Stanford Admit Thoughts! Need help!

<p>An Indian; here is my personal website: <a href="http://www.akshaysivadas.in%5B/url%5D"&gt;www.akshaysivadas.in&lt;/a> </p>

<p>With a decent SAT + TOEFL score (which I am planning to take this October); Do I hold a good chance of getting an early admit to Stanford?</p>

<p>I am really looking forward for your valuable comments and critics.</p>

<p>If not on CF you can drop me a mail at <a href="mailto:curiosity@akshaysivadas.in">curiosity@akshaysivadas.in</a></p>

<p>Thank you in advance! And if you happen to be applying to Stanford this year buzz me on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/amigopronto%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.facebook.com/amigopronto&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Holy *****. I think you might be too full of yourself</p>

<p>^this
10char</p>

<p>yeah… think you’re going way overboard. I definitely would not show this website to the adcoms at Stanford.</p>

<p>I don’t mean to be rude, but that was a colossal waste of my time. You talk as if you’ve reached enlightenment or something. Well, that’s how I see it anyway.</p>

<p>@Ivybound13 and Purpender: I appreciate your words. I failed to realize if those words have crossed the threshold. I would be glad to hear from you if there is a chance of improvement in the website? :)</p>

<p>@Doener and AstroBlue: Criticisms are welcome; but I would rather prefer constructive criticism :)</p>

<p>Stanford receives ~30,000 applications per year. They have a format to their applications that lets them read applications quickly and pull out the vital details. They have no desire to read through your entire personal website. It is too long, it is way over the essay word limits, overdoing things makes you look pompous, it makes you look like an advertisement and not a person. Your writing is too flowery, and at certain parts it is clear you are not a native speaker (have a native speaker proof your final essays-- ‘I am really looking forward for your valuable comments and critics’ is not correct. You look forward TO things, not FOR them. And in this case ‘criticisms’ should be used, not ‘critics.’ I don’t actually care about your internet grammar, just note that these nuances make your writing flow much less smoothly & sound less-than-super-polished.)</p>

<p>Basically, you should not use your personal website in the place of your application. Use their application; that is what they want everyone to use. It is what I used to get admitted. If you are going to have them go to a website, make sure there is a very clear purpose for doing so-- for example, if you were a concert pianist, you could have a link to a youtube video of you playing (unless their website asks you to send a cd instead?) </p>

<p>It appears you have lots of outstanding awards and such that could get you admitted. Put the most impressive ones on your application. If you absolutely must, put a few more in the ‘additional info’ section or whatever. Don’t list everything you did since kindergarten, or they will get bored and your most impressive awards will not stand out as much.</p>

<p>As a random internet viewer, your website is very impressive and well done. But I was too lazy to read the whole thing. So will admission officers. If you want, use it to highlight one or two things. But don’t use a shotgun approach and overwhelm them. If the awards you have are as impressive as you make them sound, you have a good shot of being admitted. Don’t risk that by forcing them to read an unconventional application that could backfire. It’s fine (good, even) to show your creativity and such in your application, just note that adcoms will not spend an hour reading your website. </p>

<p>In short: put all the awesome stuff you’ve done on their application. Use your website to highlight a few things, if you use it, but don’t expect them to spend more than a few minutes there. Get an engleesh speaker to proof your essays. Good luck.</p>

<p>yeah, to follow up. it looks like you have a ton of amazing awards and all that. but you don’t have to try so hard to go way over the top. use the common application to your advantage. just attach a brief resume.</p>

<p>in the resume definitely don’t include anything like “wanting to be part of the league of the enlightened” or any of that. keep that for the essays (although this bleeds elitism and is, in my opinion, unappealing).</p>

<p>I suggest you speak to a native speaker (as someone else suggested) about what exactly you are trying to convey on the application, because it’s coming across, in all honestly, a little strange.</p>

<p>Best.</p>

<p>Be sure to tell them your in the extraordinary people club too!! That way they know you’re full of yourself!!</p>

<p>It might also help if you highlighted the ways that you can contribute to the society at Stanford. Awards are nice, but give that extra effort to set yourself apart. Give that a shot and see if it makes you feel better about your application.</p>