Did My Stanford 2014 SCEA Chances Just Skyrocket?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Stanford University
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<p>yea, i’m in the same boat as gammagrozza. stanford was probably my biggest, most random reach, i applied on a whim, wrote my essays the day before the deadline… and i’m going there.</p>

<p>that said, OP - your EC’s are strong, but i would try to up your testing as much as possible. you seem like an interesting applicant, though, which is what i think stanford really looks for beyond test scores and GPA’s. obviously they seek the academic caliber, but it’s become more about creating a well-rounded and interesting class. good luck.</p>

<p>but find yourself a LOT more safeties. much lower ones than wharton. wharton is a reach for just about everybody. you may think that penn is a “lesser ivy” but wharton is basically the best of the best. your math scores don’t cut it there.</p>

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<p>Well, I must say that your ECs are quite diverse so that’s an advantage. However, your SATs are a bit low. It’ not so much that the score is low, but the fact that the marks are so varying. 240 points between math and CR is kinda big. IMO it would be better to get say 650, 650, 640 as opposed to 800, 560, 580. That may not necessarily be true but that’s how I see it. And the fact that your Math II is low doesn’t help the situation much. I mean it also depends on what you want to study… but still.</p>

<p>If deep down you really want to go to Stanford, then apply. The only sure way to not get accepted is by not applying. Every year there are people who don’t have extremely high stats who get in. However, it would be EXTREMELY foolish of you to apply to HYPS and Wharton alone with your stats. People with perfect and near perfect SAT scores and GPAs have been rejected from these schools. Please find yourself some real safeties!</p>

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<p>^Agreed on all points.</p>

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<p>I’m not gonna lie man. I’m afraid your current stats don’t justify your “enthusiasm” about applying for Stanford. Maybe it’s just Wisconson, but here in TX, I know a TON of kids who got the same mail like that, so it’s not exactly an invitation with open arms, but more of a lure for those kids who are above average (thousands of them). </p>

<p>Kudos to your ECs, of course; there are plenty of healthy topics you can use for your essays. But Academics is more important than ECs for Stanford (the only reason people talk about ECs way more than Academics is because a high SAT score/rank/GPA/AP exam scores are supposed to be a given when applying to HYPS). So I suggest you bring that SAT score up to scratch (2200+). To me math and writing are the easiest sections on the test (Writing is pure memorization; memorize all 16 possible writing errors on the test, and you should have an 800 in no time), so it’s not as hard as it seems. Then you’ll probably have “just as much of a chance as everybody else” (euphemism when dealing with Stanford Admissions lol); You might have to do some major hardcoring right now or apply for RD, cause you only have about 2 months (including all your schoolwork) to up that SAT by 300 points in time for SCEA. </p>

<p>And please tell me you’re applying to state colleges or some safeties as well. HYPS and Wharton seem impossible even for the best of students. Even prodigies have been rejected flat from those. You’ve probably done this already, but you’ll see how savage Stanford is once you read the profiles of those rejected during SCEA 2012-2013.</p>

<p>Good Luck, though</p>

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<p>Im sorry but barring some mega score/gpa boost (as in 2250+) , you will get rejected from all those colleges you listed.
But certainly apply and have fun with the process. Get ready for a flagship state U tho, i’m sure you will do well there.</p>

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<p>I think some of you guys are really imparting a sense of false hope. HYPS is for the amazing student, the rich legacy child, or the URM – the OP is none of these. Obviously there are exceptions to every rule, for whatever reason, but they are in the nth percentile. I’ll be frank, OP; your SAT, while not horrible, is not very good. The math and writing sections are very poor, and the writing section is all that’s keeping you afloat. You’re weighted GPA is also fairly poor. A 3.9 is not good. </p>

<p>Same goes for the ECs. They’re not amazing. President of the key club and the volunteer hours are very good, however that’s the only thing that stands out. There’s no other leadership role, no other clubs to really speak of, or anything. Yours is just not a knock-your-socks-off resume.</p>

<p>I’m not trying to diminish you in any way, but instead be realistic. You can get into a good school, especially if you get your SAT up and do some fancy footwork with the SAT subject tests.</p>

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<p>this feels too trollish…</p>

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<p>@ OP:</p>

<p>The mailing means that they are interested in you, but it does not mean they will accept you. Stanford SCEA is VERY difficult (just as difficult as regular decision, if not harder, IMHO) because Stanford accepts many of its recruited athletes in the same decision plan, which means less slots (this is what I read on a CC post on this forum).</p>

<p>Besides your perfect scores, your other SAT scores, GPA, and most of your extracurriculars are average or only slightly above average. Don’t think that 800 is going to guarantee admission… I got a perfect score on the math section and was denied early action at Stanford.</p>

<p>However, the possible small hooks I do see include the cooking competition and the college classes that you have taken on James Joyce… that demonstrates the intellectual vitality Stanford is looking for.</p>

<p>Other than the college classes and the cooking competition, you are no different than a typical applicant to Stanford. Keep in mind that most Stanford acceptees have close to a 4.0 GPA and garnered citywide, statewide, or even nationwide attention through competitions or what not.</p>

<p>I would strongly suggest adding other match schools to your list, such as Tufts, Tulane, NYU, Wake Forest, etc. And Wharton is NOT a safety… it is a reach for any applicant, with an 8 percent acceptance rate. So get your head out of the clouds and get realistic, otherwise you may find yourself screwed when college decisions come back.</p>

<p>Apply to Stanford, but don’t assume you are going to get in… it is very hard for even the best applicants to get into Stanford and Ivy League schools these days.</p>

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<p>I really don’t think Stanford wants to see a senior year schedule with only 2 academic classes.</p>

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<p>OK I think we can all agree that the Ivies and equivalent are NEVER safeties regardless of what your stats are.</p>

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<p>Gamma-</p>

<p>Good feedback on giving Stanford a try. Why not?</p>

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<p>Yeah, that’s just not true. If a guy/gal at my former school has a 4.0 UW in all honors/AP classes and high test scores (generally 2300-2400 range for these applicants), then the lower ivies and the equivalent are basically safety schools and are treated as such. And if you add in some non-stat factors, such as ECs, hooks, etc. then admission to top ivies can almost be guaranteed. Like a legacy valedictorian at my school whose ECs are decent and who can write a solid essay is all but in. That is why, when some legacy at my school was admitted to Harvard, his reaction (which he told people) was “relief.” Not ecstasy or excitement like most other admittees, just relief. In other words, Harvard was a safety for him. It’s not like he was dumb to think Harvard as a safety either. His academics and ECs alone were enough to get him into Princeton as well. Princeton probably wasn’t a safety, as his grades weren’t perfect, but Harvard was. </p>

<p>This definitely isn’t the case at most other HS, but I just want to dispel this myth.</p>

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<p>I think I’m going to have to agree with GammaGrozza for the most part here. The “lower” ivies can be considered safeties if you have the stats. Cornell was a safety for me and I got in. I’m international and about 6 other students from my school who applied to Cornell were accepted (we all had excellent grades in A Levels/CAPE) and strong SATs. I am NOT saying that Cornell is not a great school. It is. But it’s an Ivy and it is considered a safety to many people. I’m not so sure about HYP. I’ve heard of people with great stats who got rejected. Although I suppose that if you have great stats + legacy + ECs you probably have a greater chance than the “regular” applicant?</p>

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<p>ps. i know you’re not an international, but this kid’s stats are overally better than yours/around the same level, annnnddd… <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/748450-rejected-all-colleges-help.html?highlight=rejected+college+international[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/748450-rejected-all-colleges-help.html?highlight=rejected+college+international&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>@hpfan and GammaGozza: Even if you have the stats and ECs to get into an Ivy, I still strongly believe that any top 25 school cannot serve as a safety to anyone, including the lower Ivies. If you have the stats to get in and pretty confident that you will get in, then it is a match. However, in my opinion, a safety is a school where one is 99 percent sure that he/she is going to get in. Safeties are mainly state schools and many of the lesser ranked private schools.</p>

<p>Here’s an anecdote for you… I believed that I would get into Emory and Northwestern after I sent in my application. My GPA was very good, my SAT scores in their published ranges (some even above), excellent ECs (imho), and great essays. I also demonstrated interest by going to information sessions and campus visits. Even though I was pretty sure I was going to get in, I never once considered Emory or Northwestern a safety. I knew there was still a chance I wouldn’t get in; therefore, I considered them matches. And no matter how talented and gifted the applicant is, the same thing holds true for the lower Ivies. Even though they have a good chance of getting in if they match the typical Ivy Leaguer, there is still a chance they won’t get in. The applicant cant be confident, but never be close to 99 percent sure, which is what defines a safety, at least to me.</p>

<p>I have known people who have gotten into Harvard, Stanford, or Yale and rejected from the lower Ivies.</p>

<p>Disclaimer: If you are the intelligent, talented daughter of the President or discovered a cure for cancer, then you can consider the lower Ivies and any Ivy a safety.</p>

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<p>Some people do. I remember Northwestern’s naviance graph vividly, and there was just a large circle of green at one area with no red. These are not people with absolutely stellar stats (relatively). Just really solid grades and test scores (ftw, I think the center of the large green bubble was around a 3.8UW gpa and 34 ACT, which are conservativily high estimates). So, for our valedictorian NU would be a safety (although he didn’t apply. only applied to ivies). Now, extend this analysis to lower ivies. Same thing holds, except the UW GPA is higher (test scores pretty much remain the same, which makes sense, as a 34 is good for HYPSM admits as well and test scores aren’t really that important). So, a large green area up in the top right corner. No red or blue. And this is all based on stats alone, obviously. When ECs and hooks and such are factored in, even HYPSM can become safeties. It’s the truth. It might be hard for some of you guys at lesser or smaller high schools to realize this, but it’s true. </p>

<p>Now, the argument really comes down to definitions. If you define a safety as a 99% plus chance of admission, I can’t say that the lower ivies for some students are safeties, as 99 is extremely high and there isn’t enough naviance data to support that conclusion (100% for 10-15 people does not mean 100% for 100 people, imo). But, I define a safety as somewhere where one would be wholly surprised if rejected/waitlisted. Under my definition, lower ivies easily classify as safeties for some students. If we find a middle ground between our definitions, I still think that lower ivies are safeties for some students, especially if non-stats factors are considered. </p>

<p>Now, we are talking about a huge minority of the population, so it’s really not that important overall. But I do not support making such broad absolute generalizations (which the first poster I quoted did), especially when there is evidence supporting the contrary.</p>

<p>Edit: The reason that there are lots of people who get into HYPSM but not some lower ivies or the equivalent (me included) could be attributed to Tufts syndrome, but it is probably more, imo, because there is a crapshoot factor at these top schools. Like Caltech, a common rejection place for many HYPSM admits, might not like your math/science grades, whereas Stanford would love your well-roundedness. Dartmouth might not like your writing abilities, whereas MIT could care less. MIT might give girls an edge in admissions (might is being nice), Cornell probably doesn’t. You see where I’m getting here?</p>

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<p>yellowismellow… that person had 1950 in his SAT… I didn’t do the bio or phys SAT II but I’m not sure whether or not 720 is considered exceptional for these subjects. Clearly that person wasn’t being realistic to apply to only Ivy League schools + MIT.</p>

<p>slik nik, maybe you’re right, maybe you’re not. But I consider them a safety because Cornell accepted so many students from ONE school on a tiny island. Who knows how many they accepted from other schools here. Of course, this can also be attributed to the slightly larger undergraduate population at Cornell…</p>

<p>“I have known people who have gotten into Harvard, Stanford, or Yale and rejected from the lower Ivies.”
Could be a case of Tufts syndrome…</p>

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<p>Grozza: I don’t think the ivies can really ever be safeties unless you are legacy. Gold-medalists and perfect-score movie stars have been rejected. I originally intended to apply to NU, Emory, and GW as safeties, but that was because of checking naviance graphs (there was a steady stream of acceptances from my school). It’s really a case by case basis thing.</p>

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<p>Actually Ivies can be a safety. My friend applied to Harvad, Princeton, Cambridge, Caltech, and MIT. He got into all 5, no sweat. I guess he is somewhat of a celebrity, in addition to being a genius. He was the former Rubik’s Cube world record holder and basically restarted the cube craze again.</p>

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<p>@ hpfan: well duhhhh, direct quote from OP: "I am applying to Stanford, HYP, and my safety is Wharton. "</p>