Stanford students possess an intellectual vitality. Reflect on an idea or experience that has been important to your intellectual development.
One experience that has been significant to my intellectual growth was the reading, but more importantly the understanding, of The God Particle. The God Particle is a science book written by Leon Lederman and Dick Teresi which gives an in detail timeline of particle physics, dating from 400 BC to present day. Lederman, a Nobel Prize winning physicist, and Teresi, a fascinating science writer, describe many incredibly fascinating ideas throughout the novel. Ever since a young age I have been curious in the math and science fields. I have had an insatiable curiosity for a new mathematical concept or new science device I could call a toy. I always seem to ask myself the question, "How could this thing possibly work?", or "How does that make any sense at all?". When I was young it was always with simple toys like a remote control car or a Frisbee. During my junior year in my AP Chemistry class the teacher handed us an excerpt from The God Particle, and assigned us to read and annotate the packet. There was one very interesting concept that sparked my interest. It said that there is no way to truly touch something. The excerpt said that because the electrons float freely around the nucleus and they repel the other object, there is a space in between us and what we are sitting on. Essentially it said we were levitating. At first I mocked the idea. I picked up my pencil and said there is no way I could pick it up without touching it. I went home and thought about it and was very interested as to why that happens. I remember my mind racing through all sorts of abstract concepts like gravity, magnetism, and particle symmetry, and I tried to ask myself why these things happened; but I couldn't. I immediately went online and ordered The God Particle. I remember that feeling of excitement when I got home from school and there it was sitting on my front porch. I remember jokingly thinking to myself that being that excited over a physics book is pretty nerdy, but I didn't care. All I wanted to do was read and learn about the basics of our universe. Why does everything work the way it does. I read the book in every bit of spare time I had, and I remember reading things multiple times until I understood exactly why it was happening. I think the reason this was such an important event in my intellectual development was because I chose to read this book out of pure interest and curiosity. I was genuinely interested in something and did the best of my ability to answer the questions that I had asked.
(This one is 512 characters over the limit :/ which is a lot. Any suggestions as to where I could cut stuff out would be great. Thanks!)
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.
Dear future roommate,
I am pleased to hear that we will be sharing a room together. My name is Adam Abdulhamid. Trust me, the last name isn't as hard to pronounce as it looks. I was born in Torrance, California but moved to Calabasas shortly after. Calabasas is about thirty miles north from Los Angeles, which brings me to my next point. Go Lakers! I am a huge sports fan, especially basketball and football. There is nothing I enjoy more than a well-played Super Bowl, or a hard fought NBA Finals. I have loved the Lakers ever since I was young, and I don't know how many times I've been accused of jumping on the championship winning bandwagon. What can I say though, I'm from Los Angeles! You'll also probably notice that I have several speedos as well, and you'll have to awkwardly ask why. I'll explain that I play water polo for the one and only Stanford Cardinal! I've played water polo since the seventh grade and I absolutely love it. I also enjoy snowboarding, surfing, listening to music, and a good In-N-Out burger (for those Californians out there). Jack Johnson is one of my favorite artists, even though his music sometimes lulls me to sleep. I am interested in mathematics and science, and I always look forward to having a conversation about something abstract like time travel, black holes, or super novae. I enjoy topics like this so much because they are so mind boggling and undiscovered. I am inherently curious, and anytime there is a subject we as humans do not know much about I am fascinated. I am personable, trustworthy, humble, and have a rather sarcastic sense of humor. I also don't know if I've ever met a person who smiles more than I do, but hey, I guess that just means I'm a happy camper. I look forward to meeting you soon!
Best regards,
Adam Abdulhamid
Any comments or critiques would be great! Thanks!
For the first one, which is 12 over the character limit, may I suggest cutting part of/rewording: "The God Particle is a science book written by Leon Lederman and Dick Teresi which gives an in detail timeline of particle physics, dating from 400 BC to present day. Lederman, a Nobel Prize winning physicist, and Teresi, a fascinating science writer, describe many incredibly fascinating ideas throughout the novel". Although it probably is necessary to provide the readers with a basic understanding of your novel, you don't really have to go into much summary. They definitely want to know more about YOU then your experience/book/etc. That last sentence could probably even be scratched. "Many incredibly fascinating ideas" just doesn't really amount to much substance. My two cents
Best of luck!! :)
