Ask questions about applying to Stanford!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Stanford University
1

Hi everyone,

I was recently admitted and will be attending Stanford in the fall! This post was created so that people (mostly future applicants and their parents), can ask for advice on the admissions process, what to include and what not to include, etc.

Please note that anyone can answer / ask questions on this thread. Hopefully this will make the application process a lot easier for everyone :slight_smile:

2

Are admission rates higher for early action because more qualified students apply or do they let in more people?

3

@dwscout

I believe SCEA acceptance rates are higher because they do in fact have more qualified students and also that they let in a lot of athletic recruits and faculty kids.

4

How many ECs with leadership positions (max) could one put on the common app? I’m co-head/founder of a lot and they’re all related to my interests, but I’m just worried that it’ll come across as a lack of commitment

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@Anonymousia Colleges aren’t looking for just the title attained, but also what you do with that title; if you can quantify that you did things in a position - added more members, held a fundraiser, did this or that - then they’ll see the commitment.

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@Anonymousia

On the common app, you are able to list 10 ECs. However, as @hurrican314 stated, the quantity doesn’t matter, it’s the quality. My suggestion would be select the top 5 positions you have that will look the most impressive and go into detail about what you did. As for the remaining 10 slots, I would suggest putting in things that don’t relate to your academic interests.

For example, I listed on my common app the 4 main clubs / organizations I ran. Then, for the other 6 spots, I talked about my research position, the sports I played, and other fun side projects I was working on.

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@GoBears2023 If you don’t mind me asking, what were your hooks/strong points in your college application and what did you write your essays about?

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@sfsmfj123idf

Here’s my entire profile:
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/2100728-chance-me-for-top-cs-schools-p1.html

9

I suspect there was a lot more to how OP came across in his app. Here, he just listed the best of the resume, which is only a part of what it takes.

You can’t be, in real life, just unilateral. You can’t take another’s summary as some formula. First, that’s not the thinking, energy or savvy Stanford looks for, in admits.

OP, from a few of your posts, you seem to be open and aware. That’s a good thing. Best to you.

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@lookingforward Yeah, I agree.

I didn’t have the time to answer in full. For most of my essays, I tried to show off my best qualities and interests without coming off as cocky.

  1. The EC question: I wrote about my involvement with an investment club at school. Basically, I created a VC type of thing where students could pitch and idea and get funding for their company. I talked about how I wanted to give opportunities to aspiring entrepreneurs and help them get the support they needed to have their company take off. Given that Stanford is a pretty big entrepreneurship hub, I think this essay really propelled my application in.
  2. Society challenge: i talked about income gap here and how coming from a low income family really gives you a more realistic view of the world. I gave some personal examples as well.
  3. Last two summers - talked about attending Ross and TASP. Highlighted the skills i gained and people that i met.
  4. Historical Moment - Talked about Alan Turing and solving the enigma. Truly the birth of CS.
  5. Five words to describe myself - inquisitive, resourceful, innovative, passionate, persistent
  6. Read, listen, or watch - I talked about Silicon Valley (the tv show). BEST SHOW EVER.
  7. One thing I look forward to at Stanford - went into detail about the D-School and AI Lab.
  8. Extra Hour - Read CNN to understand current events
  9. Excited About Learning - Talked about the first time I made an app. Went into vivid detail about the moments leading up to the publishing of the app on the App Store.
  10. Roommate - This was one of my favorite essays to do. I talked about how I would make an autonomous room using every day items like magnets and pencils. Gave a few quirky things about myself. My tip here is just talk about you as a person.
  11. Meaningful to me: Talked about football and the skills you gain from it.
11

why your username is GoBears but you will be attending Stanford :frowning:

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@bhoangluu
Good question! When I started my college search, I had my heart set on Cornell, hence the bears 2023. However, I was rejected in the ED round and basically I haven’t changed my name since. It was just by faith that I ended up attending Stanford! Go Cardinal!

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A piece of advice for new people who have not yet registered for this site (or any similar one) - don’t pick a name like HopingForStanford2024; if you get rejected (which we all hope is not the case), your username will not be changed.

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@skieurope
Yeah, I made a questionable decision with my username …

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Especially since I always assumed it was in reference to Berkeley. :error:

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Did you ever end up getting into mop?

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@bobross123
Unfortunately no. My USAMO/USAJMO scores were not high enough

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Have good stats, not amazing. Should I apply EA?

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Do you recommend any tips or books? I am currently doing aops 1 and 2 and am doing practice tests for AMC 12.

20

Hi
Is it a good idea to apply SCEA or regular admission for stanford for CS major?
thanks