On the right track to Stanford?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Stanford University
1

<p>Hi guys! I'm a little anxious and I hope you guys can help me out a bit. I know I'm a sophomore and all, and I've been told to just relax, but I can't help it.</p>

<p>I recognize that Stanford is an extremely difficult school to get into...But for you that are currently attending, can you gauge yourself to what I have so far? Meaning, can you compare your "high school career" up until my point to your own, and tell me if I have a shot? I would appreciate it a lot and I would feel so much better.</p>

<p>California Resident
Asian Male (Please don't stereotype me when you don't know me.)
Attending Private School</p>

<p>FRESHMAN YEAR:
Algebra I Honors = A+, A+
English Honors = A-, A-
Physics = A+, A+
Spanish I = A+, A
Health = A+, A+
Theology = A, A
P.E. = B, B
Weighted Cumulative GPA: 4.43
Class Rank: 7/161, Top 4%</p>

<p>SOPHOMORE FIRST SEMESTER:
Algebra II Honors = A
Spanish II Honors = A
Chemistry Honors = A
World History = A
Theology = A
English 10 = A+
Strong Body (PE) = A+
Weighted GPA: 4.51~4.55</p>

<p>Extracurricular Activities so far (I'm working on it, remember I'm only a sophomore!):
Track & Field - 2 years. Varsity runner.
LD Debate - 1 year. Undefeated regional JV champion.
Philosophy Club - 2 years. President.
Key Club - 1 year. Active member.</p>

<p>By the end of my "high school career" I'm aiming for this:
Track & Field - 4 years. Varsity runner.
Cross Country - 2 years. Varsity runner.
LD Debate - 3 years. Varsity captain.
Philosophy Club - 4 years. President.
Key Club - 3 years. Hopefully an officer by then.
Peer Counseling - 2 years.</p>

<p>And the community service hours too...I'll take care of that.</p>

<p>So where do I stand? Am I on the right track to Stanford? Be mean if you have to! I'll take criticism if it helps me!</p>

<p>P.S. Did I mess up on my courseload for my 1st and 2nd years of high school? Should I have taken more honors? :( I'm taking as many APs as I can next year...but I feel I really messed up. And can anyone tell me what my recalculated GPA is so far? Thanks so much.</p>

2

<p>You're doing fine. Don't worry so much.</p>

<p>The only thing I'd point out to you is, make sure your ECs are meaningful. Officer positions and accomplishments are great, but if you just don't care about what you're doing and can't express yourself in writing, they're no good.</p>

<p>Your grades look fine. Study a bit for those SATs/SAT IIs/ACTs and you'll surely do well. Although nobody is guaranteed admission by any means, you're certainly on your way to becoming a competitive applicant.</p>

3

<p>The best thing you can do is to avoid spending time on CC. It will just make you more nervous. There's a poster on CC whose posts I read while applying. I remember thinking I never had a chance of getting in if people like him were applying. It turns out that even by Stanford's standards he's freakishly brilliant and that I had nothing to worry about. Spend time doing stuff you enjoy. It will make you high school experience much better and give you good material for your college essays.</p>

4

<p>No offense. But there is no "right" path to stanford. Just follow passions and hope for the best.
I second the comment about not visiting CC.</p>

5

<p>dude... you're a sophomore. what are you doing here?!</p>

6

<p>Concur with the last three posts. Sophomore year is way too early to be here; it really won't bring you much benefit, and it could do bad things to you. Do what you enjoy, and give yourself some peace of mind.</p>

7

<p>i used to post "chanes" stuff when i was a sophomore...they aren't really a good indicator. I'm sure you're headed in the right direction. But a lot of things can change. for the better or for the worse. Things didn't go as I had planned; I am doing much better than expected, and some of the plans/thoughts/attitudes I had in sophomore year completely changed.</p>

8

<p>You're heading in the right direction, but there's no clear-cut path to Stanford, as others have said. I disagree that as a sophomore, you shouldn't be at CC, because if I had known about it then, I would've been more informed about many things that would, ultimately, be different now and would probably change my stand at certain colleges. But don't spend too much time on here when you could be doing stuff to set you apart from everyone else, and most of all, don't let anything on this site discourage you in any way. =)</p>

9

<p>I think the best way to know whether you're a fit for Stanford is passion. Coming to CC or talking to other competitive students will force you to have a passion, even if it turns out to be a false one. Do what you enjoy without worrying about the admissions process. ECs are meant to show who you are, not how many more honors societies you are in than any other applicant.</p>

<p>I started working with a particular organization around this time when I was a sophomore. I had to go through a lot of failed clubs and organizations before I found this niche. Just find your niche in your own way; don't look at what other people are doing. Even if you are doing something the same as someone else, if you can differentiate yourself from that person b/c you have a true passion, that's the best thing.</p>

<p>For example, piano is the most popular instrument, it seems. But there's a difference from when I play it compared to someone who truly loves it. As much as I love playing the piano, my real passion turned out to be my singing. Who knew that the songs I had been singing since I could talk would help me get admission to my top school? Trust me, you'll know when you have found the right thing. Sometimes your "passion" is right under your nose, and you just haven't noticed it. Explore some more. You have the time b/c you are a sophomore. Explore and then dedicate yourself to what you want to dedicate youself to, not because you think "plain dedication" and "passion" is what the admissions counselors want to see. They want to see substance and REAL passion, so work on that and you'll find youself at the perfect place, whether it be Stanford or not.</p>

<p>:) Hopefully that made sense. It's fairly unorganized. Ask me for clarification if it's really that hard to understand. Just a little brainstorm for you.</p>

10

<p>JimmyEatWorld711: Thanks for the reassurance. And I know it seems like I'm unpassionate about my EC's on here, but in reality I love to do what I do, especially debate. Same thing goes for track & field. As for the rest, I'm not as interested but I still like to be involved.</p>

<p>marlgirl: Good tip. And I agree, CC has made me more nervous than anything else.</p>

<p>kyledavid80: I'll work on it! Thanks!</p>

<p>pyleela: You have totally changed my perspective on admissions with this line: "ECs are meant to show who you are, not how many more honors societies you are in than any other applicant." Perhaps I should do what I do solely because I love to do it, not because there's that hidden college incentive. And I understood it perfectly, thanks for your help.</p>

11

<p>I'm so glad I helped and made sense!!! Good luck! Hopefully I'll see you here in a few years. ;) I definitely know how you feel b/c I was the exact same way until, oh, 3 PM 12/15/2006. :) Once you're done with the whole process, nothing will be more rewarding. Don't take everything too seriously, otherwise you won't be able to enjoy these coming years.</p>

12

<p>pyleela:</p>

<p>Are your stats stellar + you had singing as a hook of a sort, or was it mainly your singing?</p>

13

<p>I've done research, singing, and lots of volunteer work. Singing is definitely not my only passion. It was just an example for the OP. Why does it matter?</p>

14

<p>I was simply seeing whether your assertion that having a passion is what's needed was a little misleading (passion indeed, but accompanied with awesome stats, which you weren't really emphasizing).</p>

15

<p>^You're right, but the OP definitely will definitely have great stats if s/he keeps on going in this direction. That's a higher GPA than mine is right now, in fact. I was simply commenting on the lackluster ECs list. One assumption I believe we can make for most of these "chances" threads is that the "chancees" have great stats already, unless otherwise noted.</p>