In this section, we provide an optional opportunity for you to discuss some of your contributions more fully.
What do we mean by “optional”? We mean you have the opportunity to choose. If you feel that you’ve already described your contributions well in other areas of the application, congratulations, you’re done! If not, feel free to use this opportunity to tell us more.
In the Essays section of the application, we ask you to tell us about who you are and how you think Stanford will help you achieve your aspirations. We are also interested in learning about the things you have done that are most meaningful to you. Using these optional spaces, perhaps you would like to expand upon a bullet item from your resume and tell us more about the “how” or “why” behind the “what.” Or maybe you have had a significant impact outside of work in a way that doesn’t fit neatly in another part of the application. You are welcome to share up to three examples (up to 1,200 characters, or approximately 200 words, for each example).
Question: Think about a time in the last five years when you’ve created a positive impact, whether in professional, extracurricular, civic, or academic settings. What was the situation, what did you do, and what was the impact?