Do you think I can get in?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Stanford University
1

<p>I know im not as good as a lot of other people, but that's because i was really lazy 8th-10th grade, and then i realized i needed to get in a good college and i started working harder.</p>

<p>I took 10 honors classes(world history, spanish I, II, chemistry, physics, algebra, geometry, algebra II, english, biology), and 4 regular classes ( swimming, computing for college, photography, and law studies), and 7 AP classes (world history, statistics, lang, human geo, calculus AB, calculus BC, and physics C), and 12 IB classes (HL history, HL English, HL econ, SL physics, Sl spanish, Sl math) total.</p>

<p>I ended up with a 4.484 wGPA and a 3.734 unGPA.</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
Mu Alpha Theta(National math comp. club) 9th-12th
Beta Chi (IB socializing club) 9th-12th
Key Club (national comm. service club) 11th-12th
NHS (National Honor Society) 11th-12th
Asian Student Association 11th-12th
S.E.C.M.E. (Engineering and Science comp.)11th-12th
Odyssey of Mind (Worldwide club) 11th-12th
Chess Club 11th-12th
Business Professionals of America 11th-12th
Salvation for a Nation ( Saving africa) 11th-12th
Cricket Club(The sport) 11th-12th
Ping Pong 11th-12th</p>

<p>Leadership Positions:
Key CLub Vice President 11th-12th
Mu Alpha Treasurer 12th
Chess Club Secretary 12th
Ping Pong Club President 11th-12th</p>

<p>Community Service:
University of Central FLorida NanoScience Technology Lab(research) 150+ hours
Hospital 150+ hours
Teen Court 150+ hours
Special Olympics(helping disabled individuals play sports) 100+ hours
YMCA (national gym, help kids with sports) 100+ hours
Seminole County Public Library 100+ hours
Local Temple (Help teach math and sat prep to kids) 100+ hours
total around 1,000 hours</p>

<p>Sports:
Track Team 11th-12th
Tennis Team (Varsity) 11th-12th</p>

<p>So I was just wondering, what do you guys think? Do i have a chance to make it into Stanford?</p>

2

<p>Realistically it is a lottery ticket… anyone can win, you just have to be lucky. Now academically speaking I don’t think so. plenty of people with a much higher GPA get denied. Also posting stats like SAT, SAT II, and AP scores might help assess. Though unless you got a 2400 and all 5’s then it won’t help.</p>

3

<p>Posting his SAT scores wouldn’t help in the slightest, since those statistics are hardly influential in one’s college admission. After all, colleges accept people, not scores.</p>

4

<p>No, SATs are definitely necessary. You can’t get in to Stanford if you score 1600 unless you have something unbelievable on your application. Colleges do accept people, but, to the commitee, one is defined solely by a few pieces of paper, among them his SAT scores.</p>

<p>Class rank is also helpful since it shows how much your academics compare with your peers.</p>

<p>In terms of academic rigor, you are fine (although I’m guessing you got mostly A’s and some B’s overall in your classes). You might have too many ECs. I think at a certain point, colleges kind of feel you are joining clubs and societies just to inflate your resume. You definitely want to keep the clubs you have leadership positions in, but also highlight your involvement in Tennis and Track and Field. Having some Varsity athletic experience can set you apart from other applicants, even if you don’t plan on pursuing the sports in college. </p>

<p>You also have a TON of community service. I don’t know how Teen Court and Research factor into that however (these are separate but impressive ECs in their own regards). This will definitely help.</p>

<p>Given that you have solid SATs (have you considered the ACT?), I do think you have a chance. It is kind of difficult odds, but I don’t see anything which you don’t have that other successful applicants do.</p>

5

<p>Anyone with half a brain realizes that the SAT is a bunch of hogwash that’s about as valid an aptitude test as a classic IQ test is for intelligence. Your numbers get you in the door, but they hardly get you accepted, and any kind of actual academic achievement (which this student has) should outweigh a less-then-stellar SAT in order to push them past that first threshold.</p>

<p>If I’m wrong and Stanford does treat the SAT as more than a preliminary, inconsequential measure, and is unable to see beyond the numbers, then I wouldn’t sweat a rejection too hard. They wouldn’t be worth it.</p>

6

<p>Ooh, someone sounds a little bitter. But it’s true that SAT will not get you accepted. Many kids with 2400 SAT scores get rejected from Stanford. But thousands of valedictorians with stellar academic records apply too and also get rejected. </p>

<p>In this regard, yash03, you have good grades, not great. A 3.734 unweighted GPA means 25% B’s and 75% A’s. Not bad, but nothing outstanding. Now if you had a 2200+ SAT on top of those grades, it could mean a variety of things:</p>

<p>1) Your classes are genuinely hard compared to other classes in the nation (as evidenced by the fact you did better than most on a national test even though others might have better grades)
2) You are a good test taker but you may find other parts of classes more difficult (homework or projects)
3) Sometimes B’s are unavoidable, but you are obviously a hard enough worker to get good test scores when they count.</p>

<p>Obviously, these are all conjecture. Main point: Strong SAT’s can cement one’s academic achievements regardless of college. To some people, getting a high score is impressive just like having an IQ of over 150 would be seen as impressive, even if the tests are “hogwash”. </p>

<p>If the SAT wasn’t seen as important, colleges wouldn’t require them. And saying Stanford isn’t worth it because adcoms value SAT scores to some degree is ridiculous. Then, no college would be worth it, save the few liberal colleges which flat out don’t require SATs.</p>