Okay, I don’t have all that advantages like legacy or being an URM. So I basically cling onto my hopes of my ever-since dream university, Stanford, by excelling and trying to get good grades, participate in 3 sports, etc. Here’s the thing, since Stanford is an extremely competitive school (I’m still young and I plan on competing in many competitions later on) so I really pushed and managed to get all As as my final grades, except in Spanish 1. I probably won’t make this mistake ever again. My overall average in Spanish 1 with the Final Exam and 2 Semester grades was a B. It was coming, but the teacher was terrible at teaching it and almost everyone in the class suffered just as much. I want to be able to take Spanish for 3 years exactly, since that’s a req for Stanford. Is Spanish 1 considered an elective? Or a main course? I won’t be doing anything language-related as a profession (unless speaking to those who don’t speak English.) so I didn’t really prioritize this class. If I took this in 8th grade, would Stanford see it? (YES, the Spanish 1 I took is a High-school level class. You get the credit.)
Additional question(s): How much would attending summer camps every Summer from Freshman yr to Senior yr help? Would they hate it if I attended one at UC Berkeley? (lol.)
I plan on taking 3 classes (in the pattern of usually 2 electives, 1 main class like Math or Science.) per every summer in high school. It might change up a bit but I’m only going into Freshman year, hopefully they will see that I took 2 electives on FLVS (Florida Virtual School) and they will recognize my efforts. For those who are familiar with Stanford, will they see and recognize my efforts? I will DEFINITELY always take 3 classes every summer.
And for those who have any tips to differentiate yourself and make yourself unique to Stanford, let me know
Yeah I guess you’re right. I didn’t really prioritize Spanish like I said and she’s done things like crumpling up my work for such silly things but I guess I should have worked around it. I place importance on both what they see and my education because obviously I need to show my good side if I’m going to get to my dream-like goals. I’m also learning for myself and not to please anyone. Thanks for clearing that up about legacy, though.
Still have a bit of questions to be answered, thanks @JustOneDad for your helpful input on some of my doubts.
My school system works that everybody takes a beginner level language course in 8th grade and receives high school credit for it. I guess to answer your question, any high school class you take will end up on your transcript in some way, shape, or form.
Thanks, @afamelas for your insight on this topic. I’ll ask a question (for anyone who knows) how much damage does a B in a language class affect your chances? Is a language class equivalent in worth to a main class like Math or Science? Will doing 3 online credited classes during every summer be recognized?
Thanks again.
I can’t remember where I heard it, but I do remember that when asked what classes emphasis is most places on, math and science were among the first answers and language was the second. Needless to say, language classes are very important, and can indicate certain abilities in learning so I personally would strive to improve. That being said, I don’t think a B in a language class you may have taken in 8th grade will deter you from gaining admission.
Not every student at Stanford was a 4.0 - even if you exclude the ‘hooked’ applicants. So a B isn’t going to prevent you from getting in anywhere (and yes, it will show up on your transcript.)
On the other hand, attending summer camps every summer not only won’t help, but will probably hurt. Lots of kids go to summer camps. It doesn’t differentiate them in any way except to prove that their parents have enough money to pay for camp and they don’t have to work. Which isn’t to say all camps are bad - take one if it’s in an area of special interest to you and no, going to a Berkeley camp won’t matter at all if they are offering what you want. And ‘effort’ is not going to get you in either. Every student who was admitted - and most of those who applied - put a great deal of effort into their education and ECs.
Rather than wasting your time worrying about what Stanford will think and will they notice if you do X, focus instead on what you like to do and are good at. Do things you really enjoy (just a few, not a half dozen), and figure out how you will get the most out of those activities. Not only will your life be better, but you will be a more interesting person to be around - and maybe the adcoms at some top school will decide they want you to be around too.
Stanford recalculates GPA without freshman year of high school. Don’t worry about grades you received in middle school / junior high. Along the same lines, when Stanford says their recommended high school curriculum includes 3+ years of the same foreign language, they mean foreign language classes taken during high school, not classes taken in middle school / junior high.
@Data10 But trust me when I say the Spaniah 1 class I took in 8th is a high school credit class. So they will see that, I think. It’s one of those electives that are usually never overlooked unfortunately. So really, this Spanish year counts. I think it’s not a matter of when you take Spanish, because you can elect to take it in Sophmore, Junior or Senior year as in the same class as a Freshman… But thanks, I will keep that in mind.
It’s quite common honors/accelerated students to take high school level classes in middle school, particularly among applicants to a selective college like Stanford. Different high schools have different policies about how they handle such classes. Some list them on the high school transcript and/or count them towards HS GPA/rank, while others do not. To have a more standardized way of comparing grades at different high schools, Stanford recalculates GPA using only core subject classes taken in 10th-12th grade, and has a history of making admissions decisions consistent with such a recalculation. I haven’t seen an explicit statement from Stanford saying how much weight they give to classes taken in middle school if they do appear on a submitted transcript, but their other comments imply it is not much.
They make it clear they want a transcript for grades 9-12 and will focus on grades 10-12 . They make similar comments about grades 9-12 foreign language elsewhere, such as the page at http://admission.stanford.edu/basics/selection/evaluate.html using wording like foreign language in “grades 9-12” or “3 years foreign language through 11th grade” (grades 9-11). They use this type of grade level specific wording to make it clear they are talking about foreign language taken in grades 9+.
Speaking form personal experience, I also attended a school system that started foreign language in middle school. My school started in 6th grade. Most kids finished Spanish 1 by 8th grade, and accelerated kids finished both Spanish 1 and 2 by grade 8. I mostly received B’s in foreign language, so I was not in the accelerated group. The accelerated group completed Spanish 6 by senior year of HS, and I stopped the sequence after Spanish 3 (maybe Spanish 4, don’t recall) and instead took a Latin class that I enjoyed more. So I had less advanced foreign language classes than most at my HS and didn’t receive quality grades in many of the classes I did take. Nevertheless I was admitted to Stanford based on far more impressive accomplishments in the fields that I was more passionate about and planned to pursue in college. In short a single B in 8th grade is not going to have much influence on your chance of admissions, even if it is in a high school level class.
