<p>Hi! I'm an incoming (Class of 2018) Stanford undergrad. CC was very useful for me in high school, and even though I never posted myself, I gained a lot of useful information from it. So, I thought I might give back by creating this thread for people to ask any questions they might have about high school or admissions in general (or spec. to Stanford). </p>
<p>MODERATOR'S NOTE: Anyone is welcome to ask or answer questions in this thread.</p>
<p>What kind of ECs did you do in high school? I plan on applying to Stanford, but I’m afraid that I won’t be able to stack up against the people who did a bunch of ECs, received major awards, were great athletes, and all that. </p>
<p>do you know any Canadians who got in (how high were their marks D:)?</p>
<p>@screamingpumpkin- Hi there! I’m also a rising freshman for the class of 2018. I didn’t have any major awards, I wasn’t a recruited athlete or legacy or anything like that. One thing that I didn’t realize until I applied was that there are only so many (10, I believe) slots for extra curriculars on the common app. I ended up excluding a number of my high school activities because I didn’t feel they were powerful enough to take up one of the valuable slots. There’s no need to be the person who is a member of 25 clubs – become the president of the ONE club you love. Then build a website to spread awareness about it. Or plan an event for the members and your community. Or make it into a service project where you can give back. Then make it bigger.
That’s obviously just a bad example, but you get my point! Stanford (and a lot of other schools) don’t care how many ECs you were half heartedly involved in. They care about your passions! How big were/are your dreams, and what did you do to chase after them? What I’ve noticed among my fellow admits is that there is no thinking too big.</p>
<p>@gummylemons- I do know of Canadians who got in! They’re all very nice. Unfortunately, I have no idea what their stats were. Sorry about that :(</p>
<p>Another 2018er here. I second @Bingo77. I didn’t have major awards or anything and I never thought I could get in, but I guess what I did have was passion. I committed myself to a few EC’s and did everything I could with them.</p>
<p>I also think Stanford highly values the essays, and I believe it was the deal breaker for me. The essays give you a chance to exhibit your personality and make them WANT to admit you. </p>
<p>Did you apply REA and do you think it’s advisable to apply REA if not a legacy or recruited athlete? As I start my college applications, do you have any advice in general or Stanford specific for me to keep in mind. Thank you </p>
<p>Thank you @guccigirl and @Bingo77; you have made me feel a lot better. These essays have me second-guessing everything I write, though. I just want it to be the best portrayal of myself, but I have so many ideas.</p>
<p>Thank you for doing this thread! I see on the website that they say SAT II’s are highly recommended, did you have these and if so which ones did you take? </p>
<p>I don’t want to hijack this thread… but will do so only because it seems like @farm18 isn’t really active.</p>
<p>@AnewCrown I got in RD I wanted more time to work on the essays, but I think REA is a good idea if you are 100% sure Stanford is your #1. They have less applications and more time to look at your application thoroughly. Even though alot of legacies and athletes get in REA, I have met a few “unhooked” applicants who get in too… it’s possible. </p>
<p>@eespos1 I think most people take SAT II’s. Personally I took Math, USH, Physics. </p>
<p>Another 2018er…</p>
<p>@eespos1, Even though I had a couple of SAT II scores in the 700s, for some reason or another, I decided not to submit them to Stanford, so it’s definitely possible to get in without them. That being said, I submitted ACT’s with writing and SAT I’s, so that may have had something to do with it. I think most students who submit SAT I’s probably submit SAT II’s as well because most other schools require them. </p>
<p>In case someone cares, after seeing hopefullyhopeles’ post, I checked and looks like for Stanford, one can use score choice on SAT subjects. I thought score choice was disallowed completely, but apparently not. That can potentially help some people.</p>
<p>If I got a bad score on SAT, but a good score on ACT, would my SAT score hurt my chance?
Also, what if I have high subscores for 3 sections, but low subscore for 1 section on ACT?</p>
<p>@Aguileon , it’s hard to say. (Current Stanford sophomore here). Honestly, submit the scores that make you look the best, and if you have a lower subscore it shouldn’t be too much of a problem. They really are looking at the whole applicant. If you have something that makes you stand out elsewhere in your application, one low subscore won’t prevent you from getting in.</p>
<p>That said, it’s a total random lottery sometimes, and even if you had a 2400 you might not get in for something totally arbitrary. Don’t stress too much, it’s just not worth it.</p>
<p>I will be applying this year and I would like to know about how to submit my research work. My research was published in an international peer-reviewed journal and a few national journals(peer-reviewed too) and I also went to the Intel ISEF. Should I just mention an abstract and give them a link to those papers or should I submit the whole paper? If I should submit the whole paper how should I do that?
Is there some sort of a deadline? It would be nice of you if you let me know about the exact process.</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>@humblefool. Please read the directions stated on Stanford’s application process…what they want and what they don’t want submitted. It is clear.
<a href=“Page Not Found : Stanford University”>Page Not Found : Stanford University;
<p>
You should have plenty of opportunities to talk about your research, Intel ISEF, and your paper in one of your essays along with your short answers section…
…remember, they want to see your essay writing skills along with your passion for your work…</p>
<p>Hope this helps.</p>
<p>@gravitas2 I did check it out. Thanks for clearing my doubts!</p>
<p>Hey! Is there any chance I could PM any current Stanford students with some quick questions? Thanks :)</p>
<p>@farm18 @brownie789</p>
<p>Class of 2017 student:</p>
<p>@AnewCrown If you know Stanford is your #1 school, apply early; it cannot hurt you and they give honest decisions (unlike some schools that defer the bulk of students, while knowing some will just be rejected regular – if you are in the small amount of students deferred, you know you have a legitimate shot in the regular round). I think the big benefit is you get to find out your decision a bit earlier. Personally though I applied regular, and I don’t think there’s a big difference in your chances for the majority of applicants either way.</p>
<p>@eespos1 Yep, and I would recommend taking them, since it is a good way of showing off your skills in subjects YOU choose, rather than the subjects you have to practice for in the ACT or SAT I. For example, I showed my knowledge in US and World History, something that otherwise wouldn’t be communicated in my standardized test scores.</p>
<p>I know that Stanford is a reach, even if you are legacy, an athlete, perfect SAT scores, etc. And I know reading CC is not a scientifically reliable sample of applicants or current students. But when we toured the guide mentioned that while they had a film department, by far the most popular majors were more Econ and the Sciences. My son is very interested in film, more studies than production and is and IB Diploma candidate with IB Film. Could that help to make his application a bit more interesting to admissions? He is also top of his class (possibly Salutatorian, great test scores, Destination Imagination, started a club sport at the school, TA at Hebrew School, Student Government …all the typical stuff) But we have no hooks in terms of geography (NY), legacy, athlete, etc. </p>
<p>@twoboys2 It certainly could make your son stand out, especially if he’s had a lot of experience in film and can show that experience, dedication, and, most importantly, passion on his application. A demonstrated passion in one extracurricular area can be the strongest hook of all–many of my friends here agree that this kind of hook was what landed them the fat envelope (or, more accurately, the long email). In the end, really, your son stands very little to lose by applying, save the $90 fee and a little wounded pride. If you’re really interested in Stanford admissions, I highly recommend that you read this article, which was recently published in our alumni magazine. In it, both the Dean and Assistant Dean of Stanford Undergraduate admissions talk about what goes on behind the scenes. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions.</p>
<p><a href=“Stanford Magazine - Article”>Stanford Magazine - Article;
<p>@SippingCoffee feel free to pm me too 
</p>