If only I knew what I know now...

<p>After looking at the admission results for scea I've learned a lot about the stanford admissions process (what they're looking for, who gets in with what, aa policy, etc.). I wish I would've waited to apply RD so I would know all this going in. anyone else feel like they would've had a much better shot RD?</p>

<p>care to share and spread the wealth? :D</p>

<p>yea i think i would have had a better shot too</p>

<p>seems like they only take the super-unique people early and end up rejecting everyone else because they don't want to defer. probably going to take SATs/GPA more into account for RD</p>

<p>I agree with you flutterfly -
At least this year it appears that "super-unique" (whatever form) got in early. If one was a "swim" applicant, they would have fared better if they had applied RD.</p>

<p>you guys are right they did take super-unique people, but i also think they took those with the most amazing stats as well. 4 people from my school got in with no real hooks all 4 being valedictorian candidates and the boy had a 2390, the girl had a 2320, another girl had a 2400, i don't know what the other girl scored.</p>

<p>I also think they rejected a lot of science/math people, because they know they will get bucket loads of these types in the rd round.
Also, I think when looking at the super elite schools - HYPS, Stanford is the one that mosts stands out for really looking for those who have the most "intellectual promise", and "creativity." I think out of HYPS, Stanford has a very different and unique way of picking their students....</p>

<p>Basically, if your plane jane(by cc standards of course) with a 3.9/2250, Stanford will probably reject you. I think they reject many qualified people with super high stats, even more so than Harvard does.</p>

<p>Ah, maybe im biased being rejected, but that's just what I've been seeing.
Oh well, if you are rejected from stanford there's always yale and dartmouth, maybe those are easier to get into for people like me...</p>

<p>@greatone1:</p>

<p>Ah yes. "plane jane" as opposed to 3D jane. xD</p>

<p>haha aurona no wonder i didn't get in, I don't even know how to spell...</p>

<p>aurona, that made me LOL</p>

<p>No no, greatone1! They mean the same thing in this case... I was about to correct your spelling when I realized that: </p>

<p>"plane Jane" = flat Jane = boring Jane = plain Jane != 3D Jane. </p>

<p>Isn't it brilliant??! I love it. :)</p>

<p>In the Bay Area, the only people who got in early to Stanford were legacies who donate gobs of money and children of people who work at Stanford because Stanford pays for college education. All the kids who got in had really good stats (but not stellar) - if you're one of the rich legacies or child of a Stanford employee - you have to "cut mustard" and deliver a strong package but you are not held to the same standard as the super-humans who get in on their own. I heard the head of admissions speak last year at a an alumni function and he used the words "cut mustard". He also said he LOVES legacies because they fund the bright kids from lower income levels. It's a financial decision.</p>

<p>Haha this thread epitomizes what I've been thinking lately... that is the whole "I wish I applied RD" thing, not whatever is going on with Jane. I wish I had known how much I needed to stress my unique traits in my essays. I should have put a lot more effort into them. I think I just got kind of rushed to finish by November 1st. I actually changed my essay topic the weekend before, and I think I didn't stand out as much as I would have if I had kept the old one, or if I hadn't cut out so much of the new one during frantic editing to get rid of some words.</p>

<p>I also wish I could have known about CC before this year, because there is so much on here that would have helped me. I had no idea of the types of EC's that people do that end up getting into colleges like Stanford. I thought that if I just did what I liked (piano, hockey etc.) it would be enough. I didn't know I was up against people in these math competitions, doing research etc. I had no clue that high schoolers do these types of things. There are some pretty amazing people out there...</p>

<p>But then again, I might not have enjoyed my high school experience as much as I did. And I guess the Stanford admissions officers saw that I wasn't a good fit for Stanford, and maybe I wouldn't have thrived there. </p>

<p>It's all so confusing.</p>

<p>Guys as a matter of principle never do any "SC" thing. Single choice is
restrictive in the first place. Stanford does have a RD with arts supplement
program with a 11/15 deadline.</p>

<p>:)</p>

<p>about this concept of "super-unique"...does that mean incredibly talented in a certain area such as sports. music etc and having national/international level awards? or will super unique also include coming from a very diverse background, having a unique upbringing etc...in my case, i tried to emphasize im unique in the sense that i've lived and grown up in 3 different countries, attended international schools overseas, how that has impacted me etc....doubt its gonna work for stanford though :(</p>

<p>So if someone is "unique" would they have a better chance at SCEA or RD?</p>

<p>
[quote]
He also said he LOVES legacies because they fund the bright kids from lower income levels. It's a financial decision.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Yeah, right, he's probably saying that just for PR. Stanford's enormous endowment funds the bright kids from lower income levels. Hell, Stanford's enormous endowment could fund all the bright kids. They don't really need legacy donations anymore.</p>

<p>I know 2 people who got SCEA. One was an old friend who I just spoek to for the first time in years, the other was my cousin (and a legacy). I don't really know much about them (I see my cousin once every couple years) but it kind of shocked me...I mean, they definitely do not seem to the the super unique applicants Stanford is looking for. Of course legacy helped my cousin, but still.</p>

<p>I, on the other hand, got rejected SCEA. And I just got accepted to Caltech RD. Suck is Stanford. My counselor learned that not ONE kid from my entire SCHOOL DISTRICT got into Stanford early. I'm from SoCal. Damn, they hate us down here. I'm the third valedictorian in a row from my school to get rejected from Stanford.</p>

<p>so, would applying early decision be better? or RD?</p>

<p>what's SCEA?
yeah, i'm a noob.</p>

<p>actutally...i thought they were quite lenient with the early ppl this year. At least asians. I know two ppl who recieved early admissions this december from one school, and they were typical math and science asians with super high sat scores. One of them had pretty good essays though. But that's about it. I still say that forget the whole advantage/disadvantage myth. Apply early, if u finish early. There's not much else to it. It's all random anyways. Good luck everyone !! =)</p>