Stanford Supplemental Essays Guide (2025–2026)

Before we jump in, one thing to keep in mind:

Stanford isn’t looking for the “perfect” student. They’re looking for people who think deeply, notice things others don’t, and would actually be interesting to live with, learn from, and talk to at 1 a.m.

If your essays feel like a resume in paragraph form, you’re probably off track. If they feel like you, you’re doing it right.

Prompt 1

What is the most significant challenge that society faces today? (50 words)

This is not a “solve the world” essay. Stanford isn’t grading your policy knowledge. They want to see how you think, not whether you picked the “right” issue.

The best answers:
• pick one issue
• zoom in on a specific angle
• show why you care

Avoid broad, empty statements like “climate change affects everyone.” That tells them nothing about you.

Instead, ask yourself:
What part of this problem do I actually see or experience?

Good example direction (not a template):
Talking about misinformation → focus on how it showed up in your school, family, or community.

Sample answer (~50 words):
“One of the biggest challenges today is misinformation that spreads faster than trust. I’ve seen how quickly rumors travel in group chats and how hard it is to correct them once emotions are involved. Learning to question sources — and slow down before reacting — feels essential right now.”

Prompt 2

How did you spend your last two summers? (50 words)

This is much more literal than people think. Stanford just wants to know: what did you actually do with your time?

No need to make it sound impressive. Jobs, family responsibilities, self-driven projects, volunteering, learning something on your own — all of that counts.

You can structure this very simply:
Summer 1 → Summer 2 → common thread

Sample answer (~50 words):
“During Summer 2024, I worked part-time at a local café while teaching myself basic web design at night. In Summer 2025, I used those skills to build a site for a community tutoring group. Both summers taught me how small skills can turn into something useful.”

Prompt 3

What historical moment or event do you wish you could have witnessed? (50 words)

This is really a curiosity question. Stanford wants to see what kind of ideas pull you in.

Pick something you genuinely find interesting, not just something famous. What matters is the why, not the event itself.

Think:
What would I want to observe up close?
What questions would I ask if I were there?

Sample answer (~50 words):
“I would want to witness the early days of the internet in the 1990s. I’m curious how people imagined its potential before algorithms and ads took over. Seeing that optimism firsthand would help me think about how technology shapes culture — and how intention matters early on.”

Prompt 4

Briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities, a job you hold, or responsibilities you have for your family. (50 words)

This is a zoom-in, not a summary.

Pick one role and show:
what you actually do
how you show up
what responsibility looks like in practice

Specifics matter more than titles.

Sample answer (~50 words):
“As the oldest sibling, I’m responsible for getting my younger brother to school, helping with homework, and making dinner most nights. It’s taught me patience and planning, but also how to explain things clearly — a skill that unexpectedly helped me as a peer tutor.”

Prompt 5

List five things that are important to you. (50 words)

This one is fun, and people overthink it.

These don’t have to be “deep” on their own. The list as a whole reveals who you are.

Mix personal + quirky + meaningful.
Order matters. Put what you care about most first.

Sample list:
• Long walks without headphones
• Teaching younger students
• Late-night conversations that go off topic
• Fixing things instead of replacing them
• Asking “why” one more time than necessary 🙂

Prompt 6

The Stanford community is deeply curious and driven to learn in and out of the classroom. Reflect on an idea or experience that makes you genuinely excited about learning. (250 words)

This is Stanford’s intellectual curiosity essay.

Not:
“I love learning and take hard classes.”

Yes:
Here’s how my brain gets curious.
Here’s what I do when something grabs my attention.

Start with a moment. A question. A small experience that sparked something bigger.

You want them thinking:
“Oh, this student actually enjoys learning.”

Strong structure:
Moment → curiosity → action → reflection → looking ahead

Example opening (tone reference):
“I didn’t expect a broken calculator to make me curious about engineering. But when mine stopped working before a math test, I took it apart instead of throwing it out — and accidentally fell into a rabbit hole of circuit diagrams and YouTube tutorials.”

From there, you’d show how that curiosity shows up again and again, not just once.

Prompt 7

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 — get to know you better. (250 words)

This is where you can relax a bit 😌

Stanford wants to know:
What would it actually be like to live with you?

This should feel like a real note. It can be funny, warm, honest, or slightly awkward — all good things.

You can include:
• habits
• quirks
• boundaries
• how you decompress
• what you’re excited or nervous about

Example tone (not full essay):
“Hi future roommate! A few important things: I’m a night owl who studies best with quiet music, I will absolutely steal your charger if I forget mine (I’ll return it, I promise), and I’m always down for late-night conversations when the day finally slows down.”

This essay often becomes a favorite when it feels real.

Prompt 8

Please describe what aspects of your life experiences, interests and character would help you make a distinctive contribution as an undergraduate to Stanford University. (100–250 words)

This is the contribution essay, not the brag essay.

Stanford isn’t asking:
“How accomplished are you?”

They’re asking:
What do you bring to a community?
How do you affect the people around you?

Think small and specific:
Do you connect people?
Ask thoughtful questions?
Create welcoming spaces?
Push conversations deeper?

Good approach:
Show one or two traits in action, through a short story.

Example direction:
Instead of saying “I’m a leader,” show a moment where you stepped up, brought people together, or changed the dynamic of a group.

End with how that same energy would show up on campus.

If you want personalized feedback on your Stanford supplemental essays, I also offer one-on-one essay reviews where I read through your drafts carefully and leave clear, specific suggestions. You can learn more here!