Stanford University Supplemental Essay Prompts & Writing Guide 2025-2026

With just 50 words, you need to be specific and avoid vague, broad challenges like "inequality" or "climate change" on their own. Instead, zero in on a nuanced version of an issue that genuinely resonates with you, whether that's improper urban planning, the loss of empathy-driven discourse, or the ethical dilemmas surrounding AI. Specificity shows thoughtful engagement rather than a generic "Miss America" answer, and it allows you to demonstrate genuine awareness of the world around you.

Your choice should reflect your values, interests, and possibly your academic or extracurricular focus. If you care deeply about technology ethics, discuss AI bias or misuse. If you've spent summers working on sustainability projects, you might address the gap between technological advancement and environmental responsibility. The key is to pick something that matters to you personally, then articulate why it's significant in concrete terms (for example, how it creates tangible consequences or moral dilemmas) rather than simply naming it.

Avoid hedging or trying to acknowledge other challenges in such limited space. Take a clear stance and stick with it: admissions officers understand you can't cover every global issue in 50 words, and they value the clarity and confidence of a well-defined perspective over a cautious, qualified response. Stanford wants to see how you think critically and prioritize, so commit fully to your chosen challenge and explain its urgency or impact succinctly.

With just 50 words, you need to turn this short answer into a snapshot of how you spend your time when you're not in school. Stanford wants to see more than a resume list of activities: they're looking for insight into your interests, priorities, and what makes you tick. Think about grouping your summer experiences around a common theme or focus, whether that's pursuing a specific passion, connecting with your community, or building skills that tie into your broader goals. If one summer you worked on coding projects and the next you volunteered at a tech nonprofit, frame them together as your commitment to technology and social impact.

Be specific and vivid with your word choices. Use strong, varied verbs (tinkering, organizing, exploring) to make each activity feel dynamic rather than flat. Don't be afraid to include something personal or unexpected that wouldn't appear on your formal resume, like traveling with family, cooking with a grandparent, or pursuing a quirky hobby. These human touches help admissions officers see you as a real person, not just a collection of achievements. Balance breadth and depth: if you did many things, mention the variety; if you went deep on one project, emphasize that commitment.

Avoid spending precious words on unnecessary setup phrases like "I spent my last two summers" (they already know that's what you're answering). Instead, jump straight into the substance. Make every word count, and remember that you're not just listing what you did but revealing what matters to you and how you choose to spend your time when given the freedom to do so.

Stanford wants to see intellectual curiosity and personal connection, not just name-dropping a famous event. With only 50 words, you need to be specific about the moment you'd choose and why it resonates with you. Avoid overused answers like the signing of the Declaration of Independence or Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech, which admissions officers will read hundreds of times. Instead, look for moments that reveal something unique about your passions, academic interests, or values. This could be an obscure scientific breakthrough that sparked your interest in biomedical engineering, a cultural turning point tied to your heritage, or even a "butterfly effect" moment (an event that set off a chain reaction leading to major historical consequences). The key is to make it personal.

Your response should be structured simply: name the moment, then explain in one or two sentences why witnessing it would be meaningful to you. Connect it to your intellectual interests or character. For example, if you're passionate about medicine, you might discuss wanting to witness the first successful use of penicillin because it represents the moment when one discovery changed the trajectory of human health. If you love physics, perhaps it's the Trinity test because you've always admired Oppenheimer and Feynman. The goal is to give the admissions team insight into what excites you intellectually and how you think about history.

Be authentic and avoid trying to impress with overly philosophical or "impressive" choices. If you find the moment genuinely fascinating, that enthusiasm will come through in your writing. You can even inject a bit of humor or personality if it feels natural. The admissions committee reads thousands of these responses, so standing out means being yourself and showing them a slice of what makes you curious, thoughtful, and engaged with the world.

With only 50 words, your goal is not to summarize your entire role or repeat what's already in your activities list. Instead, zoom in on one specific moment, insight, or detail that captures something meaningful about your experience. Think of this as a close-up snapshot, not a wide-angle overview. You want to show depth, not breadth.

Choose an activity, job, or responsibility that either hasn't been fully explored elsewhere in your application or that reveals a new dimension of who you are. If you've already written extensively about your robotics team in your Common App essay, use this space to discuss your part-time job, family responsibilities, or another club. Admissions readers appreciate variety across your essays because it helps them see you as a multi-dimensional person.

Focus on impact, growth, or a unique takeaway rather than listing accomplishments or describing the activity itself. For example, instead of saying "I raised $5,000 as class president," you might describe the late-night planning sessions where you convinced skeptical classmates to support the fundraiser, or the speech you gave that energized your community. Use vivid, specific language and concrete details (sensory moments, dialogue, small actions) to bring the experience to life. Incomplete sentences and fragments are perfectly acceptable here, they can actually make your writing feel more immediate and authentic.

Avoid overly formal or polished language. Stanford wants to hear your genuine voice, so write in a way that feels natural to you. If the experience taught you something unexpected, changed your perspective, or sparked a new passion, convey that clearly. The admissions committee is looking for authenticity, creativity, and a sense of what you'll bring to campus, not perfection.

This prompt is your opportunity to give Stanford a glimpse into what matters most to you, so you should be strategic about what you reveal. Instead of listing generic values or activities that already appear elsewhere in your application, use these 50 words to showcase new dimensions of your personality, interests, or values that haven't been covered yet. Think of this as a snapshot of your inner world: what makes you tick, what you cherish, and what defines you beyond your transcript.

Aim for variety across your five items. You might include a tangible object (like a worn notebook or a family heirloom), an abstract concept (like intellectual humility or the pursuit of justice), a person (your younger sibling or a mentor), a place (the library at dawn), or even a sensory experience (the smell of your grandmother's kitchen). The key is to avoid repetition and to demonstrate range. If you already wrote extensively about being captain of the debate team, don't list "debate" here; instead, show another side of yourself that admissions officers wouldn't otherwise see.

Be specific and personal. Instead of writing "family" (too vague), you could write "Sunday dinners with my extended family, where we argue about everything from politics to the best way to cook rice." Instead of "curiosity" (too abstract), try "the moment I realize I've been reading the same Wikipedia page for an hour because one link led to another." Specificity makes your list memorable and authentic. You can also use brief explanations to add context if space allows, but don't feel obligated to justify every choice. Sometimes a well-chosen item speaks for itself.

Finally, remember that Stanford values intellectual curiosity, creativity, and authenticity, so let your list reflect those qualities. You don't need to sound overly polished or formal; incomplete sentences, playful language, and even a touch of humor can work well here. Think of this as a creative exercise where you're painting a portrait of yourself in just a few brushstrokes. Make each word count, and trust that what's important to you will reveal something meaningful about who you are.

Focus on something that genuinely lights you up intellectually, not what you think will impress admissions officers. Stanford values "intellectual vitality", which means showing authentic curiosity and a love of learning for its own sake. Choose a topic you're actively exploring: perhaps it's a concept you keep googling late at night, a homework problem you can't wait to tackle, or a question that has infiltrated your browser history. You don't need to pick something traditionally "academic" like quantum mechanics (though you can), instead, choose what truly excites you, even if it's niche or unconventional.

The essay should reveal not just what you're curious about, but why it captivates you and what you're still eager to discover. Avoid simply listing your accomplishments or describing what you already know. Instead, demonstrate your "thinking mind" by explaining the specific aspect that intrigues you, the questions you're still grappling with, or how your curiosity has driven you to learn beyond the classroom. For example, if you write about AI, don't just explain how machine learning works: dig into a particular problem you're trying to solve, a gap you've identified, or a future application you're excited to explore.

Write with energy and specificity. Use vivid, engaging language that shows (rather than tells) your excitement, avoid phrases like "this made me excited because..." which flatten your enthusiasm. Instead, open with a concrete moment or detail that drops readers into your learning experience. Keep the focus on you throughout: Stanford wants to understand your intellectual journey and how you'll contribute to their deeply curious community. They're looking for students who will participate actively in class discussions, pursue independent research, and continue exploring ideas both inside and outside the classroom.

This essay is your chance to show Stanford who you are outside the classroom, in your most authentic, day-to-day self. Resist the temptation to treat it like a formal application essay; instead, approach it as if you're writing a genuine, friendly note to someone you'll actually live with. Use a conversational, warm tone that reflects how you'd naturally introduce yourself to a peer, not an admissions officer. The goal is to reveal something real about your personality, quirks, or interests that the rest of your application doesn't capture.

Focus on specific, vivid details that only you could write. Instead of vague statements like "I love music," describe your oddly specific Spotify habits, the way you organize your playlists by mood, or how you blast indie folk while cooking instant ramen at midnight. You want your reader to picture you as a real person they'd recognize in the dorm. Avoid spending the entire essay describing what kind of roommate you'll be (neat or messy, early bird or night owl); that's taking the prompt too literally. Stanford isn't trying to match you with a compatible roommate based on this essay. They're assessing whether you're someone who will contribute meaningfully to their campus community: empathetic, curious, collaborative, and socially aware.

Think of this essay as a window into your personality beyond academics and extracurriculars. Maybe you have an unusual hobby, a quirky tradition with your friends, or a perspective shaped by your background that hasn't come across elsewhere in your application. Whatever you choose to share, make sure it's genuine. Forced humor or quirkiness for the sake of standing out will read as inauthentic. If you're naturally funny, let that shine; if you're more introspective, that works too. The key is to give Stanford a sense of who you are when you're relaxed, hanging out with friends, or unwinding after a long day.

Finally, keep it positive and community-oriented. While it's fine to mention personal habits or preferences, frame them in a way that shows you're thoughtful about shared living and excited to build connections. For example, instead of just saying you love horror movies, you could mention how you'd organize movie marathons or join the Stanford Film Society. This shows Stanford that you're not just interesting on paper, but that you'll actively engage with and enrich their campus culture. Remember, every word counts in this short essay, so cut anything generic and lean into the details that make you, you.

Stanford wants to see how you will add value to their campus community, so you need to be specific about what you bring and how you'll contribute. Start by identifying one or two aspects of your background, character, or interests that genuinely set you apart. Maybe you grew up navigating two cultures, developed a passion for urban sustainability through a specific project, or learned resilience by managing a family responsibility that shaped your worldview. Whatever you choose, make it concrete and personal, not generic qualities like "hardworking" or "curious." Show, don't tell: instead of stating you're creative, describe how you remixed traditional music from your heritage or designed a solution to a real problem in your community.

Connect your unique perspective directly to Stanford's campus. Research specific clubs, programs, labs, or initiatives that align with your interests, then explain how you'll engage with them. For example, if you're passionate about cross-cultural dialogue, mention how you'd contribute to the Bing Overseas Studies Program's pre-departure orientations or join a culturally focused student organization like MEChA or the Asian American Activities Center. If you've developed skills in community organizing, reference how you'd apply those to Stanford's public service initiatives. The more specific you are about where and how you'll make an impact, the clearer it becomes that you've done your research and are genuinely excited about being part of Stanford's community.

Remember that Stanford values intellectual vitality and collaboration, so your contribution should feel authentic to who you are while also demonstrating how you'll enrich the experiences of others. Avoid repeating what's already in your Common App essay or activity list; use this space to reveal something new. Keep your tone genuine and conversational (this isn't the place for overly formal language), and make sure your contribution feels meaningful, not forced. If you're reapplying or addressing multiple aspects, prioritize depth over breadth: it's better to explore one or two contributions thoroughly than to list several superficially.

This is your opportunity to show Stanford that you've grown meaningfully since your last application. Treat it as a focused, self-aware update, not a second chance to beg or repeat what you already wrote. You're signaling to the admissions committee that you have reflected on your previous application, understood its gaps, and taken concrete steps to become a stronger candidate. Focus on specific, tangible ways you've improved or evolved, whether academically, professionally, personally, or through leadership experiences. Don't be vague or overly broad (for instance, just saying "I've worked on my time management" won't cut it). Instead, describe what you did: retook a challenging course and earned an A, sought mentorship, took on a leadership position in an organization, deepened your research experience, clarified your academic interests, or pursued a meaningful project. Whatever you choose to highlight, show it as a narrative of growth, not a laundry list. This essay should feel like a mini-story about how you've become more prepared for Stanford's rigorous intellectual environment.

Be honest and humble without dwelling on what went wrong. You should briefly acknowledge that you're reapplying, but don't spend valuable space explaining your previous rejection or speculating about why you weren't accepted the first time. Instead, let your improvements speak for themselves. If there were weak points in your original application (lower test scores, a thin extracurricular profile, unclear goals), subtly address them by demonstrating how you've strengthened those areas. Keep your tone confident but not arrogant: you're excited about Stanford, you've done the work to grow, and you're ready to contribute in ways you weren't before. Make sure your essay shows self-awareness and a clear understanding of what Stanford values (intellectual vitality, curiosity, a collaborative spirit, diverse perspectives).

Finally, keep it concise and forward-looking. You only have 50 to 250 words, so every sentence must count. Avoid repetition from your previous essays (the committee likely still has your old file), and make sure this update adds new information. Close with a brief but compelling statement about what you'll bring to Stanford now that you couldn't before. Think of this essay as proof that you're not the same applicant: you've changed, learned, and evolved, and Stanford would be gaining a more mature, driven, and thoughtful student if they admit you this time.