<p>from an ea admit, i do think that an arts supplement will help if it is pretty amazing. i think stanford is really appreciative of the arts. for example, i have won int'l and national piano competitions and most of my piano friends have gotten in as well, but they also had stellar stats and major awards. </p>
<p>one thing i really liked about the stanford application was that the supplemental questions REALLY give the applicant the chance to express his/her individuality. i think you can tell so much about the person from reading the responses. at first, i was really put off by the amount of work i had to do in the stanford supplement as opposed to ivy supplements, but I think Stanford's application really allows the admissions officers to look at an applicant holistically.</p>
<p>with that said, i don't necessarily think you need amazing awards to be accepted, but it is what your creativity and intellectual vitality that makes you stand out. </p>
<p>from my school, two people got deferred (including one who got accepted EA into Yale and our valedictorian, who is known as the smartest guy on campus) and two rejected. in another school, a friend of mine got accepted...i never really thought she was stanford material academically, but she has an amazing personality and was really involved in a lot of clubs...and maybe it helps that she's vietnamese. </p>
<p>anyways..feel free to ask questions. good luck guys!</p>
<p>
[quote]
Oh and in Math USAMO could help but in a given year there are so many
of them that other achievements like USNCO or USABO might be required
to bolster the academic achievement profile.</p>
<p>Research achievements like Siemens , Intel STS or Intel ISEF (more common)
maybe helpful alongside some Science Fair placements.</p>
<p>Additionally, Gold Key awards are sure tot be looked at favorably (especially
if you make it at the National level).
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I'll add that none of this is required, or even the "best" way, to be admitted. You can certainly have other things going for you that will make you stand out from others. Hell, I know some who had national/international awards get rejected, but those who have a passion and are good at it were accepted without all the big-time awards. The things listed above can be positive factors, but unless you present yourself well (i.e. put those accomplishments in context--your interests and such), they won't help much.</p>
<p>
[quote]
with that said, i don't necessarily think you need amazing awards to be accepted, but it is what your creativity and intellectual vitality that makes you stand out.
<p>I have come to believe in the super-eminence of Gerladine woods
(Dummies book on College Essays) and Harry Bauld (on college essays)
the only 2 books I ended up buying after borrowing many times from the library.</p>
<p>They are worth every $.....</p>
<p>I believe following their advice helped me with the Stanford early
approval as well as MIT, Caltech EA and Duke likely letter.....</p>
<p>Be careful about who you listen to, sometimes overbearing adults will
let you know that in their xx years of existance they believe......blah
blah...meaning they do not have any logical reason to critique other than
that they are older than you. older != wiser.... </p>
<p>Nobody but me ever saw my Stanford Supplement essays. I wrote those essays, however, after I written a few others that friends/adults critiqued, so I knew what general areas I needed to work on. Don't let other people tamper with your specific ideas or else it dilutes your voice.</p>
<p>well i was careful about who critiqued my essays...all in all, these ppl read them: my amazing ap english teacher, my friend and sr writer at usc who is a published poet, my mom's friend who used to grade english papers at cornell, past friends who have gotten accepted...etc. yes, be careful of who you show your essays to. and remember that it has to be YOUR voice in the end.
i have to agree, harry bauld's book was a lifesaver.</p>
<p>
[quote]
well i was careful about who critiqued my essays...all in all, these ppl read them: my amazing ap english teacher, my friend and sr writer at usc who is a published poet, my mom's friend who used to grade english papers at cornell, past friends who have gotten accepted...etc. yes, be careful of who you show your essays to. and remember that it has to be YOUR voice in the end.
i have to agree, harry bauld's book was a lifesaver.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Wow.... I wish i had 1/4 of the resources you did....</p>