<p>Which describes Stanford students more in high school? natural at everything that they do or hardworker?</p>
<p>Because obviously that’s a real dichotomy.</p>
<p>It’s basically a silly question, because two of the surest ways to get rejected by ANY elite university, including Stanford, are:</p>
<p>– Your application gives the impression that everything you have achieved has been achieved due to hard work more than talent. Admissions staff tend to think people like this will be overwhelmed in college and burn out immediately. Many, many high school teachers and counselors don’t understand this, and emphasize hard work in their recommendations, because understandably they value work more than natural talent. And then everybody wonders why Susie Fourpoint III didn’t get in to Stanford, and they blame affirmative action.</p>
<p>– Your application gives the impression that you have cruised through high school on natural talent without ever working hard and pushing yourself to achieve the most possible. Unless you have a darn good excuse – “My obscure, oppressed ethnic group selects the students with the best grades for human sacrifice” – this will pretty much be fatal to your application.</p>
<p>Most of the kids at Stanford will have a lot of both qualities.</p>
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<p>That’s total lawl.</p>
<p>It’s a very fine line. Stanford students have a lot of talent, for a lot of things. That said, they also work hard. </p>
<p>Which describes them more? I’d say “natural” factors. Working hard can only get someone so far. You have to have a fair bit of intelligence to start off with. That said, what do you define as natural? Would me acing a bio test without studying because I learned all the material while listening to lecture count as natural?</p>
<p>^ agreed. I’d also say that ‘natural’ would need to be qualified - students are naturally gifted at different things: some are natural musicians, others natural researchers, others natural entrepreneurs. Most have a niche, which probably had something to do with why they got in. The ‘intelligence’ and ‘hard work’ are a given.</p>
<p>The best way to describe it I think is that Stanford students have a drive to succeed. You’ll even see some of the most hardcore frat guys pull out the books and buckle down before finals. </p>
<p>Most people are somewhat smart from where their respective backgrounds, but you quickly realize if you do not work hard, you will not be able to keep up.</p>
<p>I’m now a Stanford kid (starting in September) and simply based on my interactions with other Cardinals, it’s a mix. But… it’s more work than talent.</p>
<p>I’ve seen kids who were really social and outspoken and active in their communities, but wouldn’t have gotten in without diligence in academics. And I’ve seen kids who have always been intellectually advanced, but who had to work really hard at taking on a presence, participating, and coming out of their shell (so to speak).</p>
<p>On the other hand, “talent” or ability can never replace hard work when it comes down to the wire. You might need to have some innate advantage, but you can’t succeed without the desire to work for something and challenge yourself.</p>
<p>It’s not just work, it’s SMART work. There are plenty of grinds here, like there are anywhere, but don’t be one. Doing well in school is always about hard work, but “hard work” doesn’t have to be all-nighters and hours spent reading books in the library. I really, strongly encourage you to start thinking about some ways to study smarter (Cal Newport is a nice introduction, practice is the real key). Just think about what you think when you mean “hard work.” Challenge yourself, put in a lot of effort, but study effectively and you’ll get As (or maybe B+s, I mean, IHUM is BHUM) while still having a really fabulous, low-stress time.</p>
<p>^I agree with that completely. If you don’t own your work, it will own you. Especially for big assignments, I like to gameplan them out. For papers, what day will I start (planning, re-reading), what day will I start writing, and what day will I have a rough draft by? For psets, what day will I start, what day will I seriously start, and what day will I check? </p>
<p>Do I hit all my deadlines? No, but I make sure that when I make a mini-deadline, I give enough room for error that I don’t need to hit it. Do I have to pull all-nighters? Rarely. If I do, it’s because I vastly underestimated how long an assignment would take. There isn’t much logic in my opinion behind a planned all-nighter.</p>