Chance Me

Colleges and Universities A-Z Stanford University
1

<p>*Applying for early restrictive action</p>

<p>Gender: Male
State: Oregon
Ethnicity: Vietnamese (legal immigrant)</p>

<p>Current GPA
-Unweighted: 4.0 (It really doesn't mean crap lol)
-Weighted: 4.4?</p>

<p>*The following are terrible scores, but I believe in much more than just standardized tests, which I have addressed in the essay I sent in for Summer At Stanford. I got accepted, but unfortunately could not attend because of the lack of financial resources. Please give feedback as to whether or not I should attempt to take it a third time just because my current scores may bring my admission chances down considerably.</p>

<p>SAT I: 1940(second time; remarkably improved)
Critical Reading: 570
Math: 740
Writing: 630</p>

<p>SAT II: plan on taking Math I & II and Chemistry</p>

<p>ACT Writing Plus (does Stanford omit reading and science scores??)
Composite: 28
English: 32
Math: 34
Reading: 22 (UGHHH)
Science: 24 (UGHHHH)</p>

<p>AP Scores:
-2D Studio Art:3
-Calculus:5
-Human Geography: 5
-Language & Composition: 4</p>

<p>Senior AP classes: Environmental Science, Calculus AB (my poor public high school does not offer BC), Chemistry</p>

<p>*I have one of the most rigorous schedules offered at my public school</p>

<p>Activities/Extracurriculars:</p>

<p>Freshman Year
• Student Council (1 hour per week)</p>

<p>Sophomore Year
• Student Council (1 hour per week)
• Academy of Science and Natural Resources (1 hour per month)
• Outdoor School Student Leader (120 hours cumulative)
• Track & Field (10 hours per week)
• Concert Band (5 hours per week)
• STARS Student Counselor (4 hours cumulative)</p>

<p>Junior Year
• Student Council (1 hour per week)
• Site Council Student Representative (2 hours per month)
• Academy of Science and Natural Resources (1 hour per month/72 hours cumulative)
• Outdoor School Student Leader (360 hours cumulative)
• President of the Tennis Organization for Teens (15 hours per week)
• Speech & Debate (10 hours + cumulative)
• Red Cross Treasurer (2 hours per month)
• IGNITE Student Mentor (2 hours per month)
• Key Club (1 hour per week) [VP Senior year]</p>

<p>*This summer I am a CIT for TrackersNW, which focuses on wilderness survival and environmental education. My slant has been toward environmental studies/education (ASNR, ODS, TrackersNW).</p>

<p>I have total confidence in my writing and am certain I will get glowing recommendations from teachers/counselors.</p>

<p>[Note: I did this really fast so if I missed anything, please let me know]</p>

2

<p>I would recommend taking the SAT again, and spending a good amount of time preparing to see if you can substantially raise your CR score. Since you express confidence in your writing, a significant improvement in your CR score seems to be an attainable goal. I also recommend that you select a couple of your ECs and devote yourself wholeheartedly to them, rather than spreading yourself somewhat thinly among a multitude of ECs. Select the one or two that mean the most to you, and make a difference in those. Finally, I think you might have a better shot at RD than REA. Good luck.</p>

3

<p>Much appreciation for your advice zenkoan :slight_smile: I am literally going to nerd myself out this summer by reading a multitude of books. On the other hand, it indeed shows that I have thinned out myself with so many ECs, but does it hurt my application even when there are a several that show my obvious commitment to (Student Council, Outdoor School, Academy of Science and Natural Resources)?</p>

4

<p>As you read your pile of books this summer, you can practice your critical analysis as you go along. For works of fiction, e.g., you can ask yourself: what voice did the author choose to present this narrative, and why? What are the major themes of the story? What literary devices did the author employ, and to what end? How do the major events of the book serve to develop your understanding of the principal characters? You get the idea.</p>

<p>For the EC’s, it’s not really a question of whether having loads of them hurts your application, but more about how you can demonstrate a deeper commitment to a couple of them, ideally in ways that bring something to the greater community. Your ECs show that you are a leader–can you think of ways to focus your leadership abilities to bring about improved opportunities for others, or to build or develop something new?</p>

5

<p>Definitely study and prepare to retake SAT and ACT. Your current scores will definitely hurt you in admissions. In my opinion, its not worth taking Math 1 and Math 2. Just take Math 2 if you are prepared for it. It is more widely accepted and looked more favorably upon. Maybe take another subject you are good at.</p>

<p>+1 what Zenkoan said about ECs</p>

<p>Also, random note, Stanford Summer Session isn’t really that academically competitive. It’s more of a first-come, first-served application process as long as you are a decent student.</p>