markjaradeh /
Dec 23, 2011 #1
These are my short essays for the Stanford supplement. If you could please take a few minutes to give them a quick skim and give me some feedback I'd be very grateful. Thanks!
Stanford students possess an intellectual vitality. Reflect on an idea or experience that has been important to your intellectual development.
From the day I first started to customize electronics, I found it to be the most intellectually engaging experience. The first circuit board I altered was a remote control car. I dared to take the risk of breaking my favorite toy to see how it operated and whether or not I could bring improvement upon it. It all started with determining which terminal was the cathode and which was the anode so I could add on some lights to make the car look more appealing. Instead of waiting until I was in middle school to take classes, I decided to go online and learn how to modify circuits on my own. Each link I clicked on added to my knowledge and furthered my interest in the mysterious world of electronics. Soon enough, I had more knowledge than I had ever thought I'd have. Before I knew it, I was assembling my own gadgets and buying toys solely for the purpose of taking them apart and using their internal components to make my own contraptions.
The enthrallment in electronics further developed as I grew up and moved from assembling basic toys to fixing broken electronics around the house. Soon enough, I started to become more and more experienced with electronics and I eventually constructed a spinning replica DNA molecule with lights correlative to each nucleotide. I spent the proceeding summer further developing my knowledge and learned how to assemble my own computers from spare parts and how to circuit bend electronics to better suit my needs. At that point, I realized that my hobby, which I spent dozens of hours per week on, had grown into a passion which I would want to continue developing my entire life. I became the person my teachers and fellow students would come to for help regarding all of their technological problems. This didn't bother me at all as the more problems I encountered, the more I was able to learn and add onto my mountain of knowledge.
1885 characters
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.
Hey there, buddy!
I'd like to start off by saying, "Congrats!" We made it into Stanford! How awesome is that?! You must be feeling ecstatic if you're half as excited as I am! Just think of the amazing things that will come to us now that we're at Stanford!
Allow me to introduce myself. My name's Mark, or as my APUSH teacher liked to call me, Markus, Emperor of Rome and Ruler of the Free World. Ha ha. An interesting bit of information about me is that I was born in Syria, a small country in the middle east recently made famous by the chaos taking place there. Once things cool down, and if you'd like, I'd be more than happy to take you there some day to introduce you to all of the culture and my family.
As for our living together, I'm usually fairly organized, but a messy room won't bother me. As a matter of fact, if you were to look at my room right now, you'd probably disagree that I'm an organized person! Now don't go thinking I'm all about tidiness! To give you a better picture of myself, I'll let you know I'm a serious distance runner, weightlifter, and a total computer geek. I'm also very friendly and easy to get along with. As a matter of fact, my friends have told me I'm, "easy to get along with and hard to not get along with." If it seems I only like to run, weightlift, and tinker with electronics, I'm giving off the wrong impression. I'm a very laid back guy who always enjoys a good comedy movie or a good joke. I'm extremely open to new experiences and am extremely excited to see what you're like along with what great things will come to us here at Stanford!
Your new roommate,
Mark (please feel free to call me whatever you like; I probably have more nicknames than there are letters in the alphabet)
1765 characters
What matters to you, and why?
Having dreams and aspirations crucially matters to me. In the past sixteen years of my life, I've gone through many changes. For the first six years of my life, I lived in the poverty-stricken village of Zaidal in Syria with my mother, sister, grandparents, and aunts. Life was dramatically different; going to the bathroom didn't necessarily mean using a toilet, but digging a hole or finding a tree. It was similar in ways such as I had some access to electricity and a bed to sleep in as I do now, unlike my parents. My dreams and aspirations then were to grow up and be strong enough to help my grandpa work the farm, tend the animals, and meet my father who I had only seen twice in my life.
One night, my mother told my sister and me we were going to America to live with our father. A few days later, I found myself in Chico. My entire world had changed; the food I ate, I language I had to learn, and this man whom I called "ubba," lived with me. Along with the complete change in lifestyle came a change in aspirations. I realized there was no limit to what I wanted to become. However, my relatives and even my father thought otherwise. My family told me I couldn't be anything extraordinary and that I wasn't good enough. I decided to not let this get to me and simply ignored them. It hurt knowing my own family didn't believe in me, but I decided I was fully capable of more than they thought me to be. My performance contradicted my family's beliefs, yet they held firm.
I went through all of high school with my father constantly reminding me how unworthy I am and how unsuccessful I would be, and to this day, I still don't let his words bother me. I know I am strong enough and more than capable than what my "father" takes me to be. My dreams and aspirations are stronger than ever and I know I'm strong enough to fulfill them. Sure, it was hard to thrive in a home with no supportive base, but I did and now I'm ready as anyone to face the challenges life will throw my way.
1995 characters
A rating of 1-10 on each of them will be very helpful and I'm very appreciative of any help! Thank you! :)
Stanford students possess an intellectual vitality. Reflect on an idea or experience that has been important to your intellectual development.
From the day I first started to customize electronics, I found it to be the most intellectually engaging experience. The first circuit board I altered was a remote control car. I dared to take the risk of breaking my favorite toy to see how it operated and whether or not I could bring improvement upon it. It all started with determining which terminal was the cathode and which was the anode so I could add on some lights to make the car look more appealing. Instead of waiting until I was in middle school to take classes, I decided to go online and learn how to modify circuits on my own. Each link I clicked on added to my knowledge and furthered my interest in the mysterious world of electronics. Soon enough, I had more knowledge than I had ever thought I'd have. Before I knew it, I was assembling my own gadgets and buying toys solely for the purpose of taking them apart and using their internal components to make my own contraptions.
The enthrallment in electronics further developed as I grew up and moved from assembling basic toys to fixing broken electronics around the house. Soon enough, I started to become more and more experienced with electronics and I eventually constructed a spinning replica DNA molecule with lights correlative to each nucleotide. I spent the proceeding summer further developing my knowledge and learned how to assemble my own computers from spare parts and how to circuit bend electronics to better suit my needs. At that point, I realized that my hobby, which I spent dozens of hours per week on, had grown into a passion which I would want to continue developing my entire life. I became the person my teachers and fellow students would come to for help regarding all of their technological problems. This didn't bother me at all as the more problems I encountered, the more I was able to learn and add onto my mountain of knowledge.
1885 characters
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.
Hey there, buddy!
I'd like to start off by saying, "Congrats!" We made it into Stanford! How awesome is that?! You must be feeling ecstatic if you're half as excited as I am! Just think of the amazing things that will come to us now that we're at Stanford!
Allow me to introduce myself. My name's Mark, or as my APUSH teacher liked to call me, Markus, Emperor of Rome and Ruler of the Free World. Ha ha. An interesting bit of information about me is that I was born in Syria, a small country in the middle east recently made famous by the chaos taking place there. Once things cool down, and if you'd like, I'd be more than happy to take you there some day to introduce you to all of the culture and my family.
As for our living together, I'm usually fairly organized, but a messy room won't bother me. As a matter of fact, if you were to look at my room right now, you'd probably disagree that I'm an organized person! Now don't go thinking I'm all about tidiness! To give you a better picture of myself, I'll let you know I'm a serious distance runner, weightlifter, and a total computer geek. I'm also very friendly and easy to get along with. As a matter of fact, my friends have told me I'm, "easy to get along with and hard to not get along with." If it seems I only like to run, weightlift, and tinker with electronics, I'm giving off the wrong impression. I'm a very laid back guy who always enjoys a good comedy movie or a good joke. I'm extremely open to new experiences and am extremely excited to see what you're like along with what great things will come to us here at Stanford!
Your new roommate,
Mark (please feel free to call me whatever you like; I probably have more nicknames than there are letters in the alphabet)
1765 characters
What matters to you, and why?
Having dreams and aspirations crucially matters to me. In the past sixteen years of my life, I've gone through many changes. For the first six years of my life, I lived in the poverty-stricken village of Zaidal in Syria with my mother, sister, grandparents, and aunts. Life was dramatically different; going to the bathroom didn't necessarily mean using a toilet, but digging a hole or finding a tree. It was similar in ways such as I had some access to electricity and a bed to sleep in as I do now, unlike my parents. My dreams and aspirations then were to grow up and be strong enough to help my grandpa work the farm, tend the animals, and meet my father who I had only seen twice in my life.
One night, my mother told my sister and me we were going to America to live with our father. A few days later, I found myself in Chico. My entire world had changed; the food I ate, I language I had to learn, and this man whom I called "ubba," lived with me. Along with the complete change in lifestyle came a change in aspirations. I realized there was no limit to what I wanted to become. However, my relatives and even my father thought otherwise. My family told me I couldn't be anything extraordinary and that I wasn't good enough. I decided to not let this get to me and simply ignored them. It hurt knowing my own family didn't believe in me, but I decided I was fully capable of more than they thought me to be. My performance contradicted my family's beliefs, yet they held firm.
I went through all of high school with my father constantly reminding me how unworthy I am and how unsuccessful I would be, and to this day, I still don't let his words bother me. I know I am strong enough and more than capable than what my "father" takes me to be. My dreams and aspirations are stronger than ever and I know I'm strong enough to fulfill them. Sure, it was hard to thrive in a home with no supportive base, but I did and now I'm ready as anyone to face the challenges life will throw my way.
1995 characters
A rating of 1-10 on each of them will be very helpful and I'm very appreciative of any help! Thank you! :)