Gen Tanabe - 50 Successful Stanford Application Essays: Write Your Way into the College of Your Choice

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Upbeat, well-organized and engaging, this comprehensive tool is an exceptional investment for the college-bound.

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Helps college applicants write better essays.

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Invaluable information.

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A present for anxious parents.

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Helpful, well-organized guide, with copies of actual letters and essays and practical tips. A good resource for all students.

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When you consider the costs of a four-year college or university education nowadays, think about forking out (the price) for this little gem written and produced by two who know.

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Whats even better than all the top-notch tips is that the book is written in a cool, conversational way.

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Offers advice on writing a good entrance essay, taking exams and applying for scholarships, and other information on the college experiencestart to finish.

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I recently applied to Cornell University. I read your book from cover to back, wrote an essay about Snorkeling in Okinawa (which most people criticized), and got ACCEPTED to Cornell. Thank you very much for your help, and Ill be sure to refer this book to anyone applying to college.

JASON CLEMMEY

If youre struggling with your essays, the Tanabes offer some encouragement.

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A must for any prospective college student.

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The Tanabes literally wrote the book on the topic.

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Filled with student-tested strategies.

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Actually shows you how to get into college.

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Upbeat tone and clear, practical advice.

BOOK NEWS

50 Successful

STANFORD

Application Essays

THIRD EDITION

Includes advice from Stanford admissions officers and the 25 essay mistakes that guarantee failure

GEN and KELLY TANABE

HARVARD GRADUATES AND AUTHORS OF

50 Successful Ivy League Application Essays, Accepted! 50 Successful College Admission Essays and The Ultimate Scholarship Book

50 Successful Stanford Application Essays Third Edition

By Gen and Kelly Tanabe

Published by SuperCollege, LLC

2713 Newlands Avenue | Belmont, CA 94002 | www.supercollege.com

Copyright 2018 by Gen and Kelly Tanabe. Previous edition 2016, 2013

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of SuperCollege. This book is protected under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.

Credits: Cover: TLC Graphics, www.TLCGraphics.com. Design: Monica Thomas. Cover photo: Grahamp | Dreamstime.com

Layout: The Roberts Group, www.editorialservice.com

Trademarks: All brand names, product names and services used in this book are trademarks, registered trademarks or tradenames of their respective holders. SuperCollege is not associated with any college, university, product or vendor. Disclaimers: The authors and publisher have used their best efforts in preparing this book. It is sold with the understanding that the authors and publisher are not rendering legal or other professional advice. The authors and publisher cannot be held responsible for any loss incurred as a result of specific decisions made by the reader. The authors and publisher make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of the book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties or merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. The accuracy and completeness of the information provided herein and the opinions stated herein are not guaranteed or warranted to produce any particular results. The authors and publisher specifically disclaim any responsibility for any liability, loss or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, from the use and application of any of the contents of this book.

ISBN13: 978-1-61760-133-0

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Tanabe, Gen S., author. | Tanabe, Kelly Y., author.

Title: 50 successful Stanford application essays : write your way into the college of your choice / by Gen and Kelly Tanabe.

Other titles: Fifty successful Stanford application essays

Description: Third Edition. | Belmont, CA : SuperCollege, LLC, [2018] | Includes advice from Stanford admissions officers and the 25 essay mistakes that guarantee failure. | Harvard graduates and authors of 50 Successful Ivy League Application Essays, Accepted! 50 Successful College Admission Essays and The Ultimate Scholarship Book.

Identifiers: LCCN 2017053987 (print) | LCCN 2018000383 (ebook) | ISBN 9781617601453 | ISBN 9781617601330 (alk. paper)

Subjects: LCSH: College applications--California--Palo Alto. | College applications--United States. | Stanford University--Admission. | Universities and colleges--United States--Admission. | Exposition (Rhetoric)

Classification: LCC LB2351.52.U6 (ebook) | LCC LB2351.52.U6 T366 2018 (print) | DDC 378.1/616--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017053987

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DEDICATION

TO OUR READERS
WE HOPE YOU ACHIEVE YOUR DREAM!

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

THIS BOOK WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN possible without the generous contributions of the Stanford students who agreed to share their admissions essays and advice in order to help others who hope to follow in their footsteps.

We would also like to thank the former Stanford admissions officers for spending the time to impart some of their knowledge to our readers: Jon Reider and Irena Smith.

We would like to express our deepest appreciation to contributing writer Elizabeth Soltan.

Special thanks to Chanda Feldman, Alice Hu, Mark Fujiwara, Feyi Lawoyin, Laura Malkiewich and Gregory Yee.

25 ESSAY MISTAKES THAT GUARANTEE FAILURE

FOR EVERY OPEN SLOT AT STANFORD, there are about 20 eager applicants vying for itand youre one of them. On paper, most applicants appear very similar. All are well qualified academically with high grades and test scores and solid involvement in extracurricular activities.

Imagine the admissions officer who must choose which of these well-deserving applications to accept. How will he or she make the decision? Very often, the essay makes a difference. The essay is the one chance for you to share a piece of yourself that is not encapsulated in the dry numbers and scores of the application. It is your opportunity to demonstrate why youd be a perfect fit at the college, how youd contribute to the student body and why the college should accept you over those other 19 applicants.

The essay is also the one part of your application that you have complete control over. You can write it the night before its due and turn in a piece that is half-baked, or you can spend a little time on the essay and turn in one that can set you apart from the competition.

The truth is that you dont have to be a good writer to create a successful admissions essay. Nor do you need to have survived a life changing event or won a Nobel Prize. Writing a successful admissions essay for Stanford is actually much simpler.