<p>Hey guys, just quickly asking for your 2 cents here as to whether or not you think I have a reasonable shot at Stanford. I am currently a junior residing in California. I am female, half white, half Korean (I have a European last name, so I'm not sure if I should put if I'm Asian or not).</p>
<p>Ok, briefly, stats:
GPA: 4.36 W, 3.97 UW (1 B+ in AP English junior yr)(I took 2 APs soph yr, 3 this year) (top <5% of class of ~600 kids)
SAT: 2270 1st try (760 CR, 790 M, 720 W) (I will not retake)
Hopefully National Merit Semifinalist (I got a 222, which is iffy here in CA)
Played piano for 12 years
Varsity tennis and varsity badminton 2 yrs (will continue next year)
Editor-in-chief of school's online newspaper
Webmaster of school's online newspaper
Did a journalism summer program at USC Annenberg
Intern reporter at local newspaper
Copy editor of yearbook
(As you can see, I am pretty into journalism)
Very strong letters of rec
And of course plenty of volunteer hours and membership in clubs which I won't bore you with
Also, if it helps:
I will be applying early action
My dad went to Stanford undergrad so I do have legacy status</p>
<p>Also, thoughts on UCLA, Brown, and Carnegie Mellon?</p>
<p>I hate to burst your bubble, but Stanford doesn’t really care about legacy. It is still a high reach, and so is Brown, as it is for anyone else. Id say UCLA is a match to a high match because you are in state. Carnegie Mellon looks like a high match for you as well</p>
<p>^ I disagree, at my school (which is very competitive) there seems to be atleast 1 or 2 students admitted each year who have legacy… (Granted they were pretty qualified anyway, but still, others who seemed equally qualified at my school were rejected)…</p>
<p>I don’t want to wait 15 minutes to edit, but here’s my opinion. People have told me that I have a chance (of course they also throw in the ‘it’s a reach for everybody’ but), and you seem more qualified than me, so I think you’ve got a chance!</p>
<p>I’m also apply EA next year, <em>hoping</em> for the best. (Asian male though…)</p>
<p>You’re academically qualified so why not go for it. But it’s a crapshoot.</p>
<p>@SugarBubbleTea Stanford actually values legacy more than most other schools. They want to remain loyal to their alumni. However, if your dad has not given back much to the University, then the legacy status will be valued less.</p>
<p>I have two friends going to Stanford next year. You are just as qualified as either of them. One of them I was surprised about though. He had lowish test scores (like 2050 SAT maybe?), and didn’t seem to do a lot out of school. But he was extremely passionate about what he did do. And he is a fantastic writer. He is a creative writing major, and his writing capabilities were definitely useful for him when it came to writing those essays. I honestly think the essays were the biggest difference maker for him.</p>
<p>Sorry for rambling a bit. But moral of what I said is spend a lot of time on the essays and do them how you want to do them, not how you think Stanford wants you to do them.</p>
<p>For Stanford you kinda have a weak course schedule but your grades are very good. It’s a stretch for most people but you definitely have a chance</p>
<p>Stanford’s admit rate was 5.1% this year and is expected to be notably lower for the class of 2019 because the yield rate for the class of 2018 was significantly higher than anticipated. I believe it was close to 80%. They are having to make special accommodations to fit the needs of the larger than normal incoming class. They’ve received more than 35,000 applications the past couple of years and only could admit around 2100. Of those who applied I’m guessing that upwards of 25,000 had stellar grades in challenging classes, stellar scores, stellar extracurriculars, and glowing letters of recommendation. It’s a matter of extraordinary low supply of spots vs. an extraordinarily high demand for them. </p>
<p>I think you’re impressive and a solid contender for admission to Stanford and should most definitely apply. Be optimistic, but also maintain realistic expectations because everyone who isn’t a recruited athlete is a reach, regardless of their talent, of their accomplishments, or their legacy status. That’s what I’ve been told and I have similar stats, accolades and activities, and am a triple legacy (mom went there for law school, sister went there for undergrad, and my brother is currently a rising senior). My brother and sister were recruited athletes, and I don’t play of the recruited sports, so my odds of getting in are much slimmer than theirs were. So yeah, be hopeful, and do your absolute best with the application essays. Be sure to research other colleges so that if you don’t get into Stanford you can apply to them during the regular decision application round. If you excel in the arts, submit the optional arts supplement to Stanford to help distinguish you from other applicants. Be aware that the deadline is earlier if you’re submitting the arts supplement and plan accordingly. Good luck! :)</p>