<p>Not yet in NE, but 16" already in Maryland.
There are lots of opportunities for snow-shoveling. But perhaps all those application essays ought to take precedence?</p>
<p>âACT 31 (I blew it âŠ)â If you donât have higher SAT scores to submit to Stanford, then donât be surprised if you are rejected there as well. Stanfordâs common data set [ see chart C7] shows that âClass rank, Academic GPA, Standardized Test scoresâ are ALL considered âVery Importantâ factors, and First Generation to and Racial Ethnic status are much less important- only âConsideredâ.
[Stanford</a> University: Common Data Set 2009-2010](<a href=âStanford Common Data Set | University Communicationsâ>Stanford Common Data Set | University Communications)</p>
<p>Itâs up to you to decide if itâs worth your time and effort required to write the stellar essays that might give you a chance of acceptance.</p>
<p>And since you are interested in engineering, if you want an additional safety, cause you just never know these days, add U Southern Calif.</p>
<p>You canât make predictions - but Caltech is tiny and does not have affirmative action - so itâs really tough to get into. My older son with stats similar to yours (perhaps more interesting outside of school activities perhaps not), was rejected at both Caltech and MIT but accepted by Harvard and Carnegie Mellon. RPI and WPI gave him presidential scholarships. RPI and WPI also have more practical, less theoretical approaches to engineering - which you actually might prefer, they are not necessarily lesser schools. Some people like them better. This is all to say, yes by all means apply to Stanford - with the reach schools on your list you just canât predict who will like you.</p>
<p>I agree with other posters, there is no way Cornell, CMU or Michigan this late in game (they have rolling admissions) is a safety.</p>
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<p>Absolutely agree with Fallgirl on this point. Having said that, almost everybodyâs chance at a STanford acceptance is abysmally low. Judging from the admissions results from URMs from our local high school, Stanford likes URMs but from lower socioeconomic situations. Those kids are the ones from our high school who have had the best results with Stanford apps.</p>
<p>I think your parents are thinking that your time might be better spent on an application to a more safe safety school. I canât disagree with that. Can you do BOTH Stanford and another safety school? That might please them.</p>
<p>For Stanford, it helps if you are not from CA. The new admission dean probably does not want to admit more California kids. Our high school used to send 8-10 kids to Stanford per year but since Dean Shaw became the new dean of admissions, only 1-2 URMs were admitted in 2008.</p>
<p>in our decidedly not California 3 out of 27 kids have been accepted to Stanford over the last 6 years. 14 out of 51 have been accepted to Harvard. The ones accepted to Stanford have all been athletes and/or legacies and/or URMs. Itâs a lot easier to get into Harvard for us!</p>
<p>"Still, I can see them accepting you, with the early relationship, interest in engineering , good stats and URM status. "</p>
<p>âŠand, moreover, a likely letter.</p>
<p>I can too. </p>
<p>But if youâd rather go to Stanford, that will not happen if you do not first apply.</p>
<p>Your parents are presumably thinking that since Stanford is (perhaps!) harder to get into than Cal Tech, rejection by Cal Tech implies rejection by Stanford. But this just isnât how it works. Applicants often get into higher ranked schools and rejected by lower ranked schools. Some students get into Harvard but not Yale; others get into Yale but not Harvard; and still others get into Stanford but not Cornell. Assuming a student is in the running for a particular level of school, getting rejecting by one school at that level has no significance in terms of what will happen with an application to another school at that level. Actually, you might want to consider expanding your list at the reach and high match level. If you want to attend Stanford, perhaps you should consider paying for the application yourselfâŠand be sure to tell your parents that Stanford is extremely generous with FA!</p>
<p>Iâm wondering if there is something else going on â Iâve noticed most of the schools listed are on the east coast - Michigan is the only exception, and thatâs still more east than west.</p>
<p>If you live on the east coast, maybe the real issue is that your parents donât want you going so far from home? </p>
<p>I agree with the others â you should give it a shot, and if your parents wonât pay, raise the money on your own. But do also have a chat with your parents as to whether the real issue is that they want you attending a college nearer to where they live.</p>
<p>CalmomâŠit is possible that his parents do not want to pay the additional travel expenses that come with traveling across the country. That was certainly a consideration when my kids were choosing schools.</p>
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<p>Fit is more important in some programs at Cornell than others. This is a student who is interested in engineering, and whose other choices reflect that interest. I wouldnât be too worried about fit.</p>
<p>Cornell is, as others have told you, at best a match. The stats of students in the engineering school are the highest at Cornell. I donât think anyone can consider it a safety.</p>
<p>RPI is easier to get into than Cornell engineering. I wouldnât quite call it a safety, though.</p>