<p>I am a mom and this is what another mom said to my daughter and me recently. Basically, her son's dream school was Stanford. He was so in to it that they flew there to see it and spent a few days. He purchased Stanford memorabilia. That sort of thing. Then he did not get in. BUT, he has also never done community service and I think his only extra curricular was football. To be specific, she said "the only people getting in there are the super wealthy or those who invented the cure to cancer at 15."</p>
<p>I know my daughter won't neccesarily get it, maybe it is a long shot. BUT, she has a 4.0 (higher if you count weighted grades), is the top of her class, has been playing for the city symphony orchestra for a while now, does community service on her own just because she likes to, not because of any school requirement. You get the idea. Oh, my daughter is at the top of her class and will be in the top 10% unless something big changes, this lady's son was not.</p>
<p>I understand she could very well not get in, but I think that perhaps that this mom is just miffed that her son did not get in and so she is saying what she has said. Maybe if her son had done something in his years other than football, maybe he would have had a better chance.</p>
<p>Stanford is not actually my daughter's first choice, it is just on her list. She really likes Cal Tech. She has a few other schools on her list too. </p>
<p>Stop discussing your daughter’s application list with this woman. Or with anyone other than close friends for that matter, to help you blow off some of the pressure that develops during this season.</p>
<p>To get some idea of whether your daughter looks like the kids who get in to Stanford, scroll through last year’s acceptance/rejection thread. The kids who get accepted are pretty impressive, but so are some of the ones who get rejected:</p>
<p>Anyone not in the top 10% never had a shot. Most in the top 10% don’t either. Don’t pay attention to others, do your own research. At Stanford most vals with a 2400 are rejected.</p>
<p>If you can afford and are willing to pay for your D’s education to Stanford and/or Caltech (and other like schools), or if your financial stats are such that financial aid is at least possible then I would encourage you to step back from your D’s college application process. Let her manage it. Support her. If you can’t, be aware that you’re bringing a very stressful dimension to what is already stressful without adding value.</p>
<p>If you want to contribute in a constructive way to your D’s application journey educate yourself about the colleges that interest her. Stay extremely positive, ignore all gossip, and limit your opinions to what is factual.</p>
<p>The reality is that Stanford and Caltech and other like colleges are extremely selective. And the reality is also that many students who are accepted and attend are not from elite super rich families, and have not invented a cure for cancer, and are not A++ athletes. This is not a conjecture but a fact.</p>
<p>Non-superheros do get in, absolutely. But everyone will be impressive or valuable to the university in some way. If your daughter is barely within the top 10% and has no ECs besides those mentioned or hasn’t had a bigger role in CS than is evident from your comment, admission is unlikely.</p>
<p>You mentioned “top of her class” twice. Does she have any SAT/ACT scores? What are her classes like? So far all we know is that she’s in the symphony orchestra and gets good grades. 99% chance you’ll need more than just that.</p>
<p>They’re an important part of an application to top schools. This does not, however, mean that stats are unimportant; it just means that there are so many qualified students that stats alone do not suffice when adcoms craft a class. OP, your D will need to be very near the top of her class, with top SATs, as well as top ECs to be a major contender for Stanford (though Stanford is known for being less statistically-driven than its peers, focusing on soft factors like essays). </p>
<p>This doesn’t mean your D shouldn’t apply but that you shouldn’t expect an acceptance. The same applies even to the most competitive applicants.</p>
<p>She just transferred schools but at the old school, she was at number 1 for class ranking when the year ended. Does not mean it will stay this way. She transferred from a private school to a public math and science magnet school. She is in EPGY and has taken a class through them once. She will likely go to their summer institute next summer. She is a year ahead of the gifted track for math and science in school and right on track for the gifted track for the other subjects. </p>
<p>We have family that graduated from Stanford and Washington University (St Louis) and she is a legacy for Carleton College and U of Chicago and Rice University (Rice is where my mother went).</p>
<p>Honestly, I just want her to go where it will be the best fit for her. We will know more when we get her PSAT results, she is taking it in October. Plus, she has AP exams at the end of the year so all that will help us sort through where she will go. I know she can get a personal reference from at least 2 people who graduated from Stanford (cousin and a close friend of mine, although, the doctor who delivered her even graduated from Stanford, not that she is going back to him, but that is just a little peice of interest).</p>
<p>Since she is not set on her major, I am not too worried right now. I was just put off a bit by what that woman said to my daughter directly.</p>
<p>You will discover that many people will make completely outrageous comments to you regarding colleges this year. Some are downright catty. just disregard them, stay away from the topic as much as possible. And keep focused on what’s right for your daughter.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that unless the grads you know have given large donations and their letters go to their contacts in development, letters are meaningless.</p>
<p>A friend “in the know” tells me this is who (not how, but WHO) gets into Stanford:
Picture a pie cut into 6 slices. Each slice represents a “group” of candidates who are admitted. </p>
<p>In no particular order:</p>
<p>Slice 1: Top Athletes (this means Olympic medal winners, not Capt of the lacrosse team)
Slice 2: Legacy candidates (their parents/relatives have donated $millions) incl. children of Stanford profs
Slice 3: Candidates with a hook (eg, kids who started a company in high school and sold it for a $M before graduating)
Slice 4: Minorities
Slice 5: Candidates from low socioeconomic backgrounds (1st gen to attend college/dirt poor)
Slice 6: Candidates who are brilliant (not smart, but brilliant, and have done something to prove it)</p>
<p>Simply being a HS valedictorian with perfect SATs won’t do it.</p>
Does she have any SAT/ACT scores? What are her classes like? So far all we know is that she’s in the symphony orchestra and gets good grades. 99% chance you’ll need more than just that.</p>