Chance me for RD! I chance back!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Stanford University
1

<p>Attend a highly ranked and highly competitive public high school in CA
Rank: Top 5%
GPA UW: 3.97
GPA W: 4.31
Most rigorous courseload offered, will have taken 10 AP classes by graduation</p>

<p>ACT: 34 composite
SAT II: 800 US History, 700 Bio/E</p>

<p>AP scores: World (5), US History (5), English Lang (5), Biology (4), Spanish (3)</p>

<p>ECs:
Yearbook- Editor in Chief (12th), Section Editor (11th), Social Chair (11th), Staff (9-12) HUGE TIME COMMITTMENT
Junior Statesmen of America- Chapter Coordinator (12), Business Manager (11), Member (9-12)
National Honor Society- (11-12)
Youth and Government- (11)
Human Relations Council- (10)
Peer Tutor- (10-12)
Intern at a commercial real estate firm
Intern at a law firm with a marketing director
Girls Inc.- Volunteer for community service
140 Community Service hours
AP Scholar with Distinction</p>

<p>Legacy: grandmother and aunt graduated from Stanford</p>

<p>Strengths- GPA, Class Rank, ACT score</p>

2

<p>You have a very good resume!! It’s hard to say, but definitely the most important part is your essays. That is where they can see how passionate you are and where they can tell if you’re interesting to them, work extremely hard because you can differentiate yourself then. You definitely have a better chance than most, but just work on the essays.</p>

3

<p>you have a solid resume that will definitely stand a good chance in Stanford’s applicant pool. Since nothing really pops out other than legacy, I suggest you really work on your essays.</p>

4

<p>Yeah I’m gonna be brutally honest from my own experience. I was outright rejected for Stanford REA as of a couple days ago, and my resume was a lot stronger yours for the most part. As in you vs me have:</p>

<p>Rank:…Top 5%…Top 3%
GPA W:…4.31…4.37<br>
GPA UW:…3.97…3.87
APs:…10…14
ACT:…34…34
SAT II:…800 & 700…790 & 770
Volunteering:…140 hrs…1000 hrs</p>

<p>Honors: AP Scholar w/ Distinction…National AP Scholar
…National Merit Semifinalist
…National Hispanic Scholar
…National Honor Society…National Honor Society
…Spanish Honor Society</p>

<p>Ethnicity/Race:…Persian?..Hispanic (URM)</p>

<p>You seem to be in some typical clubs/activities. Not trying to discount their importance or the amount of time it takes to be a part of them, but it’s hard to stand out with things like “Yearbook” and certain other generic activities. </p>

<p>I am the sole author of a patent and am co-author of two patents pending, been in orchestra for 6 years (1st chair for 10th&11th), manager of a business, research assistant at a lab/university, group leader of tango group, founder/moderator of a book club, and lots of other stuff. I do NOT want to sound like I’m bragging or arrogant, but I wanted to emphasize that your chances probably aren’t so great. </p>

<p>You can also see that by all the other qualified applicants that were rejected in the decisions thread. I would not say that your GPA, class rank, or ACT score will be giving you that significant of a boost. They are your strongest parts of your resume, but that doesn’t mean that they especially stand out with all the top 1%, 34+ACT/2250+SAT, and 4.0 GPAs that apply. You still have a shot, but don’t count on it too much. </p>

<p>We’re also both from highly ranked/competitive public schools. But I heard that being from CA can hurt your chances, since Stanford takes a somewhat regional quota approach, and the majority of applicants (by state) are largely from CA. I’m not positive of this however. But the legacy will help you out atleast, so that’s a partial hook. Good luck</p>

5

<p>^ dont listen to him. My stats are about what yours are, I got accepted. Stanford is trying to build a class, not take as many people with as high stats as possible. Just put a lot of work into your essays; have someone else read them who doesn’t know you well and make them fall in love with you. Give the adcom something to fight for when they read your app, and you’ll be great! Hope to see you next year!</p>

6

<p>Your stats are fine, as are those of 50% of the applicant pool. They are all going to have a great resume. You have to show that you are more than your resume. Show that you love learning, not just that you are good at it. Explain the significance of one or two of your extra-curricular in your life, and how they have impacted you (you do not want to seem like you spread yourself thin). If you can Write extraordinary essays that make the admission reader want to meet you, you will be accepted. If you write standard essays you will not. Good luck.</p>

7

<p>^ don’t listen to neggs. Almost everyone (and even tons of URMs/hooked applicants) with your stats gets rejected. Stanford is indeed trying to build a class, but they are usually trying to do so with unique individuals that don’t fit the mold of a typical applicant (and you are typical in just about every way). You don’t seem to stand out in any way academically nor via extracurriculars that might give you a significant advantage. I’m not saying you won’t get in, but based on what I see, it really will be luck of the draw. Seriously, don’t expect good news, but you can still apply. But you should definitely check out the decisions thread as well</p>

<p>Edit: Trivial is right in saying that at this point, your essays will probably be the most important thing to focus on. Make them stellar, and you may have a small chance</p>

8

<p>SAT128 is upset that he got rejected, in all honesty, he probably got rejected because of his character.
I just got in REA, with a 2190 SAT, 34 ACT, GPA- 4.0UW, 4.30W, yes I’m hispanic, but I don’t have that amazing of ECs, I had a two year (640 hrs total) of internship, and just a sport and few other small ECs. 740 Math II, 690 Chem, 680 Phys. I feel what set me apart were my essays, if you show great character, you have a very good chance to get in, as your resume is as good as it can be. Good luck and don’t let anyone discourage you!</p>

9

<p>yeah i’m with gallardo. I’m not a stellar/one-of-a-kind applicant by any means, and I’m white. But my essays rocked. If you’re competitive (which you are) you stand a decent chance with great essays. Just rock them, and good luck!</p>

10

<p>lol yes I am angry, how does freaking gallardo get in and SAT128 gets smoked. Doubt it was my character, since I made sure to not sound like the arrogant prick that I am while writing my essays. Even talked about me taking care of my little sister and the family business when my mom got cancer (dad divorced). How is that not adversity guys lol. Probably was my teacher recs I suppose, they all hate me. But seriously, gallardo has similar stats as the OP but is a URM, which does make a big difference. As I said, your chances are very small, but you can still apply</p>

<p>EDIT: seriously neggs? The OP is “competitive”? Can’t people ever put their dislike for me aside and tell it as it is? OP is not a competitive applicant, she is typical by all standards. Someone on CC would be lying if they thought the OP stood a good chance. In fact, I’m sure most of us would be surprised if she got in. Ok I don’t want to keep sounding like a dick, but I think reality checks are important once in a while</p>

11

<p>SAT128: Don’t take it personally. When you have that many qualified applicants, there are bound to be qualified ones who get rejected. It’s just how it is with these incredibly hard schools. You will end up somewhere amazing with your stats…why would you want to go to a school that wasn’t a good fit for you? Know you will be way more successful somewhere else, and focus on writing kick-ass apps for the rest of your schools. Good luck in the RD rounds.</p>

12

<p>@neggs
Yeah I suppose I’m still frustrated with how things turned out. Stanford has been my top choice for a long time, and I thought at worst I would get a deferral. Outright rejection was kinda surprising and I guess I’m still irritated. gj on getting in though, I’m sure you’ll have a good time. I suppose I was always destined for the east coast</p>

<p>@OP
Sorry for hijacking the thread :p</p>

13

<p>@SAT I totally feel you. My best friend was rejected (4.0 UW GPA, 2300+ SAT, parents were huge donors) and it was a shock to everyone. It’s such a crapshoot, and the best thing you can do is put all the frustration into other schools. I know people who’ve gotten rejected from Stanford REA and got into Princeton, Brown, UPenn, etc. RD. It’s possible!</p>

14

<p>OP, your stats are competitive. All the applicants from our schools were admitted with 2250, top 1% and lots of leadership. The successful applicants have been white male with lots of leadership experience and lots of programming experience.</p>

15

<p>Here’s an old article about what Stanford looks at in reviewing applications. <a href=“You've requested a page that no longer exists | Stanford News”>You've requested a page that no longer exists | Stanford News; It’s nearly a decade old, but I believe it still holds some credence. </p>

<p>Stanford and other top colleges admit very few students based on academics per se. Having strong academics gets you in the conversation and, from that point, it’s up to you to make their case as to why Stanford should want you on their campus. </p>

<p>As the above article suggests, one of the most important aspects to convey is intellectual vitality. Stanford has stopped beating around the bush and now asks students to do so directly in one of their essay prompts. If you are able to honestly convey yourself as a fully engaged student who will make full use of (and significantly contribute to) Stanford’s academic community then the fact that someone else may have answered a few more questions correctly on their SAT or has one or two fewer B’s on their transcript will become totally irrelevant.</p>

16

<p>From what I’ve seen, your academics are more than enough to get you through the first barrier, after that, academics don’t matter. Your ECs look good, but you have to make sure that your passion for the ECs you were involved in is brought out. Stanford’s all about a love for learning. </p>

<p>Also, your essays need to be spectacular. They are always the deal maker/breaker</p>

<p>@SAT128
I’ve heard people say that “if you miss a bus, maybe you weren’t meant to take it”
I was on the SCEA thread and I know you’re a really strong applicant and I’m sure the Ivies will open their doors to you. Try to lighten up. I know you’ll have an amazing time at a top school :)</p>

17

<p>Everything looks fine in terms of stats. It’ll depend on your personality, recs and what you bring to the table. No matter what you’ll be accepted to a top school and as long as u are motivated you will succeed wherever u go.</p>

18

<p>Okay so hopefully by now you know not to listen to SAT128…</p>

<p>Honestly, I don’t think schools care about stats. I mean, obviously they do to a point, but I don’t think they see a difference between a 34, 35, or 36 on the ACT. They probably don’t care about the difference between a 7, 8, 9, 10 APs. I’m going to be honest and tell you that your stats are by far not the strongest I’ve seen; in fact, they’re probably about average for Stanford’s pool. But you know what? In all honesty, that doesn’t matter. Stanford isn’t trying to build a school of 2400s and 36s and valedictorians. What appeals to me about Stanford is that they are so holistic, that they believe a school should be not just a place you go to get an education, but also a community, a family, a place you go not just to learn, but to make friends, try new things, explore, enjoy. And it’s not going to be the test scores or GPA that makes or breaks you. It won’t even be the ECs, which are also approximately average, maybe even a touch below, for Stanford.</p>

<p>It’s about the essays, if you ask me. One hundred and ten percent. Essays. Stanford wouldn’t ask for over a thousand words worth of essays if they weren’t going to use them. They want to know WHO you are, not WHAT you are, and I hate to use the cliche, but a person is much more than a statistic. They want to know the person, statistics be damned. These chance threads can’t tell you your chances, they can only tell you if you’re a shooin regardless of essays (meaning Andrew Luck…), absolutely not good enough no matter how great your essays are (meaning a 2.5 GPA…), or, like the rest of us, in limbo.</p>

<p>You are in limbo. Write those essays, and write them well.</p>

<p>If you need help, I’d be willing to possibly lend a hand.</p>