這篇essay幫她斬獲了斯坦福和五所藤校！

剛剛高中畢業(yè)的Brittany Stinson憑借她的一篇essay斬獲了斯坦福大學(xué)以及常青藤的五所大學(xué)：耶魯、哥大、賓夕法尼亞大學(xué)、達(dá)特茅斯和康奈爾大學(xué)，要知道斯坦福的錄取率要比常青藤的這五所大學(xué)的都要低，只有4.69%，能夠憑借一篇短短幾百字的短文就那些這些學(xué)校，這樣的能力也是沒誰(shuí)了。而她所申請(qǐng)到的學(xué)校不止以上的這些，還有約翰·霍普金斯大學(xué)、西北大學(xué)、紐約大學(xué)一波士頓大學(xué)。最近剛出消息，說她最終選擇了斯坦福!你一定跟我一樣，對(duì)這篇牛到?jīng)]朋友的essay很好奇，那么下面就來看看，小編給你找到了。

Prompt 1: Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

Managing to break free from my mother’s grasp, I charged. With arms flailing and chubby legs fluttering beneath me, I was the ferocious two- year old rampaging through Costco on a Saturday morning. My mother’s eyes widened in horror as I jettisoned my churro; the cinnamon-sugar rocket gracefully sliced its way through the air while I continued my spree. I sprinted through the aisles, looking up in awe at the massive bulk products that towered over me. Overcome with wonder, I wanted to touch and taste, to stick my head into industrial-sized freezers, to explore every crevice. I was a conquistador, but rather than searching the land for El Dorado, I scoured aisles for free samples. Before inevitably being whisked away into a shopping cart, I scaled a mountain of plush toys and surveyed the expanse that lay before me: the kingdom of Costco.

Notorious for its oversized portions and dollar-fifty hot dog combo, Costco is the apex of consumerism. From the days spent being toted around in a shopping cart to when I was finally tall enough to reach lofty sample trays, Costco has endured a steady presence throughout my life. As a veteran Costco shopper, I navigate the aisles of foodstuffs, thrusting the majority of my weight upon a generously filled shopping cart whose enormity juxtaposes my small frame. Over time, I’ve developed a habit of observing fellow patrons tote their carts piled with frozen burritos, cheese puffs, tubs of ice cream, and weight-loss supplements. Perusing the aisles gave me time to ponder. Who needs three pounds of sour cream? Was cultured yogurt any more well-mannered than its uncultured counterpart? Costco gave birth to my unfettered curiosity.

While enjoying an obligatory hot dog, I did not find myself thinking about the ‘all beef’ goodness that Costco boasted. I instead considered finitudes and infinitudes, unimagined uses for tubs of sour cream, the projectile motion of said tub when launched from an eighty foot shelf or maybe when pushed from a speedy cart by a scrawny seventeen year old. I contemplated the philosophical: If there exists a thirty-three ounce jar of Nutella, do we really have free will? I experienced a harsh physics lesson while observing a shopper who had no evident familiarity of inertia's workings. With a cart filled to overflowing, she made her way towards the sloped exit, continuing to push and push while steadily losing control until the cart escaped her and went crashing into a concrete column, 52” plasma screen TV and all. Purchasing the yuletide hickory smoked ham inevitably led to a conversation between my father and me about Andrew Jackson’s controversiality. There was no questioning Old Hickory’s dedication; he was steadfast in his beliefs and pursuits – qualities I am compelled to admire, yet his morals were crooked. We both found the ham to be more likeable–and tender.

I adopted my exploratory skills, fine tuned by Costco, towards my intellectual endeavors. Just as I sampled buffalo-chicken dip or chocolate truffles, I probed the realms of history, dance and biology, all in pursuit of the ideal cart–one overflowing with theoretical situations and notions both silly and serious. I sampled calculus, cross-country running, scientific research, all of which are now household favorites. With cart in hand, I do what scares me; I absorb the warehouse that is the world. Whether it be through attempting aerial yoga, learning how to chart blackbody radiation using astronomical software, or dancing in front of hundreds of people, I am compelled to try any activity that interests me in the slightest.

My intense desire to know, to explore beyond the bounds of rational thought; this is what defines me. Costco fuels my insatiability and cultivates curiosity within me at a cellular level. Encoded to immerse myself in the unknown, I find it difficult to complacently accept the “what”; I want to hunt for the “whys” and dissect the “hows”. In essence, I subsist on discovery.

這些美國(guó)名校錄取Brittany Stinson，essay雖然起了很大的作用，但是她別的方面也非常優(yōu)秀。她在高中就讀期間，每年都是班里的第一名，她的加權(quán)GPA高達(dá)4.9，未加權(quán)的GPA是4.0。上個(gè)暑假，她還參加了麻省理工學(xué)院的一些關(guān)于天體物理以及科學(xué)寫作等等方面的課程。她的葡萄牙語(yǔ)和西班牙語(yǔ)都非常流利。高中，除了學(xué)校的課程之外，她還修了八門進(jìn)階先修課程。她說她有些羞澀，但是堅(jiān)持做真實(shí)的自己，也能夠很好地展示自己。想要申請(qǐng)牛校的同學(xué)們，可以參考借鑒一下。