Following up on last week’s announcement of Stanford’s 2011-2012 essay topics, we wanted to weigh in with some guidance on how applicants might approach their work on this particular application. Stanford GSB has retained the format we’ve seen for several years running, posing two required and rather open-ended questions, followed by two shorter situational prompts. While the adcom provides a recommended breakdown for each response, candidates have some flexibility around word count, requiring only that applicants limit their four responses to a total of 1,800 words. This means that in addition to choices about subject matter and structure, there’s also leeway for strategic decision-making around length across Stanford’s four-essay set.

　　斯坦福大学商学院Essay只要求4个问题的回答总共不超过1800字~这给了申请者们安排篇幅的灵活性~

　　That said, let’s take a look at each prompt in more detail:

　　Essay 1: What matters most to you, and why? (Recommended 750 words)

　　The open-ended and somewhat philosophical nature of this question can make it a challenging starting point for the Stanford application. If a topic doesn’t immediately spring to mind, a constructive approach might be to think about your experiences to date (growing up, attending school, working, pursuing outside activities and general interests) and look for some unifying theme among some or all of them. Because it’s always a good idea to introduce specific details and anecdotes to really tie the general ideas expressed in your essays to the key elements of your candidacy, it would be wise to select a topic that not only gives the adcom a sense of your values and priorities, but also allows to you discuss some of the ways you have translated these into action. Needless to say, this is one of the more challenging essays in the business school world, so feel free to reach out to Clear Admit if you seek tailored guidance vis-a-vis your candidacy.

　　In addition, keep in mind that the Stanford admissions team also offers the following clues for this essay:

　　• The best examples of Essay 1 rlect the process of self-examination that you have undertaken to write them.

　　• They give us a vivid and genuine image of who you are—and they also convey how you became the person you are.

　　• They do not focus merely on what you’ve done or accomplished. Instead, they share with us the values, experiences, and lessons that have shaped your perspectives.

　　• They are written from the heart and address not only a person, situation, or event, but also how that person, situation, or event has influenced your life.

　　这是一个开放式且有些哲学意味的问题，对于斯坦福的申请者来说，这个起点就已经很有挑战。如果没有一个答案能够立刻掠过脑海，那么不妨用建构的想法去思考自己的经历(成长，上学，工作，课外活动，兴趣等等)，并争取将他们中的部分进行整合。除了将你的观念表达给adcom外，更重要的是写出体现这些理念的具体细节，这就给选题增加了难度。

　　另外，请务必记住adcom给出的以下线索：1.斯坦福大学商学院Essay1中的例子最好反映出自我检查的过程2.essay 1的答案能够给我们呈现一个生动且真实的你的形象，并且能够传达出你是如何成为了现在的你这个信息3.答案应该不仅仅局限于你的成就和你做过的事，也可以跟我分享塑造了你的一些经历和教训4.答案是发自内心写出的，讲述的不仅仅是人和事，更应该是这些人和事是如何影响你的。

　　经典内容回顾：

　　1.教育学个人陈述八(申请斯坦福)

　　2.美国斯坦福电气工程专业个人陈述范文

　　3.斯坦福大学商学院Essay问题

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