I subscribe to what the New York Times dubs “the most welcomed piece of daily e-mail in cyberspace.” Cat pictures? Kardashian updates? Nope: A Word A Day. Out of the collection of diverse words I received, one word stuck out to me in particular.  Entoptic: relating to images that originate within the eye (as opposed to from light entering the eye). Examples of entoptic phenomena: floaters, thread-like fragments that appear to float in front of the eye but are caused...

Briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (150 word limit) “The word is YES, say it a million times…it always leads to something good.” Jim Carrey, Yes Man But there are dangers to being a Yes Man. Accepting opportunities and information without questioning can lead to sticky situations and embarrassing moments. Fortunately, my participation in policy debate has taught me to be anything but a yes man. Sifting through databases of information to research both sides...

Stanford students possess an intellectual vitality. Reflect on an idea or experience that has been important to your intellectual development. (250 word limit) What’s more probable: dying from a shark attack, or dying from falling airplane parts? Surprisingly, the answer is falling airplane parts. But why does our intuition point us towards shark attacks? The answer lies in the availability heuristic, or the WYSIATI (“what you see is all there is”) rule, which describes how our minds evaluate decisions based...

Although you may not yet know what you want to major in, which department or program at MIT appeals to you and why? (100 words or fewer) I am drawn to both the Brain and Cognitive Sciences and the Linguistics and Philosophy programs at MIT. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated with computers, starting with trying to hack the online game Club Penguin when I was five to make my penguin waddle faster. Throughout high school,...

Tell us about the most significant challenge you’ve faced or something important that didn’t go according to plan. How did you manage the situation? (200-250 words) There is something indescribably cathartic about staring at the stripe at the bottom of the pool, lungs burning, fighting to touch the wall first. That’s not to mention the exhilarating feeling of pure camaraderie after a tough workout—high-fives and smiles all around. Hopping in the pool is one of my...