50 Successful Ivy League Application Essays

It’s Okay to Describe Yourself Like a Crazy Person
“For advice, I really can only say what Stanford, the UC system, and every 
other school I applied to encouraged me to do. Be yourself. Speak as you are, 
not as you think you want them to see you. I talked about myself like a crazy 
person but with a lot of humor and self-awareness. That’s my style—I observe, 
I criticize, and I satirize.
“My friend went a more ‘traditional’ route and wrote about her time spent 
working with an after-school children’s program, but I doubt it was the con-
tent that got her noticed. Her love for the kids and her hopes for helping them 
in a greater capacity in the future shone through the page. Just be yourself. 
Write about something that impassions or allows you to express you, and that 
will translate to any reader.
“Also, don’t be afraid to let lots and lots of people look at it. Don’t compro-
mise on anything you’re set on doing, but listen to constructive criticism.”
—Magali Ferare, Stanford University