Stanford: Last two summers
50 words
How did you spend your last two summers?
What it’s really asking
A factual prompt that is secretly a character prompt. The content is your summers; the signal is what you choose to highlight and how you sound saying it.
Why they ask it
How you use unstructured time says a lot. Honesty and specificity beat a list of prestigious programs.
Summer one: I repaired bicycles at a co-op, 1learning that most flat tires are caused by something still stuck in the tire. Summer two: I taught that to twelve-year-olds, 2and learned that most stuck things are easier to find when someone holds the flashlight. Both summers were about not riding away with the problem still inside.3
- 1A concrete vocation in the first words establishes character economically and avoids the generic camp-and-internship recap most applicants give.
- 2The specific lesson (the thorn still in the tire) is precise enough to feel true rather than invented, which is what Stanford reads lists for.
- 3Linking the two summers with one metaphor turns a list into a tiny argument about growth, and the closing image lands the meaning without wasting a word.
Stuck? Start here
- What did you actually do, including the unglamorous parts?
- Which small detail makes a plain summer specifically yours?
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