Hey all, international senior student here. So, I have my eyes set on Stanford (as many prospective college students do haha) and am currently planning on applying REA.
I feel like I have almost everything that needs to be in place for a potentially (obviously it’s a crapshoot) successful application; ECs, internships, and awards are—not to be cocky—super competitive and very well recognized (definitely the best part of my application), I have letters of rec. from teachers I know extremely well (and an external from my mentor), have the usual top grades + subject test scores, and am confident in my essays (really enjoying the process). This isn’t a Chance Me thread so you’ll have to take my word on it. I’d prefer not to discuss in-depth the details of my application in this thread, especially since I’d like to protect my identity.
The one thing that’s really hindering my application right now is a 33 on the ACT. A 33 (though technically a 32.5) is by no means a bad score, but I know I can easily push it up to a 34-35 (simply based on what I’ve been scoring recently), which would be at Stanford’s 75th percentile. The only thing is that I can no longer make it to the September ACT this Saturday due to an important emergency (it’s simply not possible), which is really unfortunate.
Now, I’m confident that the 33 (especially for Stanford) is not going to make or break my application—especially with the other really strong parts—but if I applied during RD with a better score, my chances would only be better. Logically, it seems like the wisest option; if I really care about attending Stanford, I would ensure to maximize my chances of being accepted.
However, there’s also an irrational drive to apply REA. For starters, I’ve been looking forward to this for so, so long. Even the thought of knowing my acceptance status in December is exhilarating, and it doesn’t help that I’ve been internally hyping it up expecting to sit the ACT this Saturday and wipe off the only clear “blemish” on my application. And, this probably sounds crazy, it almost feels “wrong” or in bad existential faith to not apply REA, considering I’ve held on to this dream for a while. It’s hard to explain.
My current plan is to apply REA and sit for the October ACT, hoping but not expecting that the results arrive in time to be considered esp. if I rush it (have people done this successfully before?) I’m sure my application will make it through at least a few rounds (if that’s how the university admissions system works) even with a 33, so even if the updated score is sent after the first review of my application it shouldn’t matter.
But, then again, all I would have if I applied RD is a better application, not a worse one! So, am I crazy? Does somebody wanna kick some sense into my ass? The only rationale I can come up with for applying REA, other than what I mentioned earlier, is that applying REA would indicate to the university I’m interested in them (though my major and activities—especially the ones which are actually affiliated with an initiative at the university—would already be indicative of that).
Sorry for the long post! Thank you very much to all who read this and/or reply.