Hello! I'm applying to Stanford, and this was one of the essays for the supplement. The prompt is:
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.
(max. 1800 characters)
Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny; we believed in all of them as children, but they disappear when we grow older. It breaks our hearts when we find out that these people were lies. If children are destined to be met with such heartbreak, then why keep the lies alive from generation to generation?
I have found the idea of childhood beliefs to be intellectually engaging, especially because these beliefs children cling to become nonexistent a few years down the road. Are these beliefs here because parents want to give their children something to believe in? Do they want children to look forward to something in life?
There is an ulterior motive to having children believe that Santa Claus comes to town once a year, the Tooth Fairy leaves coins under pillows, and the Easter Bunny carries around colored eggs in a basket. When children hear that these people are really their parents instead, they feel devastated. But what if that was the point?
What if people are faced with immense disappointment when they are younger so when they are older disappointment does not hurt so much? Eventually, everyone gets used to disappointment so they are not so crestfallen later in life when sadness comes their way; it gets to the point where people start becoming optimistic instead.
I've wanted to know why my parents told me about these people while being aware that I would learn the truth in the end, but maybe it was for the better. When my parents told me they were getting a divorce, I honestly felt numb instead of devastated, but looked to the brighter side and realized both mom and dad would be happier. Learning the truth about these fictional people may have disappointed me, but encourages me to look to the brighter side of things, even though it's only slightly brighter.
(1794 char.)
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.
(max. 1800 characters)
Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny; we believed in all of them as children, but they disappear when we grow older. It breaks our hearts when we find out that these people were lies. If children are destined to be met with such heartbreak, then why keep the lies alive from generation to generation?
I have found the idea of childhood beliefs to be intellectually engaging, especially because these beliefs children cling to become nonexistent a few years down the road. Are these beliefs here because parents want to give their children something to believe in? Do they want children to look forward to something in life?
There is an ulterior motive to having children believe that Santa Claus comes to town once a year, the Tooth Fairy leaves coins under pillows, and the Easter Bunny carries around colored eggs in a basket. When children hear that these people are really their parents instead, they feel devastated. But what if that was the point?
What if people are faced with immense disappointment when they are younger so when they are older disappointment does not hurt so much? Eventually, everyone gets used to disappointment so they are not so crestfallen later in life when sadness comes their way; it gets to the point where people start becoming optimistic instead.
I've wanted to know why my parents told me about these people while being aware that I would learn the truth in the end, but maybe it was for the better. When my parents told me they were getting a divorce, I honestly felt numb instead of devastated, but looked to the brighter side and realized both mom and dad would be happier. Learning the truth about these fictional people may have disappointed me, but encourages me to look to the brighter side of things, even though it's only slightly brighter.
(1794 char.)
