<p>(I posted this in the "What Are My Chances?" section but I figured it wouldn't hurt to try here as well)</p>
<p>Hi,</p>
<p>My family doesn't have a whole lot of money so how we were going to pay for college has always been a mystery. But now that Stanford has eliminated costs for low-income families like us, I'm very interested in finding out if I have a shot there. I'm a pretty bad student compared to most of what I've read here but here are some stats (I'll add more ECs and stuff if you need them)</p>
<p>GPA: Around 3.8 by the end of Junior year. (I plan on taking some college courses over the summer so that should boost this)
SAT: Took it 4/1 so I don't know yet. PSAT was 195 without studying at all so I'm expecting 2000-2200.
African-American/Native American Male
Low-Income
First Generation </p>
<p>ECs:
Class President (2 years)
Site Council Rep (3 years)
Key Club (3 years)
Ventures Scholar
Link Crew (2 years)
WASC Leadership Team Member
Wrestling
Ultimate Frisbee</p>
<p>I dunno. I think being a first generation urm may help. DEF apply and if you can do the college thing and get your SAT up (2150 or above) then i say u have a v. good shot. Also, they look at the entire ap so make sure teacher will write excellent recs and work on the essay alot.
Good luck!
(in the end, the diff b/t a 2100 and 2200 on the SAT doesn't matter...just make sure all ur SAT 2 are good (680 and above) and the other stuff who says who you are is good)</p>
<p>i think sat/grades matter more than essays/recs, esp nowadays when you can get your favorite teacher to write you a gleaming recommendation and get the help of a friend in editing your essays.</p>
<p>I don't know...if you have been reading these message boards...a lot of ppl in the 2100's have been admitted into Mit, Stanford etc. and ppl in the 2200/2300's haven't. in the end, i think the higher score the better, but i it mostly comes down to who you are and what you did in highschool (not just one test)</p>
<p>my SAT scores were alot lower than some of the people that applied and I got in of course my essay's were amazing (according to my peers and teachers). good SAT scores dont say anything except "I'm a good test taker." if you have good grades, good teacher recs, and slammin essays, they'll most likely trump any low scores you might have on the SAT. also, try and take the ACT you might do really well. i kno my SAT was very remedial while my ACT put alot of people to shame.</p>
<p>As a student admitted into stanford for the class of 2010, I thought I didn't have the slightest chance. I actually lost a bet with my debate coach and he forced me to apply. My SAT's were not good by anyone's standards, but I had the best GPA, Class Rank, EC's and Essays. I am hispanic and I'm sure the minority thing worked in my favor, but you always have a chance as a minority with good standing. I am also a first generation college student with a pretty low single-family income. They certainly do see what you've come from to compare it with what you have attained.</p>
<p>Also, I was also a Ventures Scholar, make sure you use their website to find where you can get fee waivers (just for being a ventures scholar). I'd add tons of community service. Because you aren't a clear admit, (neither was I), you have to show that you're going to go to Stanford and make a change. My teacher recommendations also reflected this. One of my teachers said I was the best student leader in the history of my school. If you have a lot of EC's, yet your teachers and counselors don't confirm that, it won't help you as much.</p>
<p>Being a high scoring first gen African-American/Native American Male will help you A LOT. Keep your grades up, write good essays and you'll have a good shot at it.</p>
<p>Neither one will hurt. Audition might help. Apply early if your grades and scores are good enough, so you don't need to prove yourself with first semester senior grades or retake SATs.</p>
<p>i graduated from an international high school....i was alright in high school but now the "best"..im planning to go to stanford but am also worried i might not get in...i have a great GPA and im thinking of doing 2 yrs at my college and then applying for transfer..do i have a better chance if i complete my 2 yrs with a good balance of required classes..?? i mean will they stil give my high school transcripts more importance or is my college classes that will determine my chances of getting in ?? </p>
<p>Not to be rude or anything but that's called thread hi-jacking and you could easily create your own thread without taking over mine. Please do that next time. Thanks.</p>