Hope to see you all at Stanford next year 
Yea, I have seen some interesting people get into Stanford. However, they only put people there that they think will fit in, quirky campus for quirky people.
Columbia, NYU, West Point, USNA, Boston University, and maybe Santa Clara?
I will absolutely.
hey! if you’re comfortable sharing, what are the main things about stanford that appeals to you? of course it’s uber selective so it’s not like getting in is easy but im deciding whether i would want to include it on my college list. i live super close to stanford though so i’ve always wanted to go to school in the northeast (Grass is always greener on the other side??).
For all of you applying early next year, good luck! I applied REA 5-6 months ago and was deferred. It was difficult but I kept working and was accepted yesterday to the class of 2021. While there is a lot of luck involved, if you really put your heart and mind into the application, you will definitely have a good shot.
I remember being in your position a year or so ago – if you have any questions, let me know and I will do my best to help!
@alr33zy Woah, congratulations! Applying REA as well. If you don’t mind: stats (acutally more of EC’s than stats)? Also,do you have any advice that you think we should follow when writing our apps this summer and in the fall?
@Top10Squad Thanks!
You’ve probably heard this a million times, but I recommend extensively pursuing three or four ECs – which are all reflected by certain themes. When you start crafting your application, you should focus your essays, ECs, 50-word answers, recommendations, etc around these categories/themes.
Personally, I based my application on my interests in computer science (competitive and casual programming), volleyball (varsity, beach, club), my cultural and linguistic backgrounds (in Canada, US, China, France), and one or two other small things. Then I just developed these categories more and more wherever I could in the common app.
I had pretty good stats (34 ACT, 43/45 IB predicted, 800 Math II and Physics) and literally no hooks – you just need to be different, passionate, and excited to explore life!
If you truly set Stanford as your goal, as I did 9 months ago, you can get there. While quantitative stats act as a prerequisite, you really need to put in the effort and have the application reflect a few areas you’re incredibly passionate about. Good luck everyone!
Hello! Prospective MIT/Caltech applicant popping in. What I’ve noticed from Stanford’s RD results thread seems to be that they don’t seem to care much about SATs/ACTs and it’s more about the ECs (holy some of them have 10 million ECs and awards in them seemingly). Can anyone confirm?
@SerenePotato I remember someone on the applicant discussion saying that SAT’s only matter up to a certain point. Once you’ve crossed that threshold, they don’t impact your application anymore.
I agree with this. I didn’t have any major awards, but I really loved sports and a couple other things. Most of my essays were about my EC’s.
@alr33zy Nice! Are you planning on attending? Also, did you write your essays about your EC’s?
@alr33zy I play varsity tennis and hold the position of captain, but I’m nowhere near state level or national recognition. Not even recognition in my league. Is this worth putting in my application, or is it only for sports that you are competing at a high level?
and I started Sophomore year…
@Top10Squad Definitely! I’ve already accepted the offer!
Rather than basing my essays directly on an EC activity, I shared meaningful experiences and traits by tying in several different ECs (especially in the roommate and “What matters to you and why?” essays).
@MatthewW12 I barely played at the state level, so if you think that your experience in tennis are both meaningful and plentiful (not just an activity you skimmed for a year), then by all means write about it.
@alr33zy Thank You!
Hey guys, it’s been a while.
Ready to share my entire Rihanna-obsessed self with Stanford and hope they love me right back! :x Best of luck to all in the rest of your Junior years!
Nice!!! For “what matters to you most, why?” lol