Should I apply to Stanford REA or at all?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

If I applied REA, I would have to pick between subject tests or SAT retake, in addition to ACT in September.
I am a legacy.

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown):1870 --> 2040 (680 all) and possible retake
SAT II: Will take Bio and Math 2
ACT: Going to take practice tests to see. Will update.

Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.967 (only 9th grade not a 4.0)
Weighted GPA: 4.4
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 14/463 or top 3%

AP (place score in parenthesis): Will have taken 12 APs by end of senior year. Biology (3) World (4) Physics B (2) US (5), Eng. Lang (4), Chinese (5), Calc AB (5)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Com Sci, AP Gov, AP Comparative, AP Calc BC, AP Lit, AP Macro/micro econ, Chamber Orchestra

Subjective:

Extracurriculars: Violin 10+ years, 4 years of Chamber Orchestra (principal player), Orchestra leadership team, District honor orchestra 4x, Solo & Ensemble (1st violin), Tennis 2x, Piano 7 years, aced 2 summer classes at local cc, played violin for retirement homes, swim.

Job/Work Experience: Interned at a high-tech chemical wafer manufacturing company this spring, committed over 90 hours.
Volunteer/Community service: 100+hrs. Key Club. Red Cross. NHS. Chinese Mandarin Camp. Will volunteer at hospital once scheduling opens up.

Essays: Haven’t started, but I am a pretty good writer.
Teacher Recommendation: From AP US and Lang teachers. All had really good things to say (top student in US, and lang teacher exaggerated a lot)
Counselor Rec: Talked to her a few times, but I was the first one to ask for a recommendation in my class.
Additional Rec: From intern mentor.

Other
Applying for Financial Aid?: Yes! This is very important.
Intended Major: Biology
State (if domestic applicant): WA

So, with all that, should I apply REA and choose between subject tests or SAT retake, or bring up all my test scores and go for regular, or just skip Stanford?? Would having my dad being a Stanford alumni help at all?

2
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The good news is that legacy applicants get a second read on their essay, so make it a good one.

The bad news is that I’m not getting a warm fuzzy on your stats, so it might be a good idea to seriously consider your matches. For example, you got a (3) on Biology, but that’s your intended major?

My personal belief is that REA is for students who are well matched with a college they’d be happy to go to so they can do the rest of their applications with confidence.

4

@JustOneDad Thanks for the reply.
I was sick when I took the AP Bio test. Plus, we had a bad teacher that didn’t teach and only showed us videos, and we were not prepped for the new exam (she prepped us for the old one). 80% of my class got 3’s and some 2’s as well. I am not the same student as I was 2 years ago as a freshman (when I took bio), either (three 5’s and one 4 on AP tests junior year). Excuses, but, these were my circumstances.

For matches, I am seriously considering UW Seattle, it’s my top choice overall, being a WA resident and needing a lot of financial aid. Stanford is my 2nd choice.

What I am wondering is, should I make a push to retake the SAT and/or take the ACT to make myself more competitive to schools like Stanford? How much would that boost my profile?

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Hmmmm…UW…good school for Bio. Real good. Right up there. Unfortunately, it doesn’t offer any kind of early action.

Have you considered that the UW might not be a lower cost to you?

If your ACT test taking indicates you can get a 33+, it might be worth it to try that. If you do the SAT again, you’re really going to need to score over 2100. I’m pretty sure you are going to need either one of those to even be in the running.

Of course, you’re not losing anything by throwing a Hail Mary at Stanford early action and then waiting for your UW app to play out.

Have you considered UW Honors College?

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@JustOneDad I am guaranteed to get aid from UW from a state program, but just not sure how much. Even if it end up not being the lowest cost, I really don’t want to attend my local CC or WSU. But cost wise it’s very likely we will pay just under $7000, if everything works out like it should.

I am confident I can get a 2100 at least. The 2040 I got was with the timing error with 2 sections thrown out. I definitely can get there with more thorough studying. As for the ACT, from what I’ve seen so far without having taken it yet, I like it better than the SAT format. I have the red ACT book sitting on my desk.

Yes, I am applying to UW honors.

To my understanding, the latest SAT score Stanford accepts is the Oct one. So, if I do apply early to Stanford, would you suggest I do a combination of SAT subject tests +/- ACT or SAT retake +/- ACT?

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I wouldn’t worry so much about the subject tests. I’d try to get that SAT to 2100, minimum. Do that first and only do the ACT if the SAT doesn’t pan out. Keep in mind this is all a reach.