<p>I'm looking at Stanford's admission stats for 3.7- GPA and admit rate is 1%. Does this mean I literally have no chance at Stanford.....people </p>
<p>I have a plethora # of awards (local/state/couple small things AIME/USAPHO Semi/SciO/etc).
Leadership opportunities (club presidencies, class officer, captains and etc.) over 15
Above average ACT score (35)
SAT 2s 800 (Math, phys, biology, chemistry)
9 APs end of Junior year
Tons of college credits (40 credits at local University)</p>
<p>Hooks: First generation , low-income (free lunch)</p>
<p>BUT here's the catch...
my GPA (3.4 weighted) is LOW at a prestigious private school in California (which I got a full ride at)</p>
<p>I’ll bet your prestigious private school has Naviance. A search there will give you a much better sense of your chances than asking strangers here.</p>
<p>Stanford is one of the most selective schools in the country. The acceptance rate for people with 4.0s probably isn’t all that higher than 1%. Just like every other applicant, you most likely won’t get in, but there’s no harm in applying.</p>
<p>I’m in the same situation as you. Everything is on point accept our GPA. Just apply, at schools like Stanford everyone has the same exact chance. They want more than just academics and ECs, you just have to show you’re the student they need.</p>
<p>I really think, in the end, it comes down to your essays and recommendations. For example, one of my extracurriculars is the Ambassadors Club in my school; basically, since we’re a private school, we have open houses and such to convince kids in the city to come here. But I don’t think there exists a parallel universe where someone can look at my involvement in that extracurricular and come to any kind of logical conclusion about my personality, character, etc. </p>
<p>This is where essays and recommendations come in. Nothing else can highlight what makes you you than a well-written and insightful essay. I think stats are the first hurdle, and if you have passable ECs, you clear the second hurdle (I hope…my ECs are far from impressive), but the third hurdle is the most important, and that involves essays and recs. </p>