College Essay

Opening Lines from Stanford University Admission Essays

Here are some of Stanford admission officers’ favorite opening lines from the school’s 2012 graduating class. Put them in order according to preference and think about what the essay might be about:

1. “I have old hands.”

2. “The spaghetti burbled and slushed around the pan, and as I stirred it, the noises it gave off began to sound increasingly like bodily functions.”

3. “I’ve been surfing Lake Michigan since I was 3 years old.”

4. “On a hot Hollywood evening, I sat on a bike, sweltering in a winter coat and furry boots.”

5. “As an Indian-American, I am forever bound to the hyphen.”

6. “I change my name each time I place an order at Starbucks.”

7. “When I was in eighth grade I couldn’t read.”

8. “Sitting cross-legged on the floor of a Bhimanagar slum dwelling in Bangalore, I ran my fingers across a fresh cut on my forehead.”

9. “Some fathers might disapprove of their children handling noxious chemicals in the garage.”