to reach a deadline but also enjoy the work along the way. I learned how to look on the bright side in a stressful situation. For two weeks my life consisted of paint, glue and feathers. I had never had so much fun with work before. The challenge and pressure of my GCSE art course showed me the importance of thinking outside the box and looking at things from a different perspective in order to solve a problem.

Undergraduate / 'Logical person' - Letter to roommate - stanford supplement [4]

Virtually all of Stanford's undergraduates live on campus. Write a note to your future roommate that reveals something about you or that will help your roommate - and us - know you better.

To my future roommate:

You will be glad to know that I am a morning person so you won't have the problem of waking me up if I oversleep. As a rower my body does not understand the concept of sleeping in. It has the tendency to jolt me awake for fear I have overslept and will miss training and so I find it difficult to sleep past 9am. Don't worry though, I am used to tip-toeing around a room, since I currently live in an apartment, and I will be very careful not to wake you if you want to sleep a lot longer. However, the advantage of having a rower for a roommate is that I will have a constant supply of food and of course I will share as long as crumbs are not left everywhere.

You should also know that I have a need to always finish things; you could call it persistence, determination or OCD. It could be a sudoku, a crossword, a puzzle, a book. I am sorry if you find me sitting at my desk or in bed reading a book late into the night or trying to complete the Harry Potter Top 200 quiz on Sporcle.

As an aspiring engineer I enjoy reading science-related magazines, such as New Scientist, American Scientist and National Geographic. I often keep issues that are a few months old lying around in case a topic that I came across in an article a few months ago comes up during a class discussion. You will often be able to find a few under my bed and I sometimes slip on their glossy covers when walking around the room.

I am also a very logical person. I think things through and always come up with a plan. If you ever find yourself with nothing to do in the evening, I'll take the initiative and organize something. That doesn't mean I am not spontaneous! I can be a very relaxed person who will "go with the flow." If you ever feel stressed or worked up about something, I will help you calm down. I will always be honest with you so never be afraid to ask my opinion about anything.

Can't wait to meet you!

Arianne

Undergraduate / 'Being in a separate country' - stanford what matters to you and why [4]

What matters to you and why?

In 2001 my mom was relocated to London. She became the sole working parent while my dad became a full-time father and looked after my sister and me. After a few years my mom was relocated back to New York City and then again to Zurich. My sister and I had just settled into new schools so my parents made the decision of having my mom work abroad while we stayed in London with my dad. At the time I saw my family to be unconventional and different to all of friends' families, which was difficult.

Being in a separate country to my mom was tough at times but I have found that our relationship became stronger because of it. I appreciate every moment that I have with her and enjoy spending time as a family. I see the importance of sitting down together at the dinner table and discussing our day, which I know not many people do as often nowadays. Having parents who live in separate countries has shown me the importance of having a strong support system. They have presented themselves as a team to support me in everything I have done. When my mom is unable to attend clarinet recitals or regattas, my dad is always cheering me on for the both of them. I have learned the importance of communication from seeing my dad jump on a plane to see my mom for the weekend.

My unconventional upbringing has led me to value a strong support system, be it through friends or family. Without having the support and motivation of those around you, I believe that it is difficult to achieve your goals. Because of my parents and their influence, I tend to form close relationships with people and value loyalty and the ability to depend on someone.

Undergraduate / 'I was struck by the beauty of the campus' - why yale short answer [4]

I was struck by the beauty of the campus when I went on a campus tour. The architecture is reminiscent of that seen in Oxford or Cambridge and reminded me of home. I could see myself at home at Yale. I felt welcomed by the lively, exciting admissions talks and video and I could imagine spending four years with those people. Yale also offers the chance to study engineering to an appropriate depth but still have a broad liberal arts education, making for a very well-rounded engineer.