I’m an asian male
family makes $50k a year
live in California
4.0 gpa, rank 1
35 ACT
president of 3 clubs, vp and treasurer for 1, 2 sports
So I’m just one of those well-rounded smart people. I have like nothing special, no focuses on my major just a bunch of the usual ECs and sports like math club and tennis, etc, I did have 1 summer internship for chemistry for junior year though but that doesnt even relate to my major (mechanical engineering). Stanford is like my absolute dream, but I’m just curious if anyone has gotten in by just being smart (I’ve seen plenty of people on here with perfect scores, ECs, etc and they get rejected so I’m assuming they didn’t have anything special like starting up a company?), not someone who’s won first place in Intel or started up a company or a website, or anything like that. And maybe share what you wrote for your essay too if you got in?
My sense of this is that, in general, no—applicants need something special to be admitted (not only to Stanford but to places like Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc.). My son is currently a freshman at Stanford and says that everyone has “a passion.” However, I’m guessing that “something special” could also include having a particularly interesting background or life circumstance, so there’s no point in trying to second-guess your chances. If you have the grades, scores, recommendations, and money to apply, it’s worth a shot.
It doesn’t matter what my son’s (or any other student’s) passion was, nor will seeing anyone else’s essay make a difference. What matters is what’s important to you and what you have to say.
Aside from the general question, I think it would be particularly hard for an Asian male from California to get into Stanford without something that sets him apart from the thousands of other qualified applicants.
While agree with Planner that everyone at Stanford seems to have something special, I have to say the final comment, “If you have the grades, scores, recommendations, and money to apply, it’s worth a shot” is not one that I’d second.
Everyone is entitled to apply to a super-reach, but frankly, there are so many excellent schools out there that if your application doesn’t have something that differentiates you, you are better off saving your money. When the acceptance rate at a place drops to 5% (lower actually if you factor in hooks, legacies, recruited athletes, etc…), it’s no longer about terrific grades, test scores, great recs and good ECs. And an Asian male in CA is over-represented in the applicant pool as is (unless he has some other unique feature of his application that he hasn’t mentioned here.)
The problem with not applying is that you’ll never know what would have happened had you applied. Yes, the odds are very slim, but if an applicant has the money and wants to avoid future regret, why not take a chance? This particular applicant comes from a family making $50K per year—that in itself might help. There are also plenty of Asians at Stanford—that’s not going to keep someone out. I’d say roll the dice, as long as you can afford to. Just make sure that if you don’t have “something special,” your application is as strong as it can be in every other respect, particularly the essays and recommendations (which could reveal something unusually compelling).
I can actually apply for free so application fees aren’t really a problem. I do have a pretty unique dream/goal though, I was thinking of writing my common app essay on that just for Stanford while keeping my conventional essay detailing about an adversity for other schools. But I don’t really have any particular ECs or internships to back up this dream.
Stanford places a lot of importance on the essays. I know people who have gotten accepted with an unremarkable on paper application, but got in because of phenomenal essays. Don’t sell yourself short, and don’t be so cynical. You can get in without being an athlete or a legacy or having a hook or anything like that.
@N’s Mom I think that’s way too pessimistic of a view. Yes, everyone knows the acceptance rate is 5% and that the competition is brutal. Everyone knows that perfect SAT/GPA, great essays, and great LOR’s routinely get rejected. But there’s no reason for any applicant to sell himself or herself short…if he or she wants to apply to Stanford, so be it. Likely a rejection letter will be coming, but if it’s worth the shot to them, they should.
What one person thinks is mundane may be the winning ingredient for Stanford.
Like I said, everyone is entitled to apply if they want to. But there are just too many really excellent schools out there for stellar students who have nothing particularly exceptional in their applications to differentiate them. To encourage someone to apply to Stanford who is in that category is like encouraging someone to play the lottery. I think playing the lottery is a waste of money and never do it.
Nowadays at highly elite universities, is there anyone left who just is passionate about school? Who just enjoys taking really hard classes and excelling academically? It seems that just being a standout in the classroom isn’t enough… you must have something else that you can’t get from your high school.
If you really know the school, have really done the research into what it offers, and have matched yourself well to what they want, fine to apply. But if you haven’t dug in, don’t even know what they value, you can be spinning your wheels.
Starting a company, a website, etc are not what gets one into Stanford. But nor is this about ordinary top performers or ordinary, default “smart.”
Unlike N’s Mom, I encourage you to play this particular lottery. My kid did, and he won.
I think my kid is a great fit for Stanford, but darned if I know how they figured that out! His grades & test scores clearly showed that he could handle the academics, but: he had no really notable achievements; his resume didn’t hang together to project a “brand” or tell a compelling story (he was a dabbler throughout high school); he represented no desirable demographic; and he could articulate no clear, specific reason for wanting to be at Stanford.
Yet, somehow, in his essays & short answers (plus what I assume were really strong LORs), the adcom discerned intellectual vitality and the potential to have an impact at Stanford and beyond. I also like to think that he seemed like a fun guy to hang out with
The cost of applying is so small–why not go for it?! Who knows…maybe Stanford will see something that is not obvious to us, as they did with my very lucky lottery winner!
I am a freshman at Stanford now and I have to agree with Planner. Everyone here has some reason to be at Stanford, beyond using it as a launchpad to a career. Every elite university creates an incredible environment of incredibly driven people. We aren’t smart because we just are, we are smart as a symptom of the drive we have to achieve something that is meaningful to us.
EVERYONE has a reason to live and learn, I’m sure you have something that has driven you these past four years to get those great stats. That drive should be you essay topic. You are special, stop being so humble and show your uniqueness in your essays
Don’t let the archetype of the asian male applicant make you blind to your own uniqueness
I got in with nothing special: so the answer is yes. And yeah I’ve met many students with “nothing special” but these are the students with parents as alumni and whatnot… soo. Most of my fellow students have very special qualities and/or talents. So I’d say majority have “something special”, but not all.
so application fees aren’t really a problem. I do have a pretty unique dream/goal though, I was thinking of writing my common app essay on that just for Stanford while keeping my conventional essay detailing about an adversity for other schools. But I don’t really have any particular ECs or internships to back up this dream.