Undergraduate / Stanford Experience Essay [7]

Like my previous essay this is still a very rough draft- tried to go for a more formal approach but not sure how well it turned out. Any suggestions?

PROMPT: 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

The capacity for people to grow despite facing hardships and obstacles has continued to excite me and engage me intellectually because of the prospect of further expansion and development. I was introduced to this concept of evolution when I was in middle school and I took a class trip to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. This trip proved to be not only one of the most intellectually engaging experiences of my life, but also one of the experiences that has driven me to work harder in academics in order to achieve my aspirations.

When I went with my class to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the guide explained many of the missions that were both ongoing and still in development. One mission that immediately caught my eye was a mission that was still under development- a reconnaissance mission to Pluto. I was completely awestruck that it was possible to develop something that could travel trillions of miles away to the farthest reaches of our galaxy. However, this mission caught my attention not because it was a spacecraft travelling to Pluto, but because it was the quintessential example of mankind's unlimited potential for growth. At the time, it blew my mind to think of an airplane travelling from one side of the nation to the other, and here was a craft travelling billions of miles to the end of the galaxy. While this event triggered a short-lived obsession with engineering, it sparked an even greater interest within me. I became spellbound with the idea of indefinite human growth, and even to this day, I hold this memory close to me.

As an aspiring physician, I can only hope for greater development in the field of medicine, and to me, this ongoing journey to Pluto is a sure sign of advances in all fields of studies. Although progress may be slow and at times stagnant, this mission has led me to believe that mankind is undoubtedly continuing to move forward.

Undergraduate / "Panic. Chaos. Insanity." - Stanford Roommate Essay [17]

Prompt: Virtually all of Stanford's undergraduates live on campus. What would you want your future roommate to know about you? Tell us something about you that will help your future roommate -- and us -- know you better.

- note: i DEFINITELY went out on a limb for this essay- this is a very rough draft. this is the general direction i want my essay to lean towards- any suggestions?

Panic. Chaos. Insanity. And that's just how my desk looks half of the time. After living for16 years on this chaotic, yet often amazing world, the only thing I have truly learned is that appearances are deceiving. If you take a look at my book bag, my desk, and my locker, the one commonality you may discover is that they're all a mess. Even myself- at first glance I may seem like the least likely candidate to be applying to a school such as Stanford; however, I pride myself on that fact. I believe that life is short, life is sweet, and life isn't all about studying.

If I am your roommate, you will sure be soon to discover that while studying is a priority- it is far from being my top priority. Coming from an Asian background I live up to the stereotype of having demanding parents, and consequentially I spent the majority of my childhood seeing my desk more often than my backyard. After years of house arrest, I have come to realize that while academics play an important role in one's life, it isn't everything. I've discovered that, miraculously, it is possible to have a life outside of studying. While my academic performance may not be at the level of a super genius- I have had the pleasure of enjoying every minute of my schooling career, exploring different paths be it educational or not. As my roommate, you will quickly realize that I love having a good time and be warned- I'll force you to have more fun than you can possibly endure. Ultimately, I believe that you will recognize that I am not just another stereotypical Asian and I sincerely hope that by becoming my roommate, you will realize that appearances can, in fact, be deceiving.