Canadian Applying to Stanford

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hi everyone!</p>

<p>I'm confused, because I want to go to Stanford but I'm worried about my inconsistent record. In Grade 10 I spent three weeks in hospital and it messed up my grades. I took semi-difficult courses early on because I didn't want to overburden myself when I was sick.</p>

<p>Ethnicity: Half white, half Indian.</p>

<p>Grade 10 - approx. average = 84%
Grade 11 - approx. 91.5%
Grade 12 - expected 93%</p>

<p>SATS - over 700 on Verbal and Writing, expected 650 on Math</p>

<p>Essays - This is where I think I can excel. I'm a talented writer and feel that I have a lot to share about my experience in a bi-cultural family and my time in the hospital).</p>

<p>Recommendations - Killer recs.</p>

<p>Extra-curriculars
I've done a lot related to my stay in hospital. I led the Lit. Society back to the ward I stayed in, and we read the patients poems and stories. I led the collection of about 200 books to donate to the hospital because it was in such short supply. I gave an interview to TVO about my time there and what it was like, and then organized a mental health fundraiser that raised about $8000.</p>

<ul>
<li>president of Literary Society (32 members)</li>
<li>won the Canada Shad Cup award for marketing (led a marketing team of students to win a marketing plan competition)</li>
<li>attended Shad Valley: engineering, business, math program</li>
<li>active member: Enviro. Club, Space Society (treasurer), Grad Council, Debating Team, African Fundraising Committee</li>
<li>helped to organize fundraiser for India that raised thousands of dollars</li>
<li>counsellor at environment education camp</li>
<li>organized school diversity show, with several hundred audience members</li>
<li>winner of multiple city-wide writing competitions (I love writing)</li>
<li>organized publication of school and community-wide literary magazine</li>
<li>organized events such as open poetry readings</li>
<li>volunteer hours: around 250 doing many different things</li>
</ul>

<p>... I have more ECs, but I'll stop listing here.</p>

<p>Couple questions: Do I stand a chance? What is my GPA (how do you calculate it)? Can I take my SATs any later than December 3rd for Stanford?</p>

<p>Thanks, guys and girls.</p>

2

<p>You definetly stand a chance.
Stanford really likes people with so much leadership and they look beyond grades...
Their selection process is sometimes kind of random and I heard that they'll even take people with low GPA's if they're "unique".
It sounds like you might have between a 3.5-4.0 GPA.
You can clarify your inconsistent records in the essay portion of the application.</p>

<p>Good Luck!</p>

3

<p>Yes, however, it is a reach. 3.5 - 3.65 depending on how your averages are determined. You can probably take the January SAT but you would have to make this clear to them so that they hold off on reviewing your application until after the Jan. scores come out(this is how NYU and most colleges handle this).</p>

4

<p>3.5-3.65? are you talking about the GPA red sox? because he has over 4.0!
i think stanford is keen on essays, so you have great chance, but you'll have lots of competitors from Canada, good luck :)</p>

5

<p>I thought a 4.0 was a 95 (3.5=90, etc)</p>

6

<p>There was a girl here last year who won the $3000 scholarship to shad valley and was rejected from all the american schools she applied to (MIT, Caltech, Harvard etc.)</p>

<p>Those grades are low even for canada</p>

7

<p>Don't apply EA... Wait for RD to apply with low freshmen grades</p>

8

<p>one more thing I want to add. Stanford does not offer need blind admission to Canadian applicants (unlike its Ivy league counterparts). So if you are seeking fin aid, the competition there is fierce</p>

9

<p>Thanks for both the encouraging and honest replies! I'm planning to say that I can only afford 20 000 USD, so does that make it very unlikely that I'll get in? Also, I was thinking of taking an extra semester and meanwhile improve grade, SATs, and ECs. And then over the summer, teach English to little kids in India for 2 months (my parents have connections). Would thta improve chances?</p>

<p>Thanks again.</p>

10

<p>depends on your school's grading system, some canadian schools have 86% as As so 90% would be like 3.7 GPA wise (check out the UT converter for canadian GPAs)
also what kind of classes are you taking? AP? IB?
the financial is definetly going to hurt you though.</p>

11

<p>yeah, Stanford doesn't want to give a single cent!!! when you apply with your stats, if you were willing to pay in full, i would say you had about 10%ish (which is really good)
but if you don't got enough dough, then i am sorry to say your chances are very very very very very low :(
i applied saying i was willing to pay full tuition and others(i was willing to take out 200k loan, yup that's how crazy i was) but i was rejected b/c i was a very weak applicant</p>