Stanford is one of the most selective B-schools in the world. For the Class of 2019, it admitted only 6% of all applicants. So, an astonishing 94% of the applicants were rejected in the gruesome selection process. And many of these rejects have excellent academic and professional career. They are smart and accomplished. Yet, they were rejected. So how can you showcase to Stanford that you have all the necessary qualities that it is looking for. Let us walk you through Stanford’s evaluation criteria and give you some advice.
The very first point is intellectual vitality. Now, how do you define “intellectual vitality”? It has three fundamental parameters. They are:
Ideas fascinate you! You embrace change and are always interested to know the next big idea. You scout for cutting-edge ideas that have the potential to change the status quo. You have the intellectual curiosity to dig out more about any idea in order to push the boundaries and explore new territories. How can it be utilized to make thing better? How can it change our existing beliefs? What will be the ripple effect of implementing this idea? Is this idea going to give us a new lens to see things in a different light? You think for countless hours for all such possibilities.
You are ever curious like a child! You have a brilliant mind to probe into things. You are always comparing and contrasting things. You are trying to find out the reasons behind any event, however small or insignificant it might be. You always try to understand the background information behind everything in order to understand patterns. You try to understand the past in order to predict what might happen in the future. You try to comprehend the overlaps between disparate points and differences between similar ones. For you, engaging in such a mentally stimulating exercise is fun as well as passion. You are ever enthusiastic to know what you might find at the end of the tunnel. It’s a thrilling journey for you. And you do inspire others to join you in that journey.
You have an independent mind that is uncluttered from others’ opinion. You always talk to numerous bright individuals to listen to their opinions. But, you make your own judgement. You think something is correct not because your family or friends believe that. You always analyse things from multiple angles using numerous lens and form your own conclusion. Thereafter, you are not afraid to act as per your belief.
However, you are also not scared from being challenged on your ideas. In fact, you welcome such an intellectual exercise. You are passionate to listen to others’ viewpoint and then you put forward your own ideas. You’re a skilful devil’s advocate, and able to argue from multiple perspectives. You relish comprehending what drives and underlies opposing ideas and beliefs (there’s that curiosity again).
The above mentioned three points defines intellectual vitality in a nutshell. Now, how do you let Stanford’s admissions team know that you have the necessary intellectual vigor and vitality? Your application essays are the perfect place to showcase these qualities. Compose engaging essays, narrate your ideas in detail, and articulate all aspects of your argument with fascinating anecdotes. Luckily, if you are invited to an interview, you will get a golden opportunity to showcase the entire spectrum of your intellectual vitality to Stanford.
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