Dear Future Roommate and Human Alarm Clock - Stanford Roommate Essay

Hey, guys, I am applying to Stanford this year, and any feedback, positive or negative would be greatly appreciated :). If you would like to get me to read one of your essays, let me know and I'll get to it.

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 - get to know you better.*

250 words

Dear Future Roommate and Human Alarm Clock,

I would like to preface this essay by saying, as the start suggests, I am a deep, deep sleeper. As a roommate your first and utmost mission would be to force me out of bed every morning. Air horns and ice buckets are all fair game.

Also, full disclosure: I'm not the neatest roommate you'll have. I love to collect random cool things I find, especially random disassembled electronics ... one time I even tried dismantling a vacuum cleaner (they're actually surprisingly cool). You may also notice I love playing cards, with decks from all over the world-some so cool you'll almost not mind when they clutter our room.

Not to worry though, I also come with perks. As a huge snacker, I am sure that my treasure trove of Indian snacks will be worth all the pains you go through with me tenfold. I promise to share, and when you need that mid-study pick-me-up, I'll whip up a cup of my legendary chai-guaranteed to revive you from the deepest academic slump. And, if we ever need anything for our room, I'll hit up the maker spaces and build whatever contraption we need.

From 12 AM room movie nights with classics, to blasting Hip Hop music while locking in for finals, to ice cream runs at Decadence on those blistering Californian days, I can guarantee that our room will be anything but dull!

Cheers,
Aadi

Well, this is definitely a fun way of introducing yourself and your culture to your potential roommate. However, there is a lot of focus on what you bring to the room, and very little about what you expect of your roommate. Think of it this way, you are introducing your roommate to your Indian culture, but what if your roommate is not American and he would like to introduce his culture to you as well? Would you be open to that? I think that is something worth mentioning. Also, if your roommate is American, what sort of cultural experience do you hope he can help you experience? What would you be looking forward to? The slant of your letter relies heavily on cultural introduction so an exchange of cultural information should be mentioned to bring a balance to the roommate arrangement don't you think?