Chance a Stanford Hopeful?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Hi :)
So a bit of background information first: I was born in Costa Rica left when I was 5 and went to California where I spent 10 years (I am officially a US Citizen) and then went back to Costa Rica. I spent all of freshman and half of sophomore year in Cali (the school was public and on block schedule) and spent my junior and senior equivalent in Costa Rica (a private religious school). </p>

<p>Stats:
Class Rank: Top 5%
GPA (unweighted): 3.9
SAT: 1650
SAT II: Spanish w/ listening: 800</p>

<p>** Extracurricular: **
Graphic Design Intern (2 yrs)
Volunteered at a Non-Profit Organization: Ecology Project International
Varsity Swimming (4 yrs)
City Swimming (In Costa Rica) (2 yrs)
In Harmony Club (2 yrs, VP)
County Honor Choir (2 yrs) frequent soloist, soprano II
School Government (Costa Rica) VP </p>

<p>** Other: **
I'm planning on applying REA. I am a first generation and I'm Hispanic</p>

2

<p>Not good. That SAT needs to go up dramatically. A 2100+ will put you into consideration, but even then your ECs look sorta generic. Could you explain your commitment to them in more detail?</p>

<p>Also, while your Spanish subject test is impressive, I am assuming you speak the language which neutralizes that score. You definitely need to excell in Subject tests other than spanish (and two of them is preferred).</p>

3

<p>By Stanford standards that SAT is really low. </p>

<p>Also, as divy said, if you’re a native speaker for Spanish then scoring well on the SAT II isn’t really going to be that impressive. </p>

<p>Yes you’re a hooked applicant, but your SAT is really low and nothing amazing EC wise.</p>

4

<p>Yea I know my SAT is really low but thanks for the feedback :)</p>

5

<p>Your SAT is very low for Stanford. I’d say bring that up if you want a better shot.</p>

6

<p>Thank you :)</p>

7

<p>You need to stand out in a crowd. Look into your experiences and find something totally unique about yourself. Talk with people who know you well. They maybe able to help you identify one or more of these kinds of qualities. Start studying night & day for the SAT. You need to ace it. When I was at Stanford everyone I met was one of a kind. If it is truly meant to be, the Adcom will recognize you.</p>

8

<p>Your GPA and rank is good, however as everyone else said, you’ll be needing a 2100+ (preferably 2200+) on your SAT to have a shot. It’s also possible that the SAT is not your style, and you may do a lot better on the ACT. The ACT is surprisingly different in format and content, and if you can pull off a 33+ you’ll be fine. It would also help if you took one or two more subject tests and score 700+ (750+ is ideal). But the subject tests aren’t required and probably won’t make that much difference in your case.</p>

<p>But separate from test scores, the main focus that Stanford has is on ECs. This is also where you seem to be lacking the most. The ECs that you have seem to be fairly generic with nothing that stands out. Most people that are admitted will have some sort of unique talent, impressive activity, or major accomplishment/award that sets them apart from most other applicants.</p>

<p>At this point, all you can do is get a couple excellent letters of recommendation from your teachers and write amazing essays. The essays can make all the difference, so really focus on those. Being a URM and first gen are definitely hooks, but are not a guarantee. Good luck!</p>

9

<p>Thank you so much guys! I’m keep trying my best to make a great application. Btw I know my EC sound generic but it’s better when I explain them. Also, Thanks SAT128 I have been thinking about taking the ACT so i’ll see how that goes.</p>