Critique and answers for questions appreciated

Colleges and Universities A-Z Stanford University
1

<p>My dream school is Stanford and that is where I am set on going. I just am wanting an outside voice in what I am choosing to do and the paths I am taking; and if they are the right ones to better my chances of getting in.</p>

<p>I am a high school junior from a medium sized public high school in Iowa. It is a very blue collar community and I often feel there is no room for academic, or intellectual around here. This is reflected in my high school. I am attempting to craft the best situation I possibly can for myself. </p>

<p>School Activities; President National Honor Society, President National Forensic League (speech and debate), Senior Class President, Captain of the Varsity Cross Country Team, Captain of the Track Team, member of Ecology Club, member of German Club, member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and Co-Captain of the Quiz Bowl Team.</p>

<p>Academics; 3.9 gpa (unweighted), I have taken as many AP classes possible on a block schedule and earned an A in all of them so far, and I am waiting on ACT/AP scores. I was also a member of the Varsity Cross Country Team that had the best combined gpa in state.</p>

<p>Work; I work for a grocery store in the summer and I work for a political campaigning and polling business that supports major national candidates for Congress. </p>

<p>Service; I am a leading board member of a Youth Philanthropy organization that gives 10,000 dollars in grants to local NPOs, I am volunteering about 100 hours at a hospital this summer, I volunteer a lot during the year at ecological events, I coach junior high track and cross country, and I might be coaching a junior high debate team.</p>

<p>I am mainly focused on my service and debate career. For the service I am applying to a state council for youth that lobbys congress for legislation that supports Iowa youth. Then for the debate team I am a national circuit debater and I have made it to elimination rounds at the best tournaments in the country such as Glenbrooks. I am aiming for state champion, national tournament qualify, and Tournament of champions qualify all next year. </p>

<p>A few questions I have are...
Should I apply to be a legislative page (basically intern) next spring for the Iowa House of Representatives? It takes place during my second semester and I would be living away from school which means I would probably have to independent study some classes. This also means I will be unable to take AP classes next year (Stats and English).</p>

<p>What else should I do to polish my resume?</p>

<p>Honestly, what chance do I stand of being accepted? Please be truthful, I understand that
I am easily not in their 7% or w/e that is accepted.</p>

<p>Is the ACT accepted and regarded on the same level as the SAT at Stanford or any similar school? If not, should I take the SAT?</p>

<p>Please Help! Thanks ahead for any response or thought!</p>

2

<p>Read every college admissions book you can find in your local public library in Iowa. Some of the important authors to consider are Michelle Hernandez and Elizabeth Wissner Gross.</p>

<p>Second, read and listen to a variety of views on this forum. You are likely to hear from recent admittees to Stanford and from some who have been rejected. </p>

<p>Third, the 8 Ivies, Stanford, MIT and UChicago represent the most elite national universities. The standards are high and all these schools look for students who will complement each class. One school may desperately need a bassoon player in the wind ensemble; another school may need a rugby player or a champion swimmer. Get the picture? ALL of these stellar institutions can and will choose from applicants who can provide impeccable credentials (e.g., 4.0+ GPA, top 1% class rank, 2300+ SATs and Subject Test scores, etc.) and the decisions can be something seemingly quirky that tip the balance for one and against another student. Several years ago, my (ex)wife and I listened to a Harvard tour guide whose roommate was the BEST origami artist of the time and parlayed his talents into acceptance to that school.</p>

<p>Fourth, PASSION always plays well. Do what you LOVE and be the best!</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

3

<p>Oh, only apply and accept a position as a legislative intern if that is what you really love to do. It won’t get you noticed by Stanford or any other elite schools unless you SHINE and can sell that in your application.</p>

4

<p>Take practice ACT and SAT tests and ascertain which is best for you. That is what my daughter did successfully. You will find concordance tables to contrast and compare. Most of the schools will appear to prefer the SAT, but will GLADLY take an ACT score of 35 vs a 2140 SAT!</p>

5

<p>Given the trade-offs involved in being a page, I’d say that you should only do that if you really want to, and not if you are hoping it will increase your admissions chances at Stanford. State politics generally operates differently from national politics. Being a page in Washington, DC would be different (I think), but it’s costly to live there, and probably takes a full year.</p>

<p>For any Stanford hopeful, I would strongly suggest reading the book “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success” by Carol Dweck. Based on what I’ve seen, I think this is what Stanford is looking for in your application. Also, on the web you can find a set of the opening lines of essays that the Stanford admissions committee members liked. If you read through them, you will probably be able to detect an underlying attitude that is common to most (with an exception or two). They cover all different subjects, but there are unifying characteristics.</p>

<p>Also, I don’t think it will help your odds to say that “there is no room for academic, or intellectual” where you are. You have put together a pretty strong academic schedule for high school, and want to convey that you have made the most of any opportunities you have–and ideally, that you have made opportunities.</p>

<p>In terms of your EC’s, how does volunteering at a hospital fit in? Not saying that you shouldn’t do that, if it’s where your interests lie, just that it doesn’t fit with the rest of the picture. </p>

<p>This part is not personal to you, ekbaum33, but more general: I realize that high school students are often compelled to count up volunteer hours as the indicator of their service. But I think as a country, we will regret the attitudes that this engenders–practice for booking “billable hours?” Or it doesn’t count if it’s not quantified? </p>

<p>Best of luck!</p>

6

<p>Yeah, listen to what some of these people are saying. As far as the page thing, do it if that’s what YOU want to do, not cause it’ll look good. If you’re not passionate about it, it really won’t help you. I somewhat disagree with QuantMech’s comment about how the hospital hours seem a bit out of place. Honestly, I feel that I had the most random app ever. Swim Team Captain, VP of school community service club, member of school’s improv team, basically, I had a foot in pretty much every kind of EC, and I got into Stanford. Sure, some schools like to see that you’re EXTREMELY interested in one thing and that your ECs reflect that, but on the other side of that some schools like to see well-rounded kids who have a bit of everything. It really depends upon how the admissions officers are feeling that day, they may feel like a kid has a strong passion for something one day, and that they’re too onesided the next day, or they may feel that another kid is well rounded but has no sense of direction. Basically what I’m saying is, do what you want to do, not what you think Stanford or your other colleges want you to do. </p>

<p>You already seem like a strong applicant, so I think the final step to bring it all home is to make sure your essays really show who you are and make you stand out from the crowd. Don’t be afraid to take risks and write about something offbeat or different, that’s what they want to see. Some of the best essays out there take small things, like a person’s favorite fruit or their favorite song off of Kanye West’s album, and show how this small thing says a lot about them as a person and how they’re different from all of the other applicants out there. Stanford wants to know why they should accept you over the other 30,000 incredibly qualified applicants they have, and if you can set your self apart and show why you’re unique and one-of-a-kind, you’re on the right track to acceptance.</p>