<p>Not everyone has your friends academic stats, but the reality is that everyone at Stanford (even the guy in my freshmen dorm who claimed that he didn’t know how to study and would not shut up about football) has top-notch academic stats. I can’t tell you how many valedictorians I know. And my boyfriend says that his GPA was “low” (it was like a 3.7 uw) but he was a nationally ranked fencer, with 10 AP tests (5-6 of which he self-studied for) where he scored a 5, and near perfect SATs. Oh and did I mention that his essays were incredible. These kind of stats are within range for Stanford, but they don’t guarantee admission. He has a good chance, and would fit in academically with his peers, but so would many of the applicants. Just keep that in mind, I don’t intend to discourage, but as has already been pointed out, his essays will probably make the difference.</p>