<ol>
<li>African American male</li>
<li>3.86 GPA </li>
<li>30 ACT (32 Math & Science) (1st time)</li>
<li>2080 SAT (1st time)</li>
<li>205 hours of volunteer work at a local hospital</li>
<li>AP Calc AB (5), AP US History (5), AP World History (5), AP Physics (5). </li>
<li>College Prep Aid as a Senior.</li>
<li>Experience Tutor at my K-12 school.</li>
</ol>
<p>Technical inclination (Math and Science are my favorite subjects). I'm looking into Stanford because of their top notch Computer Science program (I want to research Artificial Intelligence). Do you think I can get in? What stat(s) should increased in order to heighten my chances?</p>
<p>25% - for being an URM who is reasonably good academically.</p>
<p>ECs are not that big a deal and standardized test scores are just average. Depends on the rest of the URM pool since Stanford can easily fill the URM quota with athletes.</p>
<p>Although your stats are ok I think Stanford and schools of that caliber really look for diversity in students since most of the applicants have the same or similar credentials. I would focus on first (I mean for stanford’s standards) raising your scores and then really starting to form a strong persona to sell to them luck!
**Chance me on my most recent?</p>
<p>I agree with texaspg. Stanford seems to fill most of their minority quota with athletes, so minority academic admissions are harder there then at, say, MIT. Since extracurriculars are weak and scores/grades undifferentiated, I would say you’re looking at long odds.</p>
<p>I’m going to politely refute texaspg’s and snipersas’ comments.</p>
<p>I think about 200 of every incoming class of 1700 are recruited athletes. I’m not even sure where the phrases “minority quota” and “minority academic admissions” came from. </p>
<p>Stanford is incredibly diverse, just check the stats on the website. If it helps at all, among five of my best friends there, four are URMs, and they all got below 2100 on their SAT. That might not be reflective of the entire class (I know plenty of people who got 2300+), don’t think for a second that your stats will shut you out of Stanford. A boring application will shut you out. If you haven’t looked at the app already, there are plenty of opportunities to let your intellectual vitality, talents, and interests in Stanford shine. Give it your best and see what happens. Any improvement to your test scores or GPA would be helpful, obviously. </p>
<p>WOW! Thanks guy for the prompt and substantive responses!</p>
<p>I always knew applications would be a big part of the selection process, but not THAT big. Do schools really value it that much? Could I say get in with a GREAT application, leap frogging someone without a great app but stats better than mine?</p>
<p>^ I would really love a statement from an actual adcom regarding self-studying… I have not found anything yet. I have seen people say they are worth nothing to say they look better than actually taking the class.</p>
<p>The adcom “MITChris” said that AP test scores were worth “hardly anything” and that taking AP courses was worth “quite a lot”. But this statement was a reply to a question regarding taking an ap course vs an ap test score. So I am still not sure.</p>
<p>Other than that, I sort of wish Indians were treated as URMs lol… :(</p>
<p>Self-study vs course doesn’t really make a huge impact, unless you decide to self-study and then take a full schedule of, say, home ec and gym. The scores are likely more important.</p>
<p>I would say your stats are okay given URM status, but your ECs aren’t really that much of a standout and I think Stanford values that more than other Ivies in comparison to stats.</p>
<p>Well, I’ve also studied abroad in Istanbul (learned Turkish, and hosted a school-wide lecture on international education vs. American education) and I was featured in the local newspaper for this. Darn! I wish I could have bolstered my ECs a bit more though.</p>
<p>Also, do you think a 33-34 ACT and 2220-2320 SAT could get me over the hump or no?</p>
<p>Admissions these days is tough, even if you’re a hooked applicant. An SAT score at the top end of that range would probably give you a very good chance of admission however.</p>
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<p>Stanford, just like every other school in the United States, looks to admit a balanced class with diverse interests. To do so, they, like every other school, have targets for the number of students admitted, with an eye towards making sure every special interest within the school community is happy. The math department would be displeased if there was no math geniuses to compete in the Putnam, for instance, so no matter what Stanford is going to admit a certain number of top math kids each year. This applies to every other group that has pull with the admissions office - including the athletic coaches and minority recruitment. People with unusual attributes or talents essentially compete against each other within their own pool to get in. This means that regardless of the qualifications of the general applicant pool if the candidate is one of the top people in their special group, they will be admitted (so long as they meet some absolute minimum standard). Conversely however, if a candidate does not fit into the portion of the class admitted on the basis of their hook, the must get in the regular academic route - something that is exceedingly difficult to do. How many football players do you know at Stanford that were excellent at playing ball, but <em>just</em> short of being good enough for recruitment?</p>
<p>Now here’s where it gets complicated. Most top schools, including Stanford, aim for about 10% of their class to be URM - that’s a fairly stable metric that is consistent across all the top schools. Athletic recruitment on the other hand is not consistent - Stanford likes to be the top school athletically in the country, and to do so they need many more recruited athletes then, say, Yale does, so the “special status” group for recruited athletes is much larger then it is at many of it’s academic peers. Since athletes are disproportionately likely to be minorities, those athletes essentially fill the quota for both URMs and their respective team quotas - and athletes are often (both literally and figuratively) the first kids admitted. With more athletes, there’s less room for regularly admitted minority students to fill up the quota. Thus more difficult admissions.</p>
<p>Is it impossible to get in with a 2080 on the SAT? No. But it is disproportionally difficult to do so, relative to applying as a minority applicant to Yale or Chicago.</p>
<p>According to the CDS, 807 out of 1672 in their 2010-11 freshman class were white or Asian. 128 were black. That’s not admitted, that’s enrolled. (You really have to look at the CDS for the breakouts.) Lots of factors contribute to these numbers, including whether fin aid was enough.</p>
<p>IMO, the issue isn’t athletes. You have to present yourself as very well-rounded and able to climb out of your comfort zone. One has to understand that the competition will have top stats and plenty of ECs that further their future interests, show teamwork in hs (whether it’s sports, clubs, competitions or other,) plus all the things where they do for others. And then some. They will show leadership (which is more than a title,) responsibility, maturity and energy- and the ability to tackle challenges. On top of that, they will present great essays and LoRs. </p>
<p>You are interested in AI- how have you pursued this? Robotics? Sci bowl, what else? Was the hosp work in research or other vol areas? It doesn’t matter that you answer here. You need to check whether the right attributes come across.</p>
<p>I’ve been in the FIRST Competition, and I led my team (of freshmans, and sophomores) during our debut year. I was a neurosurgeon’s office clerk and assistant…</p>
<p>My math teacher of 3 years, is currently a Ph.D student (LoR). I have also, studied an Intro into AI with a graduate student pursuing that same discipline. I’m not sure how this sets me apart though because I’m certain EVERYONE who wants to go to Stanford to study Comp. Science, Math, or any other technical subject is going to have similar if not better credentials than me…</p>
<p>You want to list out all your ECs, review. If you have other things, school plays, orchestra, etc- don’t assume they don’t matter- the schools like depth and breadth. They like, as Cardinal suggested, some sense of your vitality- your commitment in your science as well as what you’ll bring to campus life, outside the classroom. Make sure you have safeties you can love- in terms of academics and fin aid. Good luck.</p>
<p>What do you mean, “safeties you can love- in terms of academics and fin aid”? Do you mean, that I should show that I am a well rounded student or something?</p>
<p>“Safeties,” as in other schools.
Yes, for any top school, “very well-rounded and able to climb out of your comfort zone.” Don’t automatically omit legit (hs or other) activities because they are not science- or because someone convinces you to include only a short list of your “passions.” At this point, it’s in your hands; it’s how interesting you are in your app- as well as your basic qualifications. That’s what Cardinal was saying here.</p>
luck!