Stanford Class of 2021 RD Results Thread

Colleges and Universities A-Z Stanford University
1

Surprised that this thread hadn’t been created yet. Results come out in less than a day (4:00 PM PT)! Please use this thread to post your decision results, in order to help future applicants. Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor.

Just remove the “a” in the bold, size, and color of your decision.

[aB][asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size]**
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FFA500]Decision: Deferred[/color][/size]**
[aB][asize=4][acolor=#FF0000]Decision: Rejected[/color][/size]**

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown):
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):
Weighted GPA:
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable):
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service:
Summer Activities:
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1:
Teacher Rec #2:
Counselor Rec:
Additional Rec:
Interview:

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?:
Intended Major:
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant):
School Type:
Ethnicity:
Gender:
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:

General Comments:

MODERATOR’S NOTE:
Please only post results using the given format so that this thread can serve as a valuable resource for future applicants. There is another thread provided for discussion, congrats, etc. Non-result posts will be deleted.

2

Decision: Rejected

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1510 (710 V, 800 M)
ACT (breakdown): 33 C / 34 Superscore
SAT II: 800 Math 2
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.7
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1 / 350
AP (place score in parenthesis): 10 (AP scholar with distinction)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load:5 APs, one research seminar (toughest rigor available at school)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): none

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): State Champion in specific sport (cannot mention to preserve annonymoty), 4 year letter winner on Swim Team, Math Club (Captain), Engineering Club, School District rep from high school to advisory board, National Honor Society, others I cannot recall at the moment.
Job/Work Experience: Lifeguard and swim instructor
Volunteer/Community service: 250+ hours
Summer Activities: Summer jobs, Girls State
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Average
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 2 great LORs

Teacher Rec #1: Awesome from Math teacher
Teacher Rec #2: Awesome from Chemistry teacher
Counselor Rec: Did not see
Additional Rec:
Interview: went very well.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Chemical Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): Colorado
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: upper middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none

Reflection
Did not send 1st semester grade report in on time (straight As), but missing the deadline probably wasn’t good. Also, the essays could have used more work.

Strengths: grades, test scores, State Championship in a sport
Weaknesses: Essays
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Essays did not convey who she is well enough
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:

General Comments: This was the only “reach” school she applied to. All the rest were matches and safeties and she has great scholarship offers from all of them. We knew going in that Stanford is a long shot for anyone. Happy to have had the chance to play the lottery.

3

Decision: Accepted via likely letter

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Didn’t Take
ACT (breakdown): C: 30 M: 28 S: 27 R: 35 E: 31 W: 10/12
SAT II: Didn’t Take
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.91
Weighted GPA: NA (School doesn’t weight)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/6
AP (place score in parenthesis): APs not offered at school, found a program this year that allows me to take them online
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Bio, AP psych, AP lang+comp, Math 4 (mix of precalc/calc), gov, chemistry, science fair prep
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): 3 time ISEF finalist, AOTM state representative, US Ambassador to Thailand

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Science Club 4 years (President), Student Government 4 years (Class president/student body president), Student Research at a local lab 2 years, student advisory board member for state superintendent, established a club to teach students about climate change and green energy

Job/Work Experience: N/A

Volunteer/Community service: taught English to low-income students in Thailand, tutored 2+ hours a week

Summer Activities: Traveled to Thailand to be a US Ambassador, represented my state at a national conference every summer since 9th grade.

Essays (rating 1-10, details): 10. I wrote about my language, my roommate one showed my interests and quirks well, everything else was A1

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: Science teacher: I’ve known her for 7 years, worked closely under her, like a second mom to me, 10/10
Teacher Rec #2:English teacher: Wrote about my home life struggles and how I overcame them through school, she’s one of my closest friends 10/10

Counselor Rec: Kind of basic but touched on many points 9/10
Additional Rec: NA
Interview: WENT GREAT. We talked about Donald Trump and how much we hated him. (lol) Also discussed how we knew the admissions counselor for my area so he added that.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Full aid
Intended Major: Chemistry
State (if domestic applicant): Montana
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Very small rural school (50 kids)
Ethnicity: Native American
Gender: F
Income Bracket: <$30,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Native American

Reflection
Getting into the places I did was an extreme shock for me and I couldn’t have imagined it in a million years. Though I have a tough decision to make, I’m extremely grateful for it. If you are unsure if you should apply, just go for it. If Stanford’s your dream school and you get rejected, don’t feel bad. You will succeed anywhere that you may go. In my case getting rejected from my dream school just led me to greater options. :slight_smile:

Strengths: ESSAYS ESSAYS ESSAYS If you have a low ACT score like me essays can help you shine through.
Weaknesses: Low ACT, lack of AP courses
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Brown, Dartmouth, UPenn, Cornell, and UChicago.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: WUSTL (my dream school), Princeton, Vanderbilt

General Comments: Don’t come at me with your anti-affirmative action stuff. I’m not in the mood for it and I’ve had a completely different lifestyle from most of yall so please just don’t. Also sorry about grammar, etc. My hands are freezing and it hurts to type.

4

Decision: Accepted

Applied as a Junior in High School! Will not plan on graduating High School!

Rejected from Harvard, MIT. Waitlisted at Harvey Mudd. Only applied to these 4.

SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 780/760/19
ACT: C:35 ; E:33; M:35; S:34; R:36
SAT II (subject, score): Physics (800), Math 2 (800), World History (790)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.55
Rank: 1/400, though I’m a junior right now, and they’re supposed to remove class ranking next year.
AP: Self-Studied five of them, taken 9. All 5’s.
Freshman: Stats, Calc BC (SS), Computer Science (SS), Human Geography
Sophomore: Physics C: Mech, Physics C: E+M (SS); Psychology (SS); World History, Macroeconomics (SS)

(Junior) Year Course Load: APUSH; AP Lang; AP Chemistry; Mandarin 3; Stanford Online Modern Physics Course (Special Relativity and Quantum Mechanics)

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): USA Computing Olympiad Gold; USA Physics Olympiad Semifinalist; First place in state C-Stem Robotics contest;
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): President of school programming club; President of school Chess club; District Chess Champion; Will qualify for National Merit Finalist next year…

I’ve taken some courses at UCI as well. My UC GPA is a 3.9.

Multivariable Calculus; Linear Algebra; Differential Equations; Abstract Algebra; Physics: Optics/Waves/Fluids;

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (name, grade levels, leadership, description): Varsity Sailing team (team is first in state); Non-profit; First Robotics Team;
Job/Work Experience: None besides my non-profit
Volunteer/Community Service: Started a non-profit foundation (501c3) with my friend to establish after school coding classes at local elementary schools. We’ve expanded to over 5 schools so far, and have set up clubs at other high schools nearby where they go out and do the same.

5

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
ACT: 34 (33 English, 34 Math, 33 Reading, 34 Science, 36 Writing)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98
Weighted GPA: 4.3
Rank: Top 5%, 10/300
AP: Psychology (4) World History (3) English Lang (4) US History (4)
Senior Year Course Load: AP Spanish 4, AP Calculus AB, AP Lit, Leadership, AP Government Politics, AP Environmental Studies
Awards: AP Scholar with Honor, Political Opinion essay published in Washington Times, Department awards in every subject, recognized by national NHS chapter for accrediting a local chapter, National Merit Scholar

Subjective:

  • Eagle Scout
  • Student Body (ASB) President
  • Student Body (ASB) Vice President
  • Class President
  • School School Site Council (SSC) President
  • President of 3 clubs and Founder of 2 (National Honor Society & Youth Democrats)
  • American Legion “Boy’s State” Congressional Delegate
  • YMCA Youth in Government
  • All-county & all-state debate team champions; speech & debate team captain
  • Rotary Leadership Council Alumni with honors in Community Outreach
  • HOBY World Leadership Alumni & Counselor
  • Varsity golf, varsity basketball

Job/Work Experience:

  • Intern at Congresswoman’s office
  • Manage Intern Department at my City Hall
  • Work at San Francisco HQ of the FBI in community development department

Volunteer/Community Service:

  • 700+ Hours of community service through working with Sheriff’s department on community development

Summer Activities:

  • Summer 2015 - Classes at local community college (PoliSci 210), work at Capital Building with Congress
  • Summer 2016 - Classes at local community college (PoliSci 310), Boys State, 2 week Harvard Pre-College Program (Intro to American Law)

Essays:

  • About impact made at Congresswoman’s office through a reflective story of working with her at The Capital in DC.

Teacher Recommendations:

  • Used my History & Math teachers. Have had both for 2 years, and both let me participate in the writing process for the letter.

Counselor Rec:

  • God mother, counselor since 6th grade, peer, it was a hands down 10/10 and nearly brought me to tears

Additional Rec:

  • An evaluation by the Harvard Professor who taught me over the summer (very well-written evaluation letter) and my Congresswoman that I work closely with.

Other:

My application definitely stresses my passion for government, what i have learned through it, and what I plan to do with it.

Financial Aid: Yes
Projected Concentration: Political Science
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White (Middle Eastern)
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 250k+

6

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): 2340 (750/790/800/10)
SAT I superscore (breakdown M/CR/W/Essay): n/a (took it once)
SAT II (subject, score): 790 Math II, 790 Bio E
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97
Weighted GPA: ~4.6
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 8 of 849
AP (place score in parentheses): Human Geo (5), World History (5), English Lang (5), Chem (4), Bio (5), English Lit (4), US History (5), Calc BC (5)
IB (place score in parentheses): SL Psych (6)
Senior Year Course Load: IB English HL, IB Math HL, IB History of the Americas HL, IB Spanish SL, IB Physics SL, AP Art History
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): haha none (that i can think of)
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): AP scholar, the usual (nothing too important)

Subjective:
Extracurriculars : They’re my weak point. Math Club Treasurer, Astronomy Club, Garden Club, Readers Club, “Math Team” Member, babysitting brothers (one is severely autistic), helping with my mom’s business sometimes…,learning piano (just for fun)
Summer Experience: COSMOS UCSD, staying at home

Writing (Subject, 1-10 rating, details):

Essays: Good, kinda fun to write!
Teacher Recommendation #1: Good
Teacher Recommendation #2: Good
Counselor Rec: Good
Additional Info/Rec: n/a
Interview: Didn’t have one because I live in California!
Art Supplement: n/a

Other
U.S. State/Territory or Country: CA
School Type: Big public school with IB
Ethnicity: Black/African American
Gender: Female
Income Bracket Range: 30-75k (I know that’s a big range)
Hooks : See above

Reflection
Strengths: Scores, gpa, essays?
Weaknesses: Everything else
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I have no idea…really i don’t. Maybe the hook? That is the only thing that makes sense. I feel bad that I got in over people who really want to go here though.
What would you have done differently?: Nothing since i got in
Where else did you apply? Caltech (accepted ea), uchicago (accepted ea), mit (accepted), harvey mudd (accepted), swarthmore (accepted), pomona (accepted), rice (accepted), UC Berkeley (waitlisted), UCLA (accepted), other UCs, etc.

General Comments & Advice:
Good luck everyone!

7

Decision: Accepted

General Comments: Stats of admitted students can’t tell you anything other than that stats aren’t everything (i must repeat: STATS AREN’T EVERYTHING). It’s up to the admissions officers and what they want is anyone’s guess so stressing about scores is absolutely the wrong thing to do. Just show yourself through your essays and do your best, but know that whatever happens it’s up to you to make the best of the situation.

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): did not send
ACT (breakdown): 32 (36 reading, 34 english, 9 writing, 28 science, 28 math)
SAT II: did not send
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
Weighted GPA: 4.3
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10
AP (place score in parenthesis): Gov (5), US History (5), English Lang. (5), Calc AB (2), Physics 1 (2)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: AP Euro, AP Stats, AP Eng Lit, AP Spanish, AP Calc BC, Accounting, Honors Chem, College Algebra
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): FBLA (president), Yearbook, Swim (captain), News Team, Math Team (president)
Job/Work Experience: n/a
Volunteer/Community service: a few hours through FBLA, not much
Summer Activities: Japan trip, college course, visiting family
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9, totally honest and uncensored me
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 9, teachers that i knew well and that i knew liked me

Teacher Rec #1: english
Teacher Rec #2: science
Counselor Rec: i’m not sure
Additional Rec: none
Interview: none

Other:

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Philosophy and Religious Studies
State (if domestic applicant): GA
Country (if international applicant): -
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Afro-Carribean
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: <65k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM

Reflection:

Strengths: My essays were really honest pieces of me, they weren’t shakespearean or anything, but they represented me accurately and had some personality
Weaknesses: i don’t know. i thought this app was weak/hopeless before getting my decision so clearly my definition of weakness does not apply
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: i think the honesty of the essays
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: rejected harvard, princeton, mit, bowdoin, bu pomona, usc; accepted: bc, yale, colorado college, colby, northeastern, macalaster, seton hall, catholic, csb, amherst, brown, emory, uga; waitlist: williams, georgetown, sewanee, haverford, oberlin

8

Decision: Rejected

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1460, Math 760, W/CR 700
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: Physics 700, Math II 720
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.84
Weighted GPA: 4.05
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School does not rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): Bio 4
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Econ, AP Physics C E&M, AP Calc BC, Honors Spanish, Regular English
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Hispanic Recognition, Tri-M Music Honor Society

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity Golf 4 years (Captain Jr. and Sr. years),1st chair trombone school brass ensemble and jazz band, math club, finance club, team leader of small engineering project at school working on solutions to pothole repair
Job/Work Experience: none
Volunteer/Community service: nothing spectacular but I did 10-20 hours each summer in various activities.
Summer Activities: gold camp, travel to different countries
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 7/10, not a great writer but I was sincere and I think they clearly stated what I was passionate about and why I wanted to go to Stanford?
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 9/10, English teacher that said she teared up while writing it
Teacher Rec #2: 10/10, math teacher who I had for three years and said I was her best student ever.
Counselor Rec: probably about a 7/10, she had a bunch of other students to help, but she also said I was very driven and belonged at a good school so she probably did a good job.
Additional Rec: none, wish I had gotten one from my golf coach or physics teacher, one of the few regrets I have
Interview: 8/10, very nice person, lasted about 8/10, thought I communicated well what I could get from Stanford as well as what I could give to Stanford

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: aeronautical engineering
State (if domestic applicant): NJ
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: private
Ethnicity: Hispanic (Argentine)
Gender: male
Income Bracket: $105k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM

Reflection

Strengths: letters of rec, extracurriculars
Weaknesses: grades, test scores, essays
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Everyone who gets accepted to Stanford is extraordinary in some way. I think although my grades and scores weren’t phenomenal they were good enough to demonstrate that I was a competent student that could survive at Stanford. So I’d say that I probably didn’t have quite as spectacular achievements of most of the admits.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted to Cornell, Rice and Rutgers honors college.
Denied from: MIT, Princeton, Columbia, Penn, Northwestern, and UVA

General Comments:
Once you’re qualified it takes a lot of luck. Unless you’re a homerun applicant (recruited athlete, intel awards, first generation) you need to be very fortunate. I’m not bitter at all and I’m confident everyone who got in was well deserving of it. Congrats to everyone who got in.

9

Decision: Waitlisted

Objective:

  • SAT I (breakdown): 770 M, 750 CR+W, 20 Essay
  • ACT (breakdown): 36 Composite, 35 English, 36 Math, 36 Reading, 36 Science,
  • SAT II: 800 Math II, 760 Chem, 760 Physics
  • Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98 UW, 4.61 W (scaling is subjective per school so don’t take this too seriously)
  • Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 4th out of 230
  • AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Chem (5), AP Physics 1 (4), AP World (5), AP US History (5), AP Calc BC (5), AP Calc AB Subscore (5)
  • IB (place score in parenthesis): None
  • Senior Year Course Load: AP US Government, AP Literature and Composition, AP Physics C: Mechanics, AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism, AP Psychology, AP Statistics, AP Physics 2, AP Biology, Multivariate Calculus, Linear Algebra
  • Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.):
    • Academic awards: AP Scholar with Distinction, National Merit Scholarship Program Letter of Commendation, Excellence in Mathematics and the Natural Sciences from the Society of Women Engineers (CT Section), Presidential Scholars Semifinalist.
    • Dance awards: Dance Teachers Club of CT Scholarship Winner (2010, 2012, 2013, 2015), DMA National Jr. Mr. Dance Most Talented Non-Finalist (2012), DMA Jr. Mr. Dance of CT (2012), Sophisticated Production’s Highest Scoring Solo (age 15 and under) (2013), DMA Teen Mr. Dance of CT (2014), DMA Tap Class Audition Scholarship 1st Place Recipient (2016), Numerous First Overall Solo and Group Awards (2010 – Present).

Subjective:

  • Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
    • Competitive Dancer (Senior Competition Captain) Tap: 10 Years, Ballet: 9 Years, Jazz: 9 Years, Hip-Hop: 7 Years, Contemporary/Modern: 7 Years
    • Nutcracker Ballet (I've played the role of Prince and Cavalier these past 3 years) (9, 10, 11, 12)
    • National Honor Society (Tutoring coordinator/tutor) (11, 12)
    • French Honor Society (Executive Officer) (10, 11, 12)
    • Seaperch (11, 12)
    • Math League (9, 10, 11, 12)
    • Varsity Tennis (4 singles, 3 doubles) (10, 11, 12)
    • Offered to produce music for small fashion lines
  • Job/Work Experience: None
  • Volunteer/Community service:
    • Assistant Dance Teacher Ages 9-14
    • Nutcracker Ballet Student Rehearsal Assistant
    • NHS Tutor, all subjects
    • Writing Center Tutor
    • Math Center Tutor
  • Summer Activities:
    • 4 Weeks of Dance Intensives/National Competitions
    • Helped build a dance studio/gym in my basement
    • Dance training
    • College Tours
    • Tennis
  • Essays (rating 1-10, details):
    • Common Application Essay Rating: 9?? I had my AP Lit teacher read it over, as well as a few friends. They all said it sounded really personal and unique while being memorable, but I couldn't judge myself accurately.
    • Stanford Supplement: 7-8
  • Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
    • Teacher Rec #1: AP Calc/Multivariate/Linear Teacher, Math Team Coach
  • I assume it would be very good as he knows my intense schedule in and out of school, my work ethic, my sense of humor, and my sociability.
    • Teacher Rec #2: AP Chem Teacher Same as Rec 1, with the addition of my love and curiosity of the natural sciences plus my drive and independence in the classroom.
    • Counselor Rec: Unknown, but she used to attend my dance studio? So maybe that helped. This was also her first year, so personal details may have been rough.
  • Additional Rec: None.
  • Interview: Amazing, honestly. Connected on every subject and ran twice as long as it was intended to.

Other:

  • Applied for Financial Aid?: None.
  • Intended Major: Physics
  • State (if domestic applicant): Connecticut
  • Country (if international applicant): NA
  • School Type: Public
  • Ethnicity: White
  • Gender: Male
  • Income Bracket: Upper middle class
  • Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Male dancer?
  • Strengths: Test scores, extracurriculars, strong commitment to dance, national dance awards, rigorous course schedule, 3 independent studies in physics (shows initiative),
  • Weaknesses: supplement, distance,
  • Why you think you were accepted/rejected/waitlisted: Not sure, but I can't complain

General Comments: Probably going to end up at YPC

Other schools you applied to and their decisions:
Accepted: Williams, Swarthmore, Middlebury, Muhlenburg, William and Mary, Duke (likely letter), Columbia (likely letter), Princeton, University of Pennsylvania, Yale, Cornell, NYU, Wesleyan, Amherst

Waitlisted: Tufts, Brown, Dartmouth, Stanford

Rejected: Harvard

10

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1520 New SAT, 770 Reading/Writing, 750 Math
ACT (breakdown): 36 composite, 36 Reading, 36 English, 35 Math, 35 Science
SAT II: 800 US History, 760 Physics, 760 Math Level 2
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.79
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): US History (5), Calc BC (5), English Language and Composition (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis): IB World History (7)
Senior Year Course Load: IB Physics HL, IB Chemistry HL, IB LA HL, Honors Calculus 2-3, IB French SL, Choir
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Merit Finalist, Academic All American for swimming, 9 special awards at state science fair including national awards (awards from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin and The American Institute of Professional Geologists), 1st High School Intern in 13 years to win an Outstanding Presentation Award at a Postdoctoral Poster Symposium

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Environmental Club (elected officer), High School Swim Team (captain), club swim team, choir, piano, Model UN, track
Job/Work Experience: Paid internship at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin. (NOAA), OSMP Junior Ranger (helped maintain trails)
Volunteer/Community service: Involved in NHS, tutored students at school since sophomore year, involved in a project helping senior citizens, also helped plant trees/write grants for picnic tables through my environmental club
Summer Activities: Internship at NOAA, swimming
Essays (rating 1-10, details):

Common App Essay: 9
I wrote about my experience at NOAA, using the childhood to adulthood prompt. I talked about learning how to program independently and finding my love for the scientific method. I also made sure to emphasize my love for the process of learning, for knowledge itself. A bit cliche, but I think it did the job.

Stanford Activity Essay: 9
I wrote about my love for the peace and quiet of swimming. I think it stood out because it demonstrated that I don’t only participate in academic activities, that I also love the teamwork and community of my sport.

Stanford Intellectual Vitality Essay: 7
I talked about the need to listen to different viewpoints, but I think it could have been misinterpreted after the election. :confused:

Stanford Roommate Essay: 7
I thought this essay was slightly generic; I just wrote about my various quirks and that I hoped we could accept each other.

Stanford “What Matters to You?”: 9
I thought this essay was really good, as it explored my love for nature and my hope to make a difference in our changing climate.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 10- This was from my history teacher, and it was really good. I was the only student to receive a 7 on the IB test at my school, so he really made it count.
Teacher Rec #2: 7- This was from my physics teacher, and it was slightly generic but still decent.
Counselor Rec: 5- My school is giant, so the counselors don’t really know the students…
Additional Rec: 10- I was deferred to regular decision, so I got my chemistry teacher to write me an additional rec letter. I was his student aide, and we have a really good relationship, so I’m assuming that this really helped.
Interview: 10- My interviewer asked me a lot about the research that I have done at NOAA, and we ended up talking for over an hour.

Other: IB Diploma Candidate

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Physics, minor in history
State (if domestic applicant): Colorado
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Middle class
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Woman in science?

Reflection

Strengths: I thought my essays were really good, as writing has always been one of my strengths. I think that they really conveyed my work ethic and my love for learning. In addition, my test scores are also pretty good. I also think that I presented a clear narrative through my activities-the environment, research about the environment at NOAA, yet that I also presented balance through my love for swimming. I also think that my rec letters were really good.
Weaknesses: I haven’t taken as many AP tests as a lot of people because of the IB Program. I also haven’t done many academic competitions or held many leadership positions.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I think that it probably came down to my essays, which I worked really hard on. I really felt that they represented who I am. I also emphasized the fact that I taught myself how to program and my initiative through my research at NOAA, which I think that they probably appreciated. I tried to present a coherent picture and to connect the dots in my application.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Accepted: University of Michigan, Brown, Dartmouth, Middlebury, Carleton, Vanderbilt, Macalester, University of Washington
Waitlisted: Williams
Rejected: Harvard, Princeton, Pomona

General Comments:
Honestly, I think that this process is just a lottery. I’m still so shocked that I got in because I know that there are so many people who are more qualified that I am. College is what you make of it, so even if you didn’t get in, there will still be so many opportunities. I am just so grateful for the one that has been given to me. Congratulations and good luck to everyone!

11

[aB][asize=4]Decision: Accepted[/size]**

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 2320
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II: Math II 800, Chem 780, Spanish 670
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.89 (not sure tho bc I live in Canada)
Weighted GPA: 3.89
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 10%
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis): 40
Senior Year Course Load: IB Math HL, IB Chem HL, IB Bio HL, IB Geo SL, IB Eng SL, IB Spanish SL
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Finalist for Canada-Wide science fair (not really major bc it wasn’t Intel)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): National Fencing Team, Provincial Fencing Team
Job/Work Experience: Paid internship at microbiology company, work experience at science world, St. Pauls Hospital work experience
Volunteer/Community service: Microbiology Lab (3 years), 3 different hospitals, retirement homes
Summer Activities: trained with Korean National Team, did research project in microbiology lab, internship
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 8.5?
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 8/10
Teacher Rec #2: 8/10
Counselor Rec: 8/10
Additional Rec: 10/10 (by CEO of internship company)
Interview: didn’t have one

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: Human Biology
State (if domestic applicant):
Country (if international applicant): Canada
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Asian Canadian
Gender: F
Income Bracket:
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.):

Reflection

Strengths: Essays? (They were very reflective of me-- especially my roommate essay), and National fencing team
Weaknesses: no real major awards
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:

General Comments:

12

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1460
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
Weighted GPA: 4.3 (4.5 after mid year report)
AP (place score in parenthesis): 6 5s, 2 4s, forgot specifics
Senior Year Course Load: AP Physics 1, AP Research AP Comp Sci AP Gov, Eng 12 Hnrs, Precalc, Entrepreneurship (dual enrollment) AP Art History
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National AP Scholar,
Scholastic Art & Writing Awards (4 Silver Keys 7 Gold Keys National American Vision Medal 2 National Silver Medals 2 National Gold Medals, and Best-in-Grade Award) YoungArts Merit Award, Columbia University Association 1st Place Gold Circle Award (for digital illustration), National STEM Video Game Challenge Winner: High School Unity, Congressional App Challenge Winner, probably other stuff I forgot

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
like 4 research projects including a mixed methods case study, in which some were presented @ US Dept of Eduation + Pulitzer Center; promotion of personal art brand “zephyo” w/ weekly content (I’ve acculmated 60k YouTube subscribers, 8k Facebook Page likes, 3k tumblr followers); iNeuro Project artist for UCLA prof; concept artist for 4 game studios during a summer; “Dreamt” animated film admitted and finalist in several film festivals; “Suppressed” video game greenlit and published on Steam in which I sold >1500 copies, and was presented at Ed Games Expo by SBIR (US Dept of Ed) and featured on >10 gaming sites

Job/Work Experience: freelance commissioner (i think I have like $9000 derived from said work… Yum $$)
Volunteer/Community service:teacher assistant at Glen Echo Natl Park
Summer Activities: idk I drew stuff and programmed lol
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 10/10 done in 2 days I subsisted on coffee and all nighters
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 10? my teachers like me but not on a super personal lvl

Applied for Financial Aid?:ya
Intended Major: Art Practice + CS
State (if domestic applicant): VA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public
Ethnicity:Asian
Gender:F
Income Bracket:+$200k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): n/a

Strengths: large emphasis on my passion i.e. educaitonal technology; essays emphasize importance of said subject in my life, my drive/passion to succeed in said field, and my incorporation of interdisciplianry perspectives into advancing field of ed tech. For values essay, transitioned from personal values (organization and intrinisic motivation) into broader values (e.g edificaiton of humanity, advancement of academia, etc)
Weaknesses: sat probably. also lack of clubs/interaction with society. lmao.
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: idk OOOh I also submitted 2 art supplements w/ great after effects editing A++ aesthetic
Where else were you accepted: Carnegie mellon, USC game design, UVA. (only applied to these 4)

13

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I : superscored 2350, 750(M), 800(CR), 800 (W)- took the old once twice
ACT (breakdown): 32 (didn’t send)
SAT II: 770 (M II), 770 (LIT)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 6/400
AP (place score in parenthesis): didn’t send any (I got a few fives and fours and three 3’s LOL)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Psych, AP Physics 2, AP Cal BC, AP Gov, AP Lit, AICE Global Perspectives A Level
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Ranked in top ten nationally for debate, AP scholar w distinction, National Merit SF, State service awards, Yale Young Global Scholar

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): debate captain, various feminist service projects (including founding a national non-profit), congressional intern, DECA president, art and writing honor societies and awards
Job/Work Experience: paid debate coach over summer
Volunteer/Community service: 4 years volunteering at local hospital
Summer Activities: Indian classical music training
Essays (rating 1-10, details): I thought they were pretty good, but I found a few grammar mistakes afterwards. I was very genuinely myself, and pretty weird
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: This one was by my debate coach and we’ve been close for four years, she’s like a parent figure so the rec was probably really personal and detailed (10/10)
Teacher Rec #2: By my english teacher who’s a really good writer and is the advisor for a club I’m part of (9/10)
Counselor Rec: We only have one counselor for the whole grade so this was probably not the best, but she and I worked on it together and she really did care about helping me out (8/10)
Additional Rec: none
Interview: Never had one

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: International Relations
State (if domestic applicant): FL
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: Indian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: middle
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None.

Reflection: I really beat myself up about the college application process. I feel like all I did for a year was read posts on college confidential, obsess about the 3’s I had on AP’s, the average class rank I had, and whether or not I was winning enough debate tournaments or entering enough writing/art contests. And I definitely had this whole misconception about how being asian meant I wouldn’t get in anywhere. Getting deferred from Yale early crushed me, but it was good because I snapped back to reality and started focusing on doing the things I love again. In the end, it didn’t even matter, and I got in regular decision after sending almost no updates to my original application. I’m still amazed that I get to go to my dream school, and it’s a great feeling, but in the end, the whole process amounted to this one letter. And all I can say from the other side is that it’s not worth beating yourself up for, because it will never define you. I always thought people who said ‘you’ll end up where you belong’ where ridiculous optimists, but from the other side I can see that it’s true. Colleges accept you based on how you’ll fit on their campus, so an acceptance or denial is never a judge of worth, but rather a judge of applicability, and everything happens for the best. I’m just making this post because 1. I hope it reminds some people that you can get into an ivy or top ten school even if you’re an asian with imperfect stats 2. these posts were a guide for me 3. if you’re genuinely passionate about something, let it shine through
Strengths: Debate accomplishments, passion for feminism
Weaknesses: Rank, SAT II, and AP scores
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think I was accepted because it was clear that I only did things I was really deeply passionate about
Where else were you accepted/deferred/rejected: Accepted to Yale, Brown, Cornell, Duke (AB full scholarship), Emory (full scholarship); Waitlisted at Harvard and Columbia, Rejected at Princeton

General Comments: BOOLA BOOLA

14

@yalegirl681 Your stats are very near perfect, way better than my kid’s. In the same intended major also. Why did you apply Yale early when Stanford was your number one choice? Getting 770 in SAT II and one or two 3s in AP is not bad at all. IMO your getting into Stanford and Yale is not at all surprising.

15

^ Agree with above. Was also an AB Duke scholar, which is even more selective. 6/400 hardly qualifies as “average class rank”.

16

@renaissancedad All I gotta say is that if the above stats are “not nearly perfect”, my kid’s stats are not worthy of even applying to HYPSM. :slight_smile: My kid was very happy when he got around 750 in the same SAT subject tests. He has mostly 4 and 3s, except 5 on English language AP tests.

17

[asize=4][acolor=#008000]Decision: Accepted[/color][/size]

Sorry this is late but idk, I like filling these out :slight_smile:

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): took but didn’t send in. 1490
ACT (breakdown): 33 C / 34 SS. 36 E, 34 S, 35 R, 30 M
SAT II: took but didn’t send in. 660 Chem, 670 Reading
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.714
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): Top 1%
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP US (5), AP Lang (5), AP Stats (4), AP Calc AB (4), AP Chem (3), AP Physics 1 (3)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP Psychology, AP Human Geography, AP Physics 2, Dual Credit First Aid/Medical Terminology, AP Literature, Econ/Gov, Band
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Not really that many. Most of mine were music related or locally earned.
National Merit Commendation, AP Scholar with Distinction

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Pianist (13 years, performed three times with local orchestras, won multiple competitions, etc), Flutist (principal in band and youth symphony, school drum major, winner of many competitions), Board Member of my school district, school newspaper (editor-in-chief), school yearbook (copy editor)
Job/Work Experience: Interned at a tech graphics company in my town and worked as a secretary for my dad
Volunteer/Community service: 500+ hours of service at a local cancer center
Summer Activities: Cancer center volunteering, Northwestern CTD (6 years), Brevard Music Center
Essays (rating 1-10, details): I think my essays were what got me in. Probably an 8 for my common app essay though- it was a bit cliche. My supplement essays for Stanford were really true to myself and witty, so I think that’s what helped me the most. (I wrote about Harry Potter)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): I didn’t get to read two of them, but they were teachers who liked me a lot. The one I did read was a solid 10. She wrote a lot and made me seem like a god or something lol

Teacher Rec #1: Chem teacher
Teacher Rec #2: English teacher
Counselor Rec: She was an English teacher who really liked me, so I’d assume it was pretty nice.
Additional Rec: No other additional red
Interview: My interview actually went kinda bleh. The guy was a very serious lawyer-type person, and although I indicated I was interested in pre-law, he was unfazed. He kept asking me questions I had no answers for or other things that I hadn’t prepared for. That being said, he sent me an email once I got in and said some really nice things to me. You never know!

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: No
Intended Major: English (probably will change)
State (if domestic applicant): Illinois
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White/Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Upper
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Brother went to Stanford, born in California

Reflection

Strengths: I think it was my essays, for sure. At every other college, I tried super hard to be formal and deep and meaningful, but I just let loose with my Stanford essays. They were bold and risky, but were the best reflection of my true self.
Weaknesses: Test scores, haven’t rid the world of cancer yet
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: It’s probably the essays, again. They don’t accept many kids from my area to the school, and they hadn’t in six years… so that helped. I think I just presented myself in a very truthful way and that resonated well with my reader.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Accepted at Duke, Swarthmore, WashU, Middlebury, Emory, and U of I. Waitlisted at Harvard, Penn, Brown, Cornell, Columbia, Amherst, Williams, Georgetown, Tufts. Rejected at Princeton, Yale, and Dartmouth.

General Comments: Look, I’m shocked I got in. After a metric buttload of waitlists the day before, I was sure Stanford was out. But, I think if you apply to Stanford with a certain mindset and approach the application with your best intentions in mind, it’ll pull through. Stanford was not my dream school because I never though I’d get in… but here we are :slight_smile: Good luck to any future applicants!!