General Questions About Applying

Colleges and Universities A-Z Stanford University
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<p>Hello all - I'm a frequent lurker around the forums and I have a few questions that I would love to have answered.</p>

<p>1) I am a legacy student. Would it be to my advantage to apply early? (As a side note, I'm not completely clear on all of the acronyms that are thrown around, such as SCEA and EA. Clarification of these terms would be much appreciated.)</p>

<p>I would include an arts supplement, as I have been playing the piano for 11+ years and taught myself trumpet in the 7th grade. However, I am also going to do a live audition for piano. Would this combination of supplement + audition be frowned upon in admissions?</p>

<p>2) I am half mixed-European and half Chinese. I am Jewish as well. I feel that I am fairly unique in that I am fluent in both English and Mandarin and am a practicing Jew. Is this truly "special" or not worth writing about/mentioning?</p>

<p>Thanks in advance for any insight you provide! Please feel free to ask me for any additional information about myself you deem necessary in order to answer my questions :)</p>

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<p>1) SCEA is Single-Choice Early Action, which is the term Yale uses for their early admissions process. Stanford’s terminology is REA, Restrictive Early Action. They mean the same thing: if you apply to Stanford early, you cannot apply anywhere else. However, you don’t have to accept Stanford’s offer of admission if you get in - which makes it different from Early Decision, ED, which you must accept. </p>

<p>Not sure if there is any correlation between legacies and early, but I wouldn’t bet on it being significant. Plenty of legacies were rejected early for 2014. And no, I think it’s fine if you do a supplement and an audition. The dept of music would be doing your evaluations for both though, I think.</p>

<p>2) Mmm… I personally wouldn’t write an entire essay on my ethnicity, but if it’s that important to you, go for it. I guess you can talk about wanting to take part in the Jewish Student Association (JSA) and Hillel at Stanford.</p>

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<p>I don’t have answers to your questions but your background is interesting. :slight_smile: My son is 1/2 Puerto Rican, 1/4 European, and 1/4 Ukranian Jew (well, my dad’s the Ukranian Jew) but we’re a Christian family. :-)</p>

<p>You might want to ask your music question on the music majors forum. You might not be majoring in music but they’re pretty helpful over there.</p>