Each year, Stanford selects three books for its incoming class to read.  This year’s list encompasses a theme of globality and migration.

Stanford’s 2018 list can be found here.

Great readers become great writers, and applicants seeking to earn admission to Stanford and other selective colleges will be required to write essays that show perspective.

Simply focusing on the essays when evaluating this year’s list would miss a bigger point: colleges are looking for students with appreciation for other parts of the world.  We live in an interconnected world.  Colleges are looking for the next generation of problem solvers who can apply their education to address serious issues at home and abroad.  It is part of the reason there is a foreign language requirement and that colleges take into consideration community service as part of the admissions process. 

In short, colleges are looking for students with demonstrated aptitude for contributing to a global marketplace of ideas and solutions for tough problems at home and abroad.  Tailor high school experiences to demonstrate an openness to different cultures and ideas.  Continue with foreign language studies that reinforce this.  Most importantly, not just for the applications, but for your personal development, expose yourself to different people, places, ideas, and issues, so you can gain a perspective to address them in the years to come.