Grades are not everything?

Applying to College
1

<p>Ok, I am an incoming junior. I have attended a private Catholic school since kindergarten. My high school is private and requires an entrance exam. I was born here in Los Angeles, CA, but my parents were born in Iraq. Our background is Chaldean ( Iraqi Christians ). I have a strong passion in technology, especially when it comes down to computers. I am an only child with a family that has an income of $90,000 + a year. I am the founder of two basketball forums, which are growing rapidly in terms of traffic and registered members. In those forums, I have set Google Adsense. All earnings I earn go to the Red Cross. I am an athlete who plays basketball and track. I play on varsity basketball and I am on jv for track. In the summer of my junior here, I will be interning at Google. I have done over 140 community service hours, and about 110 of those are for a local hospital. i am also involved our school's math peer-to-peer tutoring service. Not only that, but I am the co-founder of a small group ( with the partnership of our school ) that gathers donations and makes "care packages' for our armed soldiers overseas. It is a very small group, but still makes an impact. My freshman year was a complete disaster. </p>

<p>Freshman</p>

<p>World History - B/A
Algebra 1 - B/B
Religion - A/A
Spanish 1 - C/C
PE - A/A
English - B/B</p>

<p>Sophomore</p>

<p>European History - A/A
Geometry - A-/A
Religion - A/A
Spanish 2 - A-/A-
Art - A/A
English - A/A-</p>

<p>This is my upcoming schedule for my junior year.</p>

<p>AP US History
Algebra 2
AP philosophy
Spanish 3
Honors English
Graphic Design</p>

<p>I am going to take the SAT and ACT during my junior year I am extremely nervous for both of the tests. I want to major in software engineering, which is why I want to go Stanford, which is one of the nation's top engineering schools in the nation. Do I have legit shot at making it? With my research, correct me if I am wrong, Stanford cares about people who can make a difference in people's lives, and have a "cultural environment". Also, I read that I should put A LOT of EFFORT into my essay, and express my personality. Anything else I should add? Again, I REALLY appreciate your help, and I mean it. Thank you!</p>

2

<p>Well for starters, Stanford doesn’t look at freshman grades.</p>

<p>Just take one of the two tests. There’s no need for both - just take the one you’re better on.</p>

3

<p>From the Stanford website:</p>

<p>“We will focus our evaluation on your choice of coursework and your performance in 10th, 11th and 12th grades, mainly in the core academic subjects of Math, English, Social Studies, Science, and Foreign Language. We want to see that you have challenged yourself by taking accelerated, honors, Advanced Placement, or International Baccalaureate courses if they are offered at your school.”</p>

<p>Don’t freak out, man. You’ve got an entire year to start worrying about college apps. Take junior year by the horns and own it. Get good (read: excellent) grades, practice a lot for the SATs/ACT, and follow your passions. Then you can start worrying about whether or not Stanford is gonna take you. And from the looks of it, you seem to be on your way. Stanford does tend to like “scholar athletes.”</p>