Soap matters to me. It's not the object, it's what soap is representative of that matters.

Stanford undergrad essay - what matters to you, and why?

What matters to me, and why? Finding a way to increase funding for schools for Czech Republic? Combating global terrorism? Solving the recurrent problem of water scarcity? Nope. Soap matters to me. It's not the object, it's what soap is representative of that matters. In many ways, humans are like soaps. Though of different shapes, colors and essences, they are used for one reason only - cleansing. Also, soaps bubbles often represent the transient nature of life.

During the Second World War, the Nazis killed the Jews and made soap out of their fat. With these soaps, the Nazis cleaned their bodies. Soap became a metaphor for Nazi cruelty. In a way, soaps were representative of human oppression and Jews' sacrifice.

In Chuck Palahniuk's novel, Fight Club, the protagonist Tyler Durden steals fat from the rich and sells it back to them in the form of soaps - a most twisted and subversive Robin Hood act. He wants to cleanse not only bodies but also the elitism and the arbitrary rules of the upper class society. Soap represents everything the humanity should be against and it is a pity we can't use these very soaps to cleanse the world of social evils.

When I discussed this with my grandpa, he called me a moron. Maybe, I should've written about world peace.

Ashwini, I would not have accepted being called a moron because you are not a moron. You just have a different way of looking at things and how you present them. Now, while you are not a moron, I don't really believe that the object that you chose for the essay is the proper one to discuss. You see, the soap analogy does not directly connect to you as a person. Sure it relates to society, but that is not the main concern of the essay. You need to be less historical, less literary, and more realistic with your concerns.

Now, I am not saying that the problems of the world and the cruelty that people have experienced over the decades are not important. Those are truly important. However, it is not something that reflects a direct connection with your character development, social traits, or beliefs in life. The object that you should use as the physical representation of something important to you should present a relevant and understandable reason in your discussion.

If you want to discuss soap as what matters to you the most, why don't you try to do it from the point of view of your trying to wash away your own faults and imperfections in life rather than discussing historical accounts and novels in relation to the soap? While those historical accounts are important and the novel is informative, those are all disconnected from you as a person. Create the connection with, not necessarily an object, but something that represents either an ideology or state of mind that is important to you due to its strong influence in your life. That is how you develop the response to this prompt.

@vangiespen, thanks a million. I'll keep that in mind when I re-write this essay (:

Ashwini, I am absolutely surprised with the magnitude of courage you have put up in thinking of submitting this essay.

I must honestly say that this is not the best thing that can happen to your essay, it's bold but not in a very good way to be bold. Also, you have to be very objective and be extra careful in dropping names such as the ones you have in this essay.

You need to make sure that your facts are from a credible source and can back you up, overall, this essay is not of a caliber to your admission to Stanford, so better revise your essay and refine it to an acceptable manner.

It's bold and definitely worth a second read. But there could be better analogies that you could use to help the reader decipher where you are headed.