Already accepted at Stanford and my safety schools. Waiting on:
- Harvard
- Brown
- USC
- UC Berkeley
Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1590
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): Uhh like 3.5? It wasn’t very high
Senior Year Course Load: Full IB diploma program.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Just some international music awards, nothing TOO big.
Extracurriculars:
-Co-founder entrepreneur group (started up and sold 1 company)
-Rugby (scouted by Stanford)
-Track and Field (provincially ranked, didn’t make it to the national level)
-Research (published 1 paper and won several awards)
-Piano (internationally ranked, won many awards)
-HSMUN
-Debate (just some minor awards)
-Peer tutoring
-Student council
Job/Work Experience: Piano teacher
Volunteer/Community service: Unicef, local community charity events, tutoring, a lot of in school stuff
Summer Activities: Research at university, work, volunteering, summer school (I KNOW LOL)
School type: Public high school
Oh! And my intended major is pharmacology!
Hey there - it seems you have a pretty good chance at all of the schools you mentioned above - but as you stated, you were already accepted into Stanford (I’m assuming EA). Why are you not attending Stanford? It is a very selective program with some amazing students.
In terms of your grades, everything looks great. Perhaps GPA a bit low, but schools do accept GPAs in different ranges especially as you are in the IB diploma program. If you list the courses you took in the IB program, I might be able to give you a better idea of how someone might view your classes and relate them to your interest in pharmacology (ex: HL bio, SL chemistry, HL math, etc.)
Extracurriculars: you haven’t given me too much info to go off of - if you want to PM me more specific stats I could give you a more informed view. Currently, I don’t understand how exactly “international music awards and not TOO big” go together, your leadership/team role in your extracurricular clubs, and how potentially your summer research at a university and entrepreneur group relate to pharmacology (these seem like your strong points).
Universities want to see a relationship between your extracurriculars and what you have a passion in/intend to pursue. Let me know (if you are uncomfortable posting just PM me). But if you understand the connection and you are able to describe it on an essay, then you are set! Good luck and congratulations on your acceptances.
will you really attend these schools over Stanford? I don’t understand the need to apply to these other schools and take spots from students who are also applying. Nonetheless, if you can get into Stanford you will likely get into all other schools with the exception of Harvard, which is still possible.
“I don’t understand the need to apply to these other schools and take spots from students who are also applying.”
She has every right to apply to all these other schools without you trying to make her feel guilty for doing so. What if Harvard accepts her and the difference in the FA offer is quite significant, among other considerations?
“Nonetheless, if you can get into Stanford you will likely get into all other schools…”
Not so fast. That’s not the way admissions work. You could get into the very top schools like Stanford or Harvard and get rejected by others. Happens all the time. Why? At that level, things are pretty much a crapshoot.
@7eeer33 Thank you so much for your feedback! Although Stanford IS technically my first choice, I do like having some variety to choose from. Thanks so much again!
@kjake2000 Am I not allowed to apply to more than one school lmao
@averagebean Hi there, congratulations on getting into Stanford and on your very good test scores! I am a sophomore in high school this year, do you have any advice on how to manage so much? Or on how to get into a good school like Stanford?
Congrats on your acceptance to Stanford :). You have a lot of good EC’s/academic achievements. You shouldn’t have a problem getting into the other universities you’ve applied to. As far as Harvard however, I think they’re a lot more selective and less lenient than Stanford, but regardless, you’re at a very good standing.
@xivydreamsx Do something you’re truly passionate about, colleges like seeing that you’re dedicated in a couple things and that you’re growing in them. When application time comes, focus on the essays and reveal your actual self/personality within them, and avoid bloating them. If you have a few minutes and want a good read, I suggest taking a look at this: https://gist.github.com/tonybruess/237ce55cdf701f7e1a41. He was accepted to Stanford and publicized some the essays he wrote.
@xivydreamsx I’ve never been an organized person nor was I a very diligent student (as you can see from my GPA). The number one thing would be to start early. Like the lovely person above me suggested, do something you’re passionate about. Start a non-profit that impacts the world, become a national tennis champion, run a club that changes your school community… There are countless options. Best of luck! 
@acharige Thanks so much for your feedback!
Let us know how it all works out. It would be interesting to hear for instance admitted to Stanford, but not Harvard. thanks
No need to wait. There are nearly 700 students from California attended Stanford as freshmen each year, but only 250 go to Harvard.
@averagebean @acharige Thank you both for the advice!