Do I have a shot for ED?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Duke University
21

“You can read what even MIT says about unilateral.”
It would depend on your definition of unilateral, MIT accepts a lot of kids who are well rounded academically sure, but unilateral when it comes to ECs, activities, and other things outside the classroom. They focus mostly on stem-related work - science fairs, Olympiads, research.

“For a tippy top, not a collection of specialists”
Well Stanford has a lot more specialists than generalists on campus. Whether it’s the top-10 track and field sprinter or swimmer or top math, cs, literature students, they’re specialists, and that’s pretty much what they do when they’re at Stanford.

Anyway as CPT mentions, the OP has to get to the holistic review at these places, the urm/first-gen could do it anyway.

22

Of course Stanford has specialists, of sorts. But the goal is the right rounding. The general expectation is kids who DO involve themselves in more than just their narrow academic or profssional interests. And CYA tops assuming. The only hook that bends rules is recruited athletes.

I could argue with you that MIT is happy with kids with unilateral ECs.