<p>I think this is a more appropriate question. My friend was cautioned against applying to Stanford agressively. She got in and we are all THRILLED!
Her SAT I and II's were high 600's and one low 700. 3 AP's in 4 yrs of high school. 89-91 GPA. EC's ordinary. NO valedictorian, No Captain, ordinary sports no major awards. The school said Don't apply because you will hurt the stats of the high school- you will never get in. Well she did! She is from the east coast ( NY wealthy suburb- not my town haha ) maybe it is easier to get in from the east coast?
What does everyone think? Maybe this helps RD's choosing schools. Take a chance despite what guidance offices tell us?</p>
<p>it musta been her essays.....</p>
<p>yeah but only 3 AP's in 4 years I have a feeling the guidance offices are not helping the kids- they are ineffective gatekeepers! So everyone on the east coast apply to STANFORD you might have more of a chance than you have been told! GOOD LUCK</p>
<p>No it's not easier to get in as a student in the East Coast</p>
<p>This is coming from a guy who just got rejected. I'm from CT. My SAT Is were 790M, 730R, 680W and my SAT IIs were 790 (Math IIC), 760 (Chem), 730 (Physics) and 720 (US Hist). HS average was a 92.6 and in total I will have taken 5 APs in HS, two of which i got 5's on last year (US and Chem). Major ECs were captian of my Lacrosse team, Academic Decathlon State Champion and a summer internship at Yale for which I am about to publish a ten page engineering research paper in Green Chemistry with a Yale Prof.. I even had a head of one of the engineering departments, who a friend knew, put in a good word for me. </p>
<p>So I would refrain from calling the standards exaggerated, esoteric maybe. Though, maybe its just me.</p>
<p>^^^same here:
valedictorian from my school with a 2340 sat, 800 math2c, 800 chemistry, 800 bio, 800 us history, AP 5s on US, World, Bio, and Chem. Taking five APs this year. Over 400 hours of com. serv. Interned at the local hospital for 2 years. wasnt intending on applying for fin. aid and was a CA resident. And got flat out rejected.</p>
<p>again, it's not all about the stats</p>
<p>oh well</p>
<p>Kathy, did your friend apply SCEA?</p>
<p>Well I wouldnt say they are exaggerating because im sure most anyone would have said she had no chance. Atleast I would have said so. Also it is definitely NOT easier to get in from the east coas,t and if you look at the thread in this board you will see a lot of east coasters with very competitive stats, who either got deferred or rejected. Im from MA, got deferred, and had pretty competitive stats. Im sure the whole story is not being told here. Recs could have been outstanding, as could have essays, sounds like she was welathy, maybe a legacy or a URM, or something.</p>
<p>With Stanford and practically any other elite university, anything can happen. For instance, I had a 4.0, 1600, 2340 SAT IIs, great recs, decent ECs, and I wrote (at least I thought so) unique essays. Still, I didn't have what they were looking for so I was deferred.</p>
<p>OK she is here with me as we write this. The point we thought we would make is that the schools she was encouraged to apply to according to her stats according to her guidance office were Purdue,U Conn, Rutgers, Boston Univ, Univ Miami FLorida, Pepperdine, GW, Fordham. She applied early because she dreamed of going to Stanford loved the campus one summer when she visited a cousin who did not go there but lived nearby. She said the heck with it If I dont try I will never know. The guidance office had a fit she did not care she applied early anyway. I gave you her stats, no legacy for sure, mother saleswoman and father sells Insurance. There is no other story here except why did they reject people with such amazing credentials according to your thread and take her instead. She is a nice white girl from suburbia german, english, polish. So everyone maybe it is a lottery at some point? Who knows? If that is true shouldn't we try for a dream school then?</p>
<p>You should always try. I didn't think I would get in either. It really has been a dream come true.</p>
<p>this is definately the lesson TRY and don't listen to your guidance office listen to your heart! If numbers dont always count then ignore them and go for it. THAT is the lesson I think. Everyone at our school is shocked especially her family that she got in... She was hoping for Pepperdine maybe and here she is at Stanford and my other friend with the same grades hardly any AP's and she is going to Vanderbilt- these are not the same sort of schools right?</p>
<p>Kathy, you keep posting this and everyone will give you the same answer: she must have had other characteristics that Stanford liked. Stanford is extremely difficult to get into and many of my friends who are extremely qualified did not get in. As i posted in a previous thread, I have a friend who got into Yale with a 2020 SAT. Stats are not everything. Further, someone who gets into Yale may be denied by Stanford and vice versa.</p>
<p>What major did she apply for? Maybe that made a difference. I just got rejected from their Biology Program. I had a horrible SAT score, 2050 (620M, 690V, 740W). I only applied SCEA because my sister is there right now doing a masters. I knew I wouldn't get in, my SAT Subject test scores were 700 in Math level 1, 670 in Biology E and 630 in Chemistry(I left 15 questions unanswered due to lack of time).
My essays were OK, the long one was too long:)
My academics were...4th in a class of 15 studying the most rigorous programme in the school (terrible, I know), a paper presentation at a National Level Seminar on Biotechnology, independent research on monoclonal antibodies, cancer cells and protein folding in the 11th and 12th standards, a project on natural symmetry in the 10th standard and the highest in biology, chemistry and english in the 10th standard prefinal paper.
I also wrote two research papers on stem cell research and therapeutic cloning that met the Dupont India Science challenge 2004. Besides, I have maintained excellent and high biology grades throughout my schooling.
My extracurriculars were not that ordinary.
I have been an avid birdwatcher since age 7, that's ten years. I've been a member of the society to save rocks and a student volunteer with them. I'm student editor of my school newsletter and magazine and yearbook, I sent them my only copies:'(
...I don't regret it:).
I've been attending pottery workshops since the 6th standard and taught myself how to play the piano by ear, and can play Fur Elise and the Blue Danube Waltz and Bach's Minuets etc..Without any training...
Also, I design props for Theatreworks, a theatre group, for their plays and they pay me a small percentage of their ticket proceeds to play the piano for them before/during their plays for the audience to shut up and sit down:). I have also acted in musicals(Chava in the Fiddler On The Roof, a musical extravaganza we held at our school last year), plays, and written and produced a school play in high school about career choices.
I've played basketball for my school and was captain of a house team for games in my old high school for a year. I did intra mural athletics and won gold and silver medals in relays.
I also did community service, I went to a village where they had no more electricity than alight bulb or two and taught village children basic science, maths, personal hygiene and english. We also set up a method that would let them produce biogas from cowdung and recycle waste with vermicompost pits. Interesting huh? It was fun!
The essays were OK. I tried to think differently and creatively.
For the roommate essay, I wrote about the first time I donated blood and related that to a general love of life; for the intellectually stimulating idea, I wrote about the human mind and thought patterns and linked it to my plans to study neuroscience; for my meaningful hobby, I wrote about my ten years of birdwatching.
My recommendations were great, my teachers mentioned all my achievements and asked me to read through them once.
It's weird, I really did want to get in, and thought I would hate them if I didn't, but I still love Stanford:). Will try to study there someday. Will get an excellent GRE score and apply for a Masters degree there.
I just wish they would give my newsletters back though:D
But I love the pity I'm getting from my friends!!! They are really being sooooooo nice! Yep. I'm the apple of their eyes right now AND my parents don't mind if I mess up these exams!!!
But honestly, the reject did hurt. I felt bad. It's ok though.
I sincerely conrgatulate all of you brilliant geniuses who've gotten in!!! And for the deferred, YOU STILL HAVE A SHOT!!! Never forget that! At least your letter didn't say-"We are unable to offer you admission to Stanford for fall 2006"
For those who got rejected like I did, REMEMBER- You really are good enough!!! Seriously! There are a million other places just waiting for you to apply!</p>
<p>Kathy Henderson completely underestimates the admissions standards of Stanford University. Every school makes interesting decisions with whom they accept in order to build a class. I know someone with a non-athlete non-URM 1320 at Stanford right now. Is that student undeserving? Not according to the admissions office.</p>
<p>That being said, Stanford's acceptance rate and SAT range would indicate admissions standards as high or higher than HYP.</p>
<p>I agree with Zephyr. I hate when people bring up case scenarios (oh well I have a friend and he got in to such and such and had low scores etc), and then try to make the claim that it isn't that hard or make points that are not supported by a large majority of the facts (like it is somehow drastically easier from being on the east coast. Basically those people got lucky, and I'd be interested to see how they do there as far as grades and such.</p>
<p>Kathy Henderson,</p>
<p>If you go to HYP's boards and look at stats of their admits, you'll also find a few without amazing stats on paper. But for every few of them, there are tons of others with better numbers that got rejected. Stanford can easily fill most of its class with 2300+ if it wants to just to impress people like you.</p>
<p>Well I keep repeating the point and for the final time.. heres the point. maybe just maybe the gatekeepers ( guidance offices in high schools) have got it wrong. Maybe its worth taking a chance to apply to your dream school even though as it happened to her she was told YOU DONT HAVE A CHANCE. I had hoped my posting gave hope to RD applicants. ttfn</p>
<p>Kathy Henderson,
I think you are trying to say that we should apply to our dream schools even if we (or others) think we do not have a chance; however, the way you are presenting your argument is weak. You targeted Stanford specifically when in fact the rest of hyps schools are very similar in their "randomness" of accepting applicants. It is great that your friend was able to get in, but, as everyone has pointed out, she must have had something amazing - I am guessing essays - that overshadowed her weak stats. Now, that does not mean admission to Stanford is easy. It just shows that stats can only get you so far, and they are not the ultimate deciding factor.</p>