My home is the workshop. I think I’m luckier than most, in that my home is not a single place: I am happy to be in any workshop. In my own workshop, wedged in my crowded garage, I’ve built everything from a hot-air balloon to an ornate metal helmet to a functional coal forge. I’ve made knives, model rockets, fire pokers, and Rube Goldberg machines. Making things is one of the greatest joys of my life. This...

Name your favorite books, authors, films, and/or artists. (50 word limit) Books: The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man’s Fear, by Patrick Rothfuss. The Swerve, by Stephen Greenblatt The Pleasure of Finding Things Out, by Richard Feynman Artists: Marquese Scott Ellie Goulding Pentatonix The Piano Guys Maroon 5 Films: The Illusionist The Lord of the Rings

What newspapers, magazines, and/or websites do you enjoy? (50 word limit) Cracked.com fourhourworkweek.com bulletproofexec.com the-whiteboard.com Scientific American Wired Popular Science Boston Globe comic pages

What is the most significant challenge that society faces today? (50 word limit) Keeping from killing each other long enough to stop killing everything else. Preventing climate change is, by its nature, a modified prisoner’s dilemma. The only way to “win” the prisoner’s dilemma is to cooperate with the other party, and we cannot do that if we’re at each other’s throats.

What were your favorite events (e.g., performances, exhibits, competitions, conferences, etc.) in recent years? (50 word limit) Pentatonix concert in Boston, Piano Guys concert, unofficial Mountain School reunions, performing in Wicked Sketchy (Milton Academy’s sketch comedy show), Smart People and Pippin at the ART in Cambridge.

What historical moment or event do you wish you could have witnessed? (50 word limit) The resurrection of Jesus Christ. I believe in God, but I do not believe that Jesus Christ was divine. I think he was a deeply moral man and a brilliant communicator. Either he faked it, or his followers distorted the truth afterwards. I’d like to know how he did it.

What five words best describe you? Intelligent, funny, blunt, immersed, loyal

Stanford students possess an intellectual vitality. Reflect on an idea or experience that has been important to your intellectual development. (100 to 250 words) “Everything is interesting if you go into it deeply enough.”—Richard Feynman. One of the reasons why I admire him so much is that he refused to be confined to a narrow intellectual field. I love the idea of a Nobel Laureate in Physics who picks locks, plays the bongos, and dabbles in fields from molecular biology to...

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—know you better. (100 to 250 words) Hi new roommate, Dorm life is one of the parts of the Mountain School that I miss the most, so I’m super excited to be in a dorm again! At The Mountain School, a semester school in Vermont, I shared a room with a chill...

What matters to you, and why? (100 to 250 words) I care most about my friends and family, for purely selfish reasons. Though almost everything I do is focused towards the ultimate goal of leaving a mark on the world, what I really want is to be happy. I certainly get satisfaction from making things and learning more about the world, but I’ve found the love of friends and family to be infinitely more fulfilling. If I mess up and ruin...

I worked hard on these essays, but I didn't edit them too much after I decided on a topic and an approach. It's important to allow your voice to come through.

I interviewed with both Stanford and Yale. In both cases, the interview was very relaxed, and...

Honestly, I followed my passion. And guess what? My passion changed over time. That's ok. I tried a crapton of activities and...

Try to get an internship in a field similar to what you're interested in. You don't have to...