'going to die eventually' - stanford: intellectually engaging

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.

Moving their mouths unconsciously up and down as they chew, the sheep blankly stare into the woods that surround my house. While they graze for hours and days at a time, I am working on homework, watching TV, or reading books to keep boredom at bay. To sheep, there is no boredom and sense of time like we humans have created. They lack that sophistication that makes us human, but is that necessarily a bad thing? I wonder what they think about as they sit there. Do they have a meaning, feel a purpose for their life, or think beyond their daily hay and grain? Do they even know where they are?

I constantly look for ways to attach meaning to my life. Through college, going to my friend's party or concert, and my hobbies, I strive for that all important satisfaction in life. But the sheep just eat. Life is supposed to be exhilarating, full of surprises, good times and bad, so how is it that sheep are alive as well?

Sometimes I look around my room at the collection of Harry Potter books, the mounds of clothes, and my cat and wonder if all of this is necessary in life. I can still function without the use of entertainment, pets, and clothes that don't even keep me warm but why don't I? The Harry Potter books remind me of when I was younger and enthusiastic about the possibility of magical worlds and fantasy lands. They make my life meaningful just as my cat and wardrobe do too.

It doesn't ultimately matter that the way my sheep and I lead our lives is different from one another. We all die eventually, but that hunger for meaning will always be in the human spirit. That is what makes me different from my sheep. Yes, I can read Harry Potter and the sheep can't, but more importantly I can remember how excited I was for each new book to come out and the excitement with which I read each book for the first time. The feelings associated with my book collection, hobbies, and experiences is what makes this life worth living. If I am going to die eventually, I might as well have fun while I am here.

please give me some feedback as to my topic and approach to this essay. im not quite sure yet as to what I want to get across with this essay

thank you!

Wow, this is definitely interesting!
I really like it!
and thank you for your feedback
so i really like your concept but i think on some instances the syntax is kind of weird and you sentences sound kind of rudimentary but other than that i think you have a really good shot!

Good Luck!

The structure of this essay is a little unconventional, which could be a good thing, but the problem is that I'm not sure if it's intentional... If you are deliberately trying to make it almost - dreamlike, for lack of a better word, I'd try to make that clearer. As it is, it seems just a little too loose.

I like the sentiments expressed in the conclusion, but again, they come off as slightly undeveloped. Maybe when you figure out exactly what you're trying to get across, you can try to emphasize that more, and leave the reader with a sure idea of what exactly the point was.

It's extremely interesting, though - I like where you're going with it. Good luck on getting in!

If you have the time, by the way, would you mind looking at my essay?

Hi anne, i think it is a good writing, i adore your language~~ and your topic is very good.
From my perspective, if you provide more details about what you gain from thinking about the life to show you are active and eager to study and to enjoy the life..i mean something about your characters and your attitudes towards life, it may be better. ;)

I like your essay. Hope this will help~
Good luck!

This is really interesting and fascinating!! I like it!!
But I think you can give more details such as the mood and the environment which can well depict the atmosphere. ^^
Btw, I applied to REA of Stanford.
Though I was rejected, I did gain a lot from the whole process.
I described a meaningful activity, which is an experience that I am intellectually engaging.
Wish you a good luck in RD!!

Hey anne i have a question. what are you writing in those little questions they ask you like whats the biggest problem in society and stuff. I was just curious cause i dont really know how to go about answering those.