Through high school I had health issues that interfered with my academic ability, I’m entering my senior year and considering applying. During my senior year, I could increase my GPA from 3.75 to 3.9+ as well as my ACT(current 28) and SAT scores significantly. I would like to apply, is it possible they would consider past chronic health issues in a student getting better? Would waiting to apply RD increase my chances of admission having better statistics? I know Stanford accepts double the applicants EA than RD. Which would be best for me, and would I be considered because of my low scores and GPA despite chronic health issues that are improving?
I am very sorry that you have been dealing with health issues. Stanford has the lowest acceptance rate in the country. Your test scores and GPA are subpar. Stanford has no way of knowing how much better you would fared (if at all) if you weren’t dealing with your health problems. You’re asking them to speculate on what type of student you could have been and will be when they have thousands upon thousands of applicants with stellar grades, test scores and EC’s that they can select and feel more certain about their choice.
I wouldn’t apply early if I were you just because you think your chances are better. The early applicant pool is extremely strong and contains many kids with hooks. You should use your early option for a cool where you have a more realistic chance of being accepted.
I concur 100% with falcon. To have ANY chance (which I assume you already know is slim), you’re going to have to improve both your GPA and test scores. This is one of the best reasons to not apply EA or ED to a college. Nothing wrong with that route whatsoever. Good luck.
Stanford’s rate of acceptance is higher than most schools of the caliber. That is one factor of applying. MIT has a lower acceptance rate and Stanford’s acceptance rate for early admission is double that of regular decision.
^engineer18 - you need to check your information. For the past 2 years, Stanford has had the lowest acceptance rate in the country for “schools of the caliber.” MIT does not have a lower overall acceptance rate than Stanford.
I do think it’s important to know that Stanford treats EA a bit differently than its peers - it does not defer large number to RD like other schools do (the vast majority of those not admitted EA are rejected with only a few deferred), and the ratio of EA acceptance rate to overall acceptance rate is not as high as at other schools.
On the second point - for example, this year Stanford accepted 10.2% EA and 5% overall (2x). Harvard accepted 16.5% EA and 5.3% overall (3x).
cba, check your info. I’m getting my facts straight from the schools’ official sites from last year.
This was an article from December of 2014. It shows the EA/ED rates for some select schools for the high school class of 2015/college class of 2019. In the parentheses, it shows what the overall admit rate was from the previous year (high school class of 2014/college class of 2018).
Stanford and MIT show the same rate of admission for REA/EA (MIT is not restricted) of 10%. The aggregated admission rate for MIT from the previous year was 8%, and for Stanford 5%. These numbers are rounded.
This past year, Stanford had the lowest overall admission rate in the country. I believe that has been the case for the last three years running.