How to Write the Stanford Roommate Essay (with an Example!) [UPDATED FOR 2024-2025] (Copy)
Let’s talk about how to write the Stanford Roommate essay....
How do you write the Stanford Roommate Essay, Lisa? What are they asking for? I don’t know where to start!
Let’s talk about the Stanford Roommate Essay. Yes, the Stanford supplemental essay prompts for the 2024-2025 college application cycle are finally official, and I’m already getting questions about them! :)
Yes, the Stanford application is long. Yes, there are a lot of essays and short answers which can take a lot of time to write. Yes, you should take your time to think about them. No, I don’t know trying to do your whole Stanford application in a couple of days is a good idea (although… yes, I’ve helped a few students do that and a couple have even been successful…)
Each of the questions that Stanford asks in its essay prompts deserve time and attention, but the so-called Stanford roommate essay is one that in particular, I get a lot of questions on. The Stanford roommate essay prompt is really not like any other prompt out there, and it can really flummox students: What’s the roommate essay about? Should I mention my debate championships? Is this really supposed to be addressed to my future Stanford roommate?
The Stanford roommate essay prompt can veritably paralyze students just as they’re getting going on writing their applications, taking far more time, effort, and worry than it really should.
Even more importantly, after all that time, effort, and worry, it’s an essay that can go wrong in many, many ways, which can get your application kicked out of the consideration pool and send your Stanford dreams up in smoke.
So let me answer some of the common questions that I get about the Stanford Roommate essay, explain its ins-and-outs, and give an example of the Stanford Roommate essay that can help you along as you’re writing yours.
First a little context on the Stanford Roommate Essay…
Admissions at Stanford University (and Where the Stanford Roommate Essay Fits In)
You don’t need me to tell you that admissions at Stanford University are extremely competitive. The admission rate for Stanford’s undergraduate class of 2027 was 3.91%, one of the lowest rates of admissions in the entire country. Stanford routinely rejects outstandingly qualified candidates because, quite frankly, it cannot possibly admit all the Regeneron finalists, Youth America Grand Prix finalists, Coolidge Scholarship recipients, etc. that apply.
What that means is that Stanford evaluates applications on a holistic basis, considering your academics, test scores, recommendations, extracurriculars, as well as something called “intellectual vitality.”
I could write an entire blog post about “intellectual vitality”, but in very, very, very short, you can think of it as how Stanford thinks about your intellectual firepower and curiosity about the world. It’s also the bucket where they consider things like your essays and interview.
The Stanford Roommate Essay matters because Stanford admissions are so competitive!
Lest you think it’s a fluffy, woo-woo thing, Stanford takes “intellectual vitality” very seriously, especially because the competition is so tight. So, while a fantastic Roommate Essay is not enough on its own to get you into a Stanford, a mediocre essay can certainly take you out of contention, so it’s something you do need to take seriously.
So, here’s a reminder of what the Stanford Roommate Essay Prompt actually says …
The Stanford Roommate Essay Prompt
Virtually all of Stanford’s undergraduates live on campus. Write a note to your future roommate that reveals something about you or that will help your roommate-and us-get to know you better.
What Is the Stanford Roommate Essay About?
So let’s take a step back and think about the pieces of your Stanford application. Your academic record gives the admissions committee an idea of what you’re like in the classroom. Your extracurriculars give them an idea of what you do outside the classroom. Your test scores can give a little bit of an idea of how you stack up against the rest of the admissions pool, and your recommendations can give an idea of what your teachers and other adults in your life think of you.
The Stanford Roommate Essay gives the admissions committee a sense of what you’re like with people your own age, how you interact with them, and what you’re going to be like in a dorm. It’s to give them a sense of who you are when you’re just hanging out with your peers.
“Why does Stanford care about that?”, you may ask. “Aren’t they most concerned about this amazing research I’m doing or this community leadership project I’ve been working on?” And the answer is, yes, they care about those things a lot. Without strong academics and extracurriculars, it’s going to be really hard for you to be in consideration for admission at Stanford at all.
But Stanford also cares about what you’re like when you’re interacting with your peers in casual settings as well. Are you going to be a pleasant, positive presence in your dorm who will be making friends and connecting with classmates? Or are you someone who … might not be such a positive presence?
What does that mean for how to write the Stanford Roommate essay? Here are some questions and issues that often come up ….
“Is the Stanford Roommate Essay really supposed to written as a note to my future roommate?”
YES. This throws students a lot, but yes, this essay really isn’t like other essays. It’s not supposed to be a letter to the admissions office to your future roommate. It’s not supposed to be a super-deep, soul-bearing confession to your spiritual advisor. It’s DEFINITELY not supposed to be an expository re-hash of your resume.
As I said earlier, the Stanford roommate essay is really supposed to give the admissions office the sense of what you would be like interacting with someone your own age, meeting them for the first time. It’s not meant to be a formal explanation of yourself and your accomplishments like you’ve probably been writing in many of your college essays.
So as you sit down with this exercise, start out with the idea of a short note to your future roommate that literally starts, “Dear Future Roommate,…”
The Stanford Roommate Essay is about what you’re like out of the classroom and interacting with your fellow Stanford students.
“What Should I Be Writing About In the Stanford Roommate Essay?”
The Stanford Roommate essay is not one of those essays that can be plugged into a formula. The best essay that you can write is going to be very individual to you. As it says in the prompt, this is a chance for the admissions committee to get to know you better as person in your “off” time.
But what are some good places to start? I often ask students to think about what they’re like to live with. This is supposed to be a note to your future roommate after all. What would you want your future roommate to know about you?
Do you have quirky habits or interests? Do you like to sing Taylor Swift songs in the shower? Or maybe Puccini is more your jam? Or both? Do you play video games late at night to relax? Or get up early to go for runs before school? Maybe you’re a snack-monster who has a ready stock of cheese puffs and shrimp crisps around all the time?
It’s hard for a lot of people to have a good grasp of their own quirks, so I often suggest that students ask their siblings what they’re like to live with because they’re usually all too ready to start reeling off your slightly odd habits. Your parents or close friends may also be good sources on the little things that make you… you!
Stanford Insider Tip: Unlike a lot of schools, Stanford doesn’t send you any contact or other information on your roommate(s) before you arrive on campus. This is one of Stanford’s quirks, and it’s been this way since I was a student and as long as anyone I know can remember.
Wait! Does that mean that if I get in, Stanford will show this essay to my future roommate?
No! But I think it’s a fun background tidbit to help you think about this essay! ;)
The Stanford Roommate Essay and the Harvard Roommate Essay are not interchangeable!
Can I cut-and-paste my Harvard Roommate Supplemental Essay for the Stanford Roommate Essay? Or vice versa?
NO. (For reference the Harvard prompt is: “Top 3 things your roommates might like to know about you.”)
The Stanford Roommate essay and the Harvard Roommate prompt are not set-up the same way. The Stanford Roommate essay is set-up to be a note to your future roommate, and should be written as if you were writing to them. The Harvard Roommate prompt is still set-up as a more traditional, “This is going to be written for an admissions office to read” answer. Your answer to the Harvard Roommate prompt should also be much shorter than your Stanford Roommate essay.
That being said, they are based around some similar ideas, but where Harvard is asking you to think about what your roommate should know about you, Stanford is really trying to get a sense of how you would actually interact with that person in a one-to-one scenario.
So in short, yes, you can and probably should brainstorm these essays together, but please don’t try to just cut and paste!
One tip: Approach the Stanford Roommate Essay like you were meeting someone your own age for the first time.
Any tips on how to approach the Stanford Roommate Essay?
My best advice is really think about what you would say to someone your own age when meeting them for the first time. Think about what you really would say to your future roommate.
You can model this essay on what you would really want to tell someone on that first day (“I’m a potato chip fiend, and always have three or four varieties on hand for ready snacking. Please help yourself any time!”) or if there’s something very specific you would want your future roommate to know, you can take the essay in that direction as well. (“I’m a biking enthusiast who’s been riding since I was five. I love to fix bikes as well, so pardon the mess that will soon be growing on my side of the room, but if you ever need anything for your bike, give me a holler!”).
This essay really is meant to be a peek into you away from the classroom, the lab, your activities, etc. What do you think it’s like to hangout with you and can you distill that down to a few hundred words?
A Stanford Roommate Essay Exercise
Try to visualize what it would be like meeting your roommate on Move-In Day. What would that conversation look like? Sound like? What are the quirky interests you’re going to want to share with your new roommate? Maybe slightly odd habits that you might want to warn them about?
Are there quirks that your future roommate in particular might want to know about? Do you like to wake-up and go for runs at 5 in the morning? Do you play video games late at night? Is your grandmother planning to drop by on a weekly basis with care packages of your favorite curries for you?
What are you excited about exploring at Stanford and would you invite your new roommate along?
If you can channel that excitement and spirit of sharing and exploration, it will be much easier to do a good job on this essay than you think!
Okay, what about tips about how NOT to approach the Stanford Roommate Essay?
As I said earlier, just an excellent Stanford Roommate Essay is not going to get you into Stanford, but a poor one sure can get you kicked out of consideration.
The Stanford Roommate Essay can go wrong in both obvious and not-so-obvious ways.
So what makes for a poor Stanford Roommate Essay?
Well, there are the obvious things. I trust that if you’re reading this blog, you’re not going to write about how you sometimes forget and leave your bomb-making kits lying your dorm room. But yes, for the record, anything that smells of dangerous, anti-social behavior, racism, sexism, or just plain, old “difficult to live with” behavior like demanding total silence in the room for 12 hours a day while you study is not going to work.
The Roommate Essay is also not the place for you to discuss your academic or extracurricular accomplishments either. It would come off as strange if you were to start reciting your resume when you meet your roommate and it would come off as strange here as well. And really, the other 95% of your application is already about all your accomplishments. This essay is about your personality and what you’re like having late-night pizza with friends.
But….
The Most Common Way the Stanford Roommate Essay Goes Wrong
All that being said, and this might sound strange, but the most common way the Stanford Roommate essay goes wrong is that it’s too, too much on the making friends thing.
I realize that sounds contradictory, but what I mean is that the student goes all-in on the idea that they are going to be BEST FRIENDS FOREVER!!! with their roommate immediately. They’re going to share all their interests and hobbies, experience all the Stanford experiences, and becomes joined at the hip twinsies for the next four years.
While I appreciate the enthusiasm and the “Let’s be friends!” part of the sentiment, this is not a good approach. While a lot of people do become close friends with their first-year roommate(s) in college, a lot of people do not even when they’re good roommates. Students have different interests and priorities, and Stanford, like many schools, will often put students together who have different backgrounds in hopes that each can learn something from the other. Many students do become good friends, but not everyone and that’s okay.
So it’s way too much to go into this essay writing that you’ve already planned out all the 6 mile hikes you’re going to take together, including all the snacks you’re going to share (FYI, your roommate may not like hiking, may not be able to hike, and let’s not even get into the issues of food allergies, preferences, etc.). It’s also too much to assume that your future roommate is going to want to share their most intimate secrets with you as you go stargazing with you every night. I would also definitely rethink mentioning that your favorite thing to do is experiment with food and they are definitely just going to LOVE the seaweed-tofu sandwiches and pea salads that you will be feeding them. (FYI, yes, these all really were in initial drafts of the roommate essay that I’ve read).
A strong Stanford Roommate Essay isn’t about how you’ll be joined at the hip for the next four years.
All of these essays were written from a place of genuine enthusiasm, but reading them over as an outsider, it’s easy to see why they don’t come off well. If your future roommate came at you on the first day of college with their full-on four year plan for college which, by the way, included the two of you being joined at the hip every single day… well, who could blame you if you went running and screaming in the other direction.
Okay, so if that’s not the right approach to the Stanford Roommate Essay, what is the right approach?
Writing the Stanford Roommate Essay
Unlike a lot of my blogs on a lot of other supplemental essays, this is less of a step-by-step “how to” and more of a “thing you should keep in mind when writing the Stanford Roommate Essay”. That’s because the Stanford Roommate Essay should be a glimpse of a very personal, unique side of yourself and so the essay should be very unique to you, your quirks and what it’s like to live with you.
That being said, here are things that strong Stanford Roommate Essays have in common:
The quirky, unique things about you. The personal things that aren’t already in your application. Are there any in particular that might relate to someone about to live with you for a year?
Respect to your future roommate and their interests, needs, and lifestyle. In other words, show you’re going to be a reasonable person to live with. For example, if you’re a late-night video gamer, mention that you’ll wear earphones. Are your favorite foods on the odiferous side? Be clear that you’re not going to eat them in your share room. You get the idea!
Show an Inviting Attitude. While you don’t want to assume that you and your future roommate will be BFFs on Day One, you do want to show that you’d like to get to know each other and have a good relationship (which could turn into friendship).
Here’s an example of the Stanford Roommate essay…
An Example of the Stanford Roommate Essay
Here’s an example of the Stanford Roommate Essay by one of my students who was admitted.*
*a few details have been modified for privacy
Hey Roomie!
I’m looking forward to meeting you!
The first thing you’ll probably notice about me is that I’m a snackaholic. From my experience, drawing organic chemistry isomers is a lot less tedious with gummy worms at hand so snacks are my secret weapons for long study sessions. I always have a variety of snacks on hand, but what sort of snacks do you like? I can always use a shopping buddy on my Costco runs!
Don’t mind the row of syrups in the corner. I’m also addicted to my daily iced-shaken espresso, and love trying different syrups with it like apple spice and lavender. You’re welcome to use my espresso machine for your own concoctions, but if you don't like coffee, I’m also up for exploring new drink staples in the dorm with you.
I don’t just eat! Lately, I’ve been learning hip-hop and I’ve found it really helps me unwind from the lab. I hope to join a hip-hop team at Stanford. Maybe we can turn our dorm’s hardwood into a dance floor? We could get on Dancing with the Stars!
I’m really excited to explore Stanford and all of its experiences like FLICKS. I hope that you’ll be up for joining me for a FLICKS movie night sometime!
College life is going to be a whirlwind. I can’t wait to meet you, learn about what you’re into, and being part of each others’ experiences. :)
[Name]
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Are you applying to NYU? Check out my blog on How to Write the NYU Supplemental Essay (with an Example!).
Are you applying to the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn)? Check out my guide: How to Write the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) Supplemental Essays (with Examples!)
Are you applying to the University of Southern California (USC)? Check out my guide: How to Write the University of Southern California (USC) Supplemental Essays (with Examples!)
Or How to Write the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill (UNC) Supplemental Essays (with Examples!)
Are you applying to Carnegie-Mellon University (CMU) ? Check out my gude to How to Write the Carnegie-Mellon (CMU) Supplemental Essays (with Examples!).
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