<p>as a matter of fact, yes, i am a URM. Puerto Rican to be exact. but it anyone dare say that i only got into stanford because of my "horribly disgusting and crappy" 1350 sat, then they can go die. i worked hard for my grades and actually enjoyed my ec's. i actually was nice to my teachers because i liked them. and i guarantee you that the chances of someone elses essays being similar to mine (in terms of subject) are extremely small. 3 hours of my high school career aren't going to belittle the other 30000+ hours i put in.</p>
<p>i hate it when people say "wow you got in with a 1350? were you a recruited athlete? no? were you a legacy? no? then you MUST be a URM." damn. why cant people accept the fact that adcoms don't base thier decision only on a freakin test? a 1350 isnt a horrible score. its way above average. so sorry if i didnt waste my life studying those SAT prep books to get a 1400+. i have a life thank you, and it doesnt revolve around collegeboard.</p>
<p>so if anyone thinks i only got into stanford with a "measly" 1350 because i'm a URM, then they can go shove it where the sun don't shine. "hooks" dont only qualify as being an athlete, or legacy, or URM. god forbid someone is just an interesting person. no no, that could never happen.</p>
<p>btw, i'm not as angry as i seem. its more like annoyed at peoples ingnorance and refusal to accept reality.</p>
<p>coqui: Pretty much everyone who gets in says what you just said about being "an interesting person". Just in case if you didn't know, your argument also applies to 90% of the people who got rejected. Clearly, there IS something else going on...</p>
<p>thats insane 1040 heck i should of applied too hehe j/k i don't like the east coast. But hey if we are all unique doesn't that make us all the same?</p>
<p>Is community service looked at heavily? I play baseball year round, along with other EC activities, and have no time to find something interesting to do, so I just do the norm for requirements. Will this hurt me?</p>
<p>kimberkool: I got a 1440, too! I originally got a 1260 though.</p>
<p>SATs should never be a make or break admissions key, because so many students spend months and $$$ prepping for these. I'm not really sure what I did counts as "prepping". I read through Barron's guide to the SATs during the summer, looked through a list of obscure vocabulary, and did many practice tests. I get the impression that prepping involves requesting the aid of SAT coaches and joining those expensive SAT coach classes.</p>
<p>I hated Barron's. I think it was because I couldn't understand anything it was trying to say, so I stuck with Kaplan. :) Yeah, I went online to find free online tests. That rocked. w00t. :) Yeah, it's not necessary to go to prep classes if you want a 1440. HAHAH :)</p>
<p>Don't kick me, but what's a URM? </p>
<p>Community service is important, but it's not gonna be a hook factor unless you went and built houses in Nepal or something. Just make sure you can convey your passion for your activities in your essays. It's all about passion, dude, and quirkiness. Quirks are cool. I'm a dork. That's a quirk. Just kidding.</p>
<p>coqui, it might be hard to accept, but the fact is that your URM status is likely to have played a very significant part in your admission to Stanford. With diversity being arguably the foremost priority of elite American educational institutions, there is no doubt that those of ethnic and social minorities are given an edge in college admissions through slightly lenient standards or goalposts such as SAT I scores.</p>
<p>statics: I looked you up. You have amazing accomplishments. Yes being asian in CA is not helpful, but being a poor asian who came to this country in 1992 and achieved what you have done certainly helps :). I will take you anywhere.</p>
<p>Good Luck and I am sure you will make something out of your life.</p>