should i even bother?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Stanford University
1

<p>hey y'all. I'm a white girl from the bay area that goes to a competitive school. i am a junior. i'd love to go to stanford, the laidback and non-elitist atmosphere would be just for me (am I the only one out there that loves to learn just for learning's sake? sometimes at my school, i think so.) i'm not sure if i should apply since my stats are definetly not the best.</p>

<p>large class, does not rank. probably, oh .. maybe in the top 20 or 30 out of 700? i have no idea. our school admits 2-5 to stanford each year. </p>

<p>dad is legacy</p>

<p>freshman: 4.0 gpa</p>

<p>sophmore: 4.1 gpa
honors/ap's - ap european history. AP score: 5</p>

<p>junior (estimated):
4.3ish
ap studio art A A
ap english A- A-. let's say AP test: 5
ap us history: A- A- let's say AP test: 5
honors spanish 4: A-, A-
algebra II (i'm poor with mathematics): B, A- (I hope!)
chemistry (again, mathematics are my weakness): B, A- (I hope!)</p>

<p>senior year:
let's say ... 4 or 5 APs. let's say 4.4ish GPA. probably won't get all A's.</p>

<p>took practice SAT, the old version. first try without studying: 480 math (owch), 760 english. will cram brains out during next summer to take SATs senior year.</p>

<p>My rec. letters will probably be pretty good, but I'm really only expecting the one from my biology/will be AP environmental science teacher/fellow lindsay volunteer to be really excellent. </p>

<p>california state arts scholar for animation
girl scout gold award. (equivilant to eagle scout) created/implemented nature seminar for underpriveledged kids
3 years national honor society
4 years literary magazine, art/photo editor junior year
115 hours spent volunteering at san francisco zoo during summer giving presentations, etc.
5 years volunteer at lindsay wildlife museum and rehabilitation center. including 2 years of taxidermy. created large wooden floor puzzles, presentations to public, animal care, painted a mural on the taxidermy doors, etc. </p>

<p>applying to environmental studies program in costa rica for 1 month for next summer, will probably get in.
going as an exchange student to spain this christmas break. </p>

<p>i love animals, art, traveling (have been to africa, europe, south america, etc), the environment/conservation, spanish (even though I'm not brilliant at it), reading, taxidermy. want to major in something involving animal conservation/biology. definetly interested in studying abroad. not interested in small liberal art colleges, but not a place as impersonal as berkeley either (although i will still apply.)</p>

<p>so, should i bother?</p>

2

<p>Oh, I forgot to mention: I have a relatively rare neurological/sensory abnormality called synesthesia. I was interviewed by the BBC , and could have gone on their documentary about it, but my mom said no.:( anyhow, it probably contributes greatly to my lack of math ability, and while I don't get any "special disability" recognition for it, i could write about it in an essay. </p>

<p>"Synesthesia is a neurological condition in which a stimulus in one sense modality is involuntarily elicited in another sense modality. For instance, someone with synesthesia (called a synesthete) may be able to see sounds, taste shapes, or read otherwise black-and-white printed words in color. </p>

<p>Synesthesia is thought to occur in anywhere from one in as few as 1:2 to 1:2,000 people. In infant (and younger) humans, it has been shown that synesthesia could even be standard up until three months of age, in that infants may at least see sounds, if not have other synesthetic perceptions. Synesthesia is also thought to commonly occur in other types of animals as well. </p>

<p>Both science and the public are rediscovering this exciting condition, which was well-known over a century ago, yet was ignored when behaviourism became the popular in psychology. With recent advancements in science and technology, more data is discovered about synesthesia every day. Further, with this knowledge, synesthesia may be helpful in understanding human consciousness, as well as something as straightforward as the different levels of human brain function. "</p>

3

<p>Synesthesia won't make up for 480 on math. You would have to make it at least 200 points higher. But it sure can give you something interesting and unique to write about...</p>

4

<p>ur ecs sound good, if you are majoring in zoologoy or something</p>

<p>and yeah you gotta up the math score, if you even get it up like 160pts that should be good.</p>

5

<p>Yeah, apply. Get the SAT M up to upper 500s AT LEAST, 600s if possible. Legacy is especially good with your (other) stats. Write an enthusiastic essay.</p>