Stanford Class of 2022 REA Results Thread

[deafYN]

Decision: Accepted
still has not sunk in yet

ACT (breakdown): C 33, E 34, M 35, R 31, S 32, W 8
SAT II (subject, score): Math II 790, Physics 700
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): School does not show
Weighted GPA: School does not show
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): No rank
AP (place score in parentheses): School does not offer
IB (place score in parentheses): [All scores are predicted]: Math HL (7), Physics HL (7), Economics HL (7), Chemistry SL (6), English A SL (6), Indonesian B HL (7), Theory of Knowledge (A), Extended Essay (A)
Senior Year Course Load: Heavy especially with 4 IB HLs.
Number of other EA applicants in your school: 1 more to Stanford
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel, etc.): None.
Common Awards (AP Scholar, honor roll, NM things, etc.): Top Student Academic Award, Harvard Model Congress Asia Honorable Mention, Model Congress Club Merit and Distinction Awards, Varsity Tennis Merit Award, Student Representative Council Merit Award.

Job/Work Experience:

1. Founded a startup to help farmers, now in 8 provinces across the country.
2. Co-founded a startup to help radiologists, AI still in development phase.
3. Interned in a Japanese IT company in the e-commerce division.
4. Interned in an American HR company as an analyst.
   Volunteer/Community Service:
5. Head of English department in a local NGO.
6. Keynote speaker at Global Issues Network Indonesia conference.
   Other ECs:
7. Head of MUN training and delegate in Model Congress Club.
8. Indonesian government ambassador for Pancasila (Indonesia’s founding ideology)
9. Mentor at MIT LaunchX clubs, handling 3 schools across Asia.
10. Varsity tennis
11. Head of Charity at stuco
    Summer Experience:
12. MIT Launch summer, an entrepreneurship program and startup incubator.

Common App: Wrote about my passion journey into creating my first startup to help Indonesian farmers get out of poverty. 9/10
Intellectual vitality: Wrote about seeking to uncover the truth behind the malleability of one’s mind, inspired by Indonesian farmers. 9/10
Roommate essay: Wrote about Indonesian spices and how they symbolize who I am as a person. Also added a few elements of humor into it. 8/10
What is meaningful to you and why: Wrote about imagination and how asking “What if?” is extremely important in life. 9/10

Teacher Recommendation #1: Probably 9/10, my economics teacher and I are close so he wrote really good reviews about me and showed me the letter.
Teacher Recommendation #2: Not sure, 7-8/10 maybe? My english teacher is an excellent writer though, but we were never close and I’m not sure what she wrote.
Counselor Rec: Didn’t show me, so I guess a 7-8/10. The vice principal really likes my passion journey in and outside school, so he wrote about that I guess.
Additional Rec: From my boss at my internship with the Japanese IT company, wrote pretty good reviews. Probably 7/10.
Interview: I think it went pretty well, my interviewer and I connected instantly and we went overtime. 8/10 maybe?

U.S. State/Territory or Country: Jakarta, Indonesia
School Type: Small private
Ethnicity: Southeast Asian (Indonesian)
Gender: M
Income Bracket Range: Not sure.
Hooks (URM, first generation, recruited athelete, development): n.a.

Strengths: My ECs are definitely the strongest part of my application, especially with my two passion project-turned-startups.
Weaknesses: My grades in general are not that amazing, won no major awards.
Why you think you were accepted/deferred/rejected: I think I showcased my passions really well in writing.
What would you have done differently? Get better grades??
Where else did you apply? Applying to Harvard and Penn RD.

General Comments & Advice: Honestly, I have been reading the Stanford 2020 and 2021 REA threads and I got extremely worried and anxious. My advice is just once you submit the application, just enjoy life and don’t think about it too much like I did.

[kyleeslifee]

Decision: Rejected

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1420 (740 R/E, 680 Math)
ACT (breakdown): 31 (33 E, 28 M, 34 R, 29 S)
SAT II: None
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
Weighted GPA: 4.2 (Only one B (an 89% fml) on my transcript in a community college course, couldn’t take weighted courses until junior year)
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): School doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc AB (1) - Yes, pathetic-- worst teacher ever, only knew how to answer one question on the entire test lol. Any other AP courses I could have taken were essentially replaced by my duel enrollment.
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: High School Courses- Ceramics, Digital Photo (grad requirements lol), Statistics, AVID
Duel Enrollment- Advanced Composition, Intro to Gov’t, Psychology, Philosophy
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): None lol

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity cheer 9-12 (Captain senior year), Competitive Cheerleading 9-10, NHS 11, Youtube Partner (45,000 subs and 4,000,000+ views), AVID Class Rep
Job/Work Experience: In-N-Out 11,12
Volunteer/Community service:
Summer Activities: Working, Youtube videos
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Don’t really know how to rank my essays to be completely honest. My common app essay was pretty good in my opinion, but could have fallen short in comparison to other applicants, and I don’t really know what I’m comparing myself to. My short answers weren’t the greatest, a bit rushed and may have lacked substance.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher #1: 9/10 Chemistry teacher, one of the few kids to get an A in his class. Remembered me to be a stand out student, may have been a bit short though.

Teacher #2: ?, Spanish teacher, had her for 3 years, honestly unsure how her letter was, but I know she really liked me as a student. Didn’t really have other options in terms of recommenders because my 11th grade math teacher sucked and most of my other academic classes were duel enrollment, didn’t form connections with those professors. \

Counselor: 8/10? Though I’m from a large public high school, I know my counselor well. Was my soccer coach in elementary years and have spoken to him way more than the average student. I can imagine he had great things to say about me.

Interview: Went extremely well, honestly considered declining because I don’t tend to do well in public speaking/ interview settings. Conversation flowed well, connected with her on loss of immediate family member. She told me “Stanford isn’t looking for students with the 4.8 GPAs and 36 ACTs, but rather students with a story like yourself.”

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Biomedical Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White/Asian
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: LOW
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Father passed away after freshman year, first gen

Reflection

Strengths: Did I really have any? lol
Weaknesses: Weak extracurriculars (!!) , No SAT IIs, no major awards, seemingly weak course load
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Oddly enough, I don’t even think it was my lower scores, because people get in with those. I honestly think it was my lack of activities.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Only decision so far.

General Comments:
I knew that applying to Stanford was an EXTREME reach, but I don’t think I realized until now how little of a chance I had. Don’t get me wrong lol, I knew I had an extremely slim chance but looking back I don’t really think I had one at all. Even looking through this thread I see that I have the lowest scores and the least activities. My extracurriculars are extremely weak in comparison to even those who were also rejected. To be quite honest I didn’t even realize HOW different these applicants were. In my mind it’s almost as if they are a different breed. I’m not sure if I’m just oblivious, or if it’s my school that never exposed me to the qualifications that these applicants hold. I’m not too upset though, of course it would have been a dream to get in, but I was definitely expecting rejection and I see now how many people deserve to go that didn’t get in either, but I’m definitely glad I tried and will never have to wonder, “What if?”

[hsvaledictorian]

Decision: Accepted

wowowowowowow

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1520; 760 in each
ACT (breakdown): didn’t submit
SAT II: horrible lol, Lit: 680, Math II: 650
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.699
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/371
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Calc AB 5, APUSH 4, AP Micro 5, AP World 4, AP Stats 5
IB (place score in parenthesis): not offered
Senior Year Course Load: AP Gov, AP Lit, AP Psych, AP Calc BC, H Physics, H Spanish, Journalism (elective)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): no national awards are anything, mostly school and region; Dwight D Eisenhower Award for Leadership and Character 2017, National Merit Commended Scholar, AP Scholar with Distinction (but I forgot to put this), Student Athlete of the Month October 2015, Women’s Club Girl of the Month November 2017

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): (co-founder/president) National English Honor Society, (president) Mu Alpha Theta, (treasurer) Leo Club, SERVE Club (a community volunteer club), Book Club,
(Captain) Varsity Tennis 4 years, JV/Varsity Soccer 2 years, Concert Band 2 years played the clarinet, played the violin since I was in fourth grade and took private lessons.
Job/Work Experience: nothing except helping my mom in her business but I didn’t include this
Volunteer/Community service: Teen Advisory Board (TAB) Member since 4th grade at the local public library (we organize events for children and teens at the library and around the community), volunteered at Sacred Heart Senior Center a few times to play the violin for senior citizens.
Summer Activities: 2016: visited my family in China and attended Pennsylvania Free Enterprise Week (PFEW), a business program. 2017: LEDA!!! (Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America) at Princeton University, I’ll explain this later

Essays (rating 1-10, details): tbh I think my essay were a strong part of my app BECAUSE of LEDA and my writing instructor there helping me through the whole process.
Personal Statement: 9/10 I made my personal statement very personal and close to my heart and I don’t particularly think it’s really unique, but I think it did convey what kind of person I was and what I valued.
Learning Essay: 6/10 honestly, this was probably my most problematic and just difficult essay because I don’t know what major I want to study or what I want to be, and there wasn’t many opportunities for me growing up. I think it was somewhat decent, but I could’ve written a much better essay.
Roommate Essay: 9/10 my personal favorite out of all that I’ve written. I didn’t really focus on telling what I liked and stuff, and again I made it very personal in that it was like a handwritten letter telling my future roomie that I would love to meet her and how I love hugging and being affectionate.
Meaningful Essay: 8/10 my writing instructor’s favorite I think. She said it was written very well and thoughtfully, and I had a great time writing it because I wrote about something that truly had a spot in my heart, even in another 20 years.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
I waived the right to read them so idk, but one teacher I had for 3 years and he also had my sister. However, I don’t think he likes me as much as my sister lol because he absolutely loved her but oh well he probably likes me a decent amount. The other is a math teacher I had for two years for both Calcs and I think she likes me. I also like her class the most so that might say something. I don’t have super strong relationships with really any of my teachers. I really love my counselor and she adores me so I think her recommendation was pretty good considering she has nothing but praise for me, I love her so much, and she had my sister for four years and me for these past four years too.

Interview: So, funny story, I missed my interview fml. But my counselor said it doesn’t really count for much, so yeah it’s fine, I mean at the time I was really about to kill myself

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: i put Management Science and Engineering but who really knows, I don’t know what I wanna be
State (if domestic applicant): PA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public
Ethnicity: Chinese
Gender: female
Income Bracket: real low like 40k?
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first gen, idk about underrepresented minority I don’t think so, Asians don’t count do they

Reflection

Strengths: LEDA, tremendous help they gave me and I really think this and my essays were the highlights of my application. if you don’t know what leda is, it’s a 7 week residential program at Princeton for college prep in the summer before senior year. they help you throughout your senior year as well, and the 3 tier application process starts in junior year (btw this year’s deadline is coming up, I believe it’s the 12th of December)
Weaknesses: I mean I missed my interview, also I don’t really have a passion for like the arts or engineering specifically. I have a broad range of interest and idk what I want to do or be. My recs might’ve been strong but I’m not really close with my teachers. Also, I don’t have any like MAJOR awards, but then again I’m not sure if it hurt my app too much because like there are some really amazing people out there and not everyone can be a nationally ranked ballerina or something
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: bc LEDA and their help and because I’m pretty well rounded but I have a drive to be an important person in the future because I have a desire to be needed by the people around me.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: first college that gave me a decision, but I also applied to WashU, USC, and my state school Penn State

General Comments: I don’t think of myself as special or privileged/underprivileged because I have a great family, but my whole life has been just about me making my own decisions, and I do well academically but then again my school isn’t the greatest, in fact it’s pretty bad academically. But I seek out other opportunities and have been building my profile and transcript/resume since like fourth grade. also I’ve wanted to go to Princeton since I first visited there in fourth or fifth grade and it was only summer that I found the courage to apply to Stanford because I was always fascinated by it but never though I’d have a chance. The people around me have a lot of confidence in me, but sometimes I don’t have that same confidence in myself. So, I always think that you’re not as great as you think you are, and your not as bad as you think you are. Even when you doubt yourself you still gotta try, and a rejection should just make you work more towards your goal. Don’t let it bring you down. An acceptance should make you feel happy, but don’t let it get to your head because there’s always more to work for, and getting into college isn’t everything, you gotta graduate and all that jazz.

[epenguin]

Decision: Accepted

Objective:

SAT I (breakdown): 1560; 800 R/W, 760 M, 7/7/7 Essay
SAT II: 800 Chem; 800 Math II
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): honestly idk
Weighted GPA: 4.68
Rank: top quintile (~131 students in class)
AP: All 5s: Chinese, Euro, Stat, Chem, Bio, Both Econs, Studio Art 2-D, French, Calc BC
Senior Year Course Load: APUSH, AP US Gov, Indep. Study O-Chem, Indep. Study Econ, AH English, AH French, AH Math (Number Theory/Multivariable Calculus)—***AH=Advanced Honors, which at my school is essentially beyond-AP level classes
Major Awards: Natl Merit Semifinalist, Natl AP Scholar, Qualify for AIME, San Diego Mayoral API (Asian Pacific Islander) Student Award

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Student Govt, Mock Trial, Choir, Varsity Volleyball 4 years (Captain 1 yr), Student Publication (Head HS Editor), Asian Student Group @ school (leader 2 years)
Job/Work Experience:
Volunteer/Community service:
Summer Activities: Nat Geo Student Expeditions, Internship for local city council campaign, San Diego LGBT Pride internship
Essays (rating 1-10, details): 9, teacher who helped look over them thought they were very strong; had a good theme of diversity/justice work, and hunger for learning
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): 8, both teachers had me multiple years and so could speak of my growth over the years.

Teacher Rec #1: Math Teacher (8th grade Geometry, 11th grade AP Calc BC)
Teacher Rec #2: English Teacher (9th grade General English/Writing, 11th grade Women Writers)
Additional Rec: Director of Diversity at school
Interview: Yes, I at first thought it was only OK and not great, but I emailed my interviewer after I received my decision and he said he really liked me, so.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes, bc why not, but honestly not expecting any to be given
Intended Major: English/Writing
State: CA
School Type: Private, religious-affiliated
Ethnicity: Asian-American/Chinese
Gender: M
Income Bracket: ~ $350,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): LGBT

Reflection

Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted: idk man college admissions is wack an unpredictable.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Nowhere yet

General Comments:

[epenguin]

Shoot, I forgot to mention (I am reply #27, two above) that I also submitted an art supplement consisting of my photography; my personal statement was essentially about art/photography and human communication, so I thought it was probably best to also submit a portfolio.

[gigichuck]

Decision: Rejected

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1510 (790 Math, 720 Reading/Writing) first time, no money to test twice
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.7
Weighted GPA: N/A
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/66
AP (place score in parenthesis): N/A
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Way too heavy, but mostly for the national exams
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Queen’ s Commonwealth Essay, Silver Award
-Lots of national awards but writing them here would basically give me away, but they’re maths and essay competitions

• First place, state chess tournament

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
-Math Club, president
Editor-in-chief, school magazine
Chess Club, co-founder
French Club, president
An online feminist group
An online journalism site
Student Government (all throughout school)

Job/Work Experience: N/A
Volunteer/Community service: Um, neighbourhood clean-up?
Summer Activities: We don’t get holiday. Maybe 5 weeks total for summer. We still learn during that period. My School is extremely hardcore.
Essays (rating 1-10, details): I like my personal essay, but I’ll give it a 7.
My extracurriculars essay, 7.
I realise now I may have come across as a little green in the others. So 5 to all the rest.

I’m a writer, but I don’t like to judge my own writing lol.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): Generic, generic, and oh, hasn’t that adjective been used 5 times already?

Teacher Rec #1: French teacher, she said I’m her best student
Teacher Rec #2: Math teacher, also said I’m his best student
Counselor Rec: simply listed all my achievements
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: Used few words. She probably asked me to elaborate a thousand times

Other: I think I managed to mention in different places that I was accepted to the Yale Young Global Scholars program in Frontiers of Math & Science. Didn’t attend even though I received a partial waiver. No money.

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yep
Intended Major: Electrical Engineering
State (if domestic applicant): N/A
Country (if international applicant): Nigeria
School Type: Private, really tough
Ethnicity: African and black
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Less than $20 000 (very unstable income) for a family of 6
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): N/A

Reflection: This is therapeutic. I didn’t want to post my results but whatever, the decision doesn’t make me. I’ll focus on my RD apps and get into a great school.

Strengths: My 790 Math, rank, my transcript (15 different subjects, all mandatory. Sheesh. I should be commended for having a 3.7)
Weaknesses: I need a full ride, I’m international, blah blah
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I don’t know. Would love to know though
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: First school I’ve heard back from.

General Comments: I don’t know what they considered. My recs were sent in 2 weeks before decision date. Did that affect it? Who knows? Also, I’m 15. 16 in a few weeks though, but maybe they consider age for internationals. Not sure.

At least I can say I applied. There are 100s of awesome schools where someone with drive can succeed. Thank you, Stanford, for reading my application. Maybe one day I’ll even thank you for rejecting me.

Congrats to those accepted and good luck to prospective applicants!

[farmguy3]

[snooks12345]

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1340 (690 math, 650 reading/writing)
ACT (breakdown): 32 (34E, 29M, 31R, 33S)
SAT II: 700-math 2, 610 biology M
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):4.0
Weighted GPA: NA
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): #1
AP (place score in parenthesis): NA
IB (place score in parenthesis): NA
Senior Year Course Load: English Composition I and II, Statistics, Calculus, Physics, Journalism, Government, Human Biology
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): KS State Speech and Drama Championship Team two years running, State Champion in Prose (speech and drama), State Runner-up in Humorous Solo (speech and drama), State 3rd Place, 5th place and 6th place Oration (speech and drama), KU Honors Scholar, Presidential Scholar Program Nominee, Kansas State Scholar, Common Knowledge Scholarship Foundation National Champion in Biology and Chemistry, Community Service Award, 3rd Place State Journalism Online Photo Gallery, 4-time state journalism qualifier

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): KAY Leadership Club (Vice Pres, Pres, Social Media Director), StuCo (VP, VP, VP), National Honor Society, FFA, FCCLA, Journalism (copy editor),
Job/Work Experience: Wal-Mart cashier, Lifeguard
Volunteer/Community service: KAY, food pantry help, chicken dinners for the community, act tutoring, CYO, city cleanup crew, , Stuco, red cross blood drives
Summer Activities: Lifeguard, traveling, National Academy for Future Physicians and Medical Scientists

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App (10): about my struggle towards coming out as gay in rural KS, no need to specify more. extremely personal and shows slight humor
Vitality (8): talks about Qualitative Analysis Labs in Chemistry that everybody from past years said was extremely hard. talked about how it enhanced my knowledge of science and peaked my interest to continue studying this field.
Roommate (9): humorous, list of things, even talked about me piercing my friend’s nipple which was a big risk but I felt would pay off in the end. if you truly write with a personal tone, I feel things will work out better for you. even though the university is highly pristine, they still like to see actual human qualities within a candidate and not just test scores
What matters (9.5): maintaining a sense of individualism and how critical this is in today’s time. very well crafted and an intellectual masterpiece (okay maybe that’s a little exaggerated but you get the point LOL)

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1 (9) : Math/Physics teacher, one of his favorites I would say. strong connection since my sophomore year
Teacher Rec #2 (9) : Biology/Chemistry teacher, easily his all time favorite.
Counselor Rec (9): very good relationship with her, she knows my drive to achieve my collegiate goals
Additional Rec: dont think I put one
Interview (9): via google hangouts. very personable interview that showcased my best qualities. lasted only 20minutes but got everything in that was needed,

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: Biochemistry
State (if domestic applicant): KS
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: public, very small
Ethnicity: White, gay
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 90K
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): first generation college student, and URM if sexuality counts

Reflection

Strengths: essays definitely. they showcased my intelligence, drive, and other key qualities. also my extracurriculars, GPA, and honors
Weaknesses: test scores easily but stanford must really look deeper than scores and that truly means a lot to me
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: my test scores dont necessarily compete with the perfect 36’s and 1600’s
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: accepted at KU and ASU (other decisions in March)

General Comments: extremely happy with my decision. while a deferral isn’t an acceptance, I am proud to say I impressed them enough to have my application reconsidered. also, this post is in no way grammatically correct at all so do not judge my writing skills based on this LOL. keeping my fingers crossed for final decisions in march! Stanford has forever been my #1 choice and dream

[jaredkyrie]

Decision: Rejected

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): Didn’t take
ACT (breakdown): 34 (35E, 34M, 34R, 33S)
SAT II: 800 Math2, 700 WH
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.97
Weighted GPA: 4.36
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): NA
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Calc AB(5), AP ComSciPrinciples(4), APWH(4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): NA
Senior Year Course Load: AP Stat, APES, regular english, Introduction to Business, Economics/AP Gov US, 3D Art, Teacher Aide
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): NMS Commended Scholar, AP Scholar, JHU CTY High Honors, FCWT All-Academic Team(look it up)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Competitive golf(I was pretty good), Cranes for Cancer(VP), DECA(President), Aikido(1st kyu)
Job/Work Experience: Interned at a financial firm over summer
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteered at junior golf tournaments and at my club
Summer Activities: competitive golf and internship
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common app(8/10, was kind of cliche but really showed who I am)
vitality(9/10, talked about why I want to study econ after internship)
Roommate(7/10, kind of funny, but I didn’t really elaborate too well, and I had a typo)
What matters(10/10, talked about a code I live by, was really good)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 8/10, she liked me a lot but I missed her class a lot bc of sports, didn’t read
Teacher Rec #2: 7/10, probably wrote something generic, but I TA for this teacher now, didn’t read
Counselor Rec: 7/10, probably generic counselor letter, but it was submitted late by my counselor…
Additional Rec: none
Interview: I couldn’t

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Economics
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: ASIAN…
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: 200k+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): First generation in US

Reflection

Strengths: GPA, test scores, what matters essay
Weaknesses: Bay area asian male, Recs, extracurriculars
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I didn’t have great extracurriculars and my essays were not standout, ethnicity/location, not much of a story
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I’m 0 for 1 so far

General Comments: Well, I am one of the 96/100 that get the “No” every year, time to move on.

[ramenhair]

Hahahaha who let this happen…

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1590 (790 Reading, 800 Math) (I took it twice)
ACT (breakdown): 36 (34 Math, 36 Reading, 36 Writing, 36 Science) (I took it twice)
SAT II: Math II 790 Physics 740
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.6 (Yeah, I know. Pretty low lol)
Weighted GPA: 4.3
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A, but I’m guessing not very good
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP US History (5), AP Calculus BC (5), AP Physics 1 (5), AP English Language (4), AP Studio Art 2D Design (5), AP Government (4), AP Micro (5), AP Macro (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Art History, AP Statistics, AP Psychology, AP Biology, AP French, AP English Literature
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Scholastic Art Competition Gold Medal, American Legion High School Oratorical Contest State Champ and National Quarterfinalist

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):

-Speech Team – 4 years, exec. board, team’s best competitor (I won several tournaments)

-Independent Speaking – volunteer independent speaker. I spoke at several local events – biggest was
my city’s Memorial Day Parade (audience of 500+)

-Art (did some freelance digital artwork, won Scholastic Gold Medal) (Also, mostly self-taught)

-Film (ran a small Youtube channel, watch movies and attend film festivals in free time, made a short documentary over summer)

-Church (worship leader and organize some events)

-Student Advisory Council

-Volunteer tutor

-JV tennis team captain for 2 years (not rly important lol)

…yeah not much here tbh…

Job/Work Experience:
Nada

Volunteer/Community service:
-tutored a lot
-helped out my church a lot

Summer Activities:

-Took summer courses at my high school (wanted to free up my regular school year schedule)

-Took classes at a university South Korea

-Filmed a short documentary while in South Korea and it got accepted into a film festival (sounds better than it is)

Essays (rating 1-10, details):

Common App: 8 - I spent a lot of time on this. I knew that I wouldn’t get in unless I really presented myself correctly. I wrote about my childhood love for Show-and-Tell and how it grew into a love for sharing my ideas, be it through art, speaking, or film (talked about ECs here). Basically my love letter to communication.

Intellectual Vitality: 8 - Talked about how the Christian church is a good example of effective communication. Like how church services use tools like speaking, art, film, and music to function. I explained that, outside of religious reasons, I go to church to learn effective, impactful communication.

Letter to Roommate: 10 - This essay is freaking beautiful. I basically ranted about how bad The Emoji Movie was and asked my roommate not to use emojis (since they traumatise me). It was a blast to write and all my friends thought it was funny.

What matters to me and why: 8 - Talked about my resting b*tch face and how it forces me to be very socially aware. Because of my RBF, I have to be conscious of how I look and talk to others. I tied it back into being a good communicator.

My essays have weird topics but they tied together, which I think is important.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 7 - My AP English Language teacher. She liked me, so I’m guessing it was kind of ok, but I had basically no control over what she wrote.

Teacher Rec #2: 7 - My AP Econ teacher. He’s a chill dude and probably wrote a decent letter. He started a few days before the deadline but I guess it turned out ok.

Counselor Rec: 6 - She barely knows me (I go to a big school). I told her some stuff about me but I doubt she put in the effort to make it above and beyond.

Additional Rec: 9 - My speech coach. I didn’t get to see it but he knows me very well and cares about me. He probably spent a lot of time on this letter and wrote good things about me. He’s a bro and I trust him

Interview: 7 - Was clearly structured and systematic since he had to do like 6 interviews in one day (I saw people waiting to go after me). Kind of generic questions, but we had an interesting conversation about religion and Korean culture and stuff. I also explained why my freshman year grades were so bad, and I think he mentioned it to the admissions officers.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Communication
State (if domestic applicant): IL
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Competitive public high school (~750 in my class) (tons of smart people here… I think like 10 people in my grade got a perfect ACT this year)
Ethnicity: Asian as rice
Gender: Male
Income Bracket: <$100,000 (free tuition baybeeee)
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Nada

Reflection:

Strengths:
My test scores and being in a somewhat unpopular major probably helped. But I think my biggest strength was having a strong “narrative.” I didn’t really “do” much compared to others I know. I have like no leadership positions, work experience, or research, and I only did a few activities in high school. However, all those activities related to what I wanted to do in life, and I explained it all in my essays. Really, I think what got me in is how I painted a clear picture of myself. Humor probably helped too. Essays matter folks

Weaknesses:
Being asian… also my grades and my ECs. My grades are prreeeetty bad (a few B’s each year). Sure, they’re not terrible, but they’re a lot worse than other people who applied. I mean, a 3.6 getting into Stanford is pretty rare. Also, my ECs were somewhat lacking. I didn’t start any clubs and I didn’t have many leadership positions. I also didn’t have many activities (probably only 3 that I care about). I didn’t really accomplish anything big tbh, but I had a focus and I guess that was ok.

Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Like I said, I really pushed my identity is a communications person. And I didn’t fake it either; I really care about the things I do and they all happen to relate to what I want to study in college. I think the officers saw that. Also, it probably helps that I’m not going into STEM (yuck).

Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Nowhere yet. I applied to USC for the scholarship deadline but results don’t come back for a while. I kind of want to apply to some ivies but it’s really hard to motivate myself after getting into my dream school lol.

General Comments:

Man, I am very surprised I got in. I never saw myself as a really strong student, and I feel like I didn’t do enough in high school in terms of using my time for important activities. But I guess I did the things I love doing, and the admissions officers saw that through my essays. If you’re like me and have pretty bad grades, don’t give up! This really shows that your activities, essays, and drive are far more important. Also, plan all your essays together; think about how they connect and how an admissions officer reading the essays would see you. I guess just try to be yourself, but make sure that “self” is very clear.

Also… if you’re reading a ton of these results threads late at night in your junior year after having a sudden panic attack about your college future, I was just like you! If you feel like you haven’t done enough in high school and need to make up for it somehow, I feel you. I’m posting to help you fellow procrastinators and clutchers. If I could do it, so can you!

ALSO also, to all other CC posters, notice that I left large spaces between lines. It was pretty annoying reading through all of these results threads and getting lost in giant blocks of text so please grace the next year’s class with convenient formatting

Still can’t believe this is happening… proof we are living in a simulation

[leahlikestoeat]

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1510 (essay a horrible 17)
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: English-790
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.9
Weighted GPA: 4.8 or so
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 37/655
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP Lang (5), AP World (4) AP Chem (3) AP Euro (no score because of school error)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: Varsity Speech, AP Spanish Lang, Honors Physics, AP Calc BC, APUSH, AP Art History, Honors Thesis (dual-enrollment)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): National Hispanic Scholar

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Student Representative of the CAGT, Angels for AP Excellence (group lead junior year), Varsity Cheer, Varsity Poms, NHS, Jewish Student Connection, Speech, swing dancing and musical theater
Job/Work Experience: Clerical position at a law office for over a year
Volunteer/Community service: hours through NHS for various events in my city and at my school
Summer Activities: SAMS (Summer Academy for Math and Science at Carnegie Mellon - 6 week super amazing program for upcoming seniors - 11/10 would recommend)
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App - 9.5/10 I really loved this essay. I started it about three days before I submitted my application because that’s really who I am. I used a parallel narrative structure to describe how I love to try everything and how I can’t wait to explore as much as possible in college.
Roommate Essay - 9/10 I made this very uniquely me. I figured I should write about something genuine, so I wrote about my love of food and how I wanted my dorm room to always have food in it.
Intellectual Vitality - 8/10 I wrote about how I am inspired by history and how all of my history classes connected to produce a topic that I’m writing my honors thesis about. Hopefully it came off as very sincere.
Meaningful - 9/10 I wrote about a club I’m in at school that work to increase diversity throughout my school. I’m super duper passionate about it and I related it to what I want to do in the future and how I would continue working on reducing the opportunity gap throughout college.
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): I didn’t read this, but I’m gonna guess.

Teacher Rec #1: 10/10 - My AP Lang teacher wrote this one. I did really well in his class, but I also am very close to him. He knows my personality so well, and you can find me hanging out in his classroom at least once a week even though he doesn’t teach me anymore. He knows how sarcastic I am, but also how much I push myself. He’s also a fantastic writer.
Teacher Rec #2: 9/10 AP Calc BC teacher/Pre-Calc teacher. I’ve had her for two years. She knows me relatively well, but she’s also seen my passion for math and knows how much I love the subject. Even if I don’t do my homework on occasion, she’s definitely seen how much I participate and how excited I am about math. She also wrote my letter of rec for SAMS, and it was really wonderful!
Counselor Rec: 9/10 I love my counselor so much and she loves me! She knows me really well for a counselor and she’s always been here to help me, even though I think I only introduced myself to her halfway through junior year, which I was told was a terrible idea. She said it was so easy to hit send on my letter and I bet it was really good! She’s so awesome!
Additional Rec: N/A. I really panicked because I looked through the posts on last year’s thread after I applied, and it seemed like everyone had an additional letter. It was too late to ask my boss, so I definitely thought that I made a major mistake.
Interview: 10/10 I probably seemed a little nervous, but I was able to answer all of her questions naturally and comfortably. We talked for about an hour and a half, digressing from Stanford chat to conversations about high school and human nature and diversity. It was such a great opportunity to talk with an alum and we had some really special conversations. I feel like I was able to elaborate a little more on who I am as well, which made me feel a lot better. I walked out of it beaming.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major: Undecided
State (if domestic applicant): CO
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: African American/Hispanic
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: Too much for any FA
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): URM, Legacy

Reflection

Strengths: My essays (unique and honest), letters of rec, theme of application (desire to try new things)
Weaknesses: only one SAT II, class rank not exceptional, no saving the world or starting a company, not a ton of major awards
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I think my essays really showed that I’m a fit for the school. I think my passion for learning and trying things made me unique, because my stats really aren’t fantastic.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Nowhere. I only applied Stanford early as it was my top choice, so now I’m done applying!

General Comments:
My mom always says “you’ll end up where you belong.” Always try, and you’ll end up where you’re supposed to be! Also, you don’t have to have saved the world or write about deep, profound things to be honest and unique! Good luck to future applicants, congrats to future Trees, and to everyone who didn’t get in, I know you’ll be so successful and fit well wherever you go to school!

[averagebean]

Uhh shocking. I don’t really have much to say.

Decision: Accepted

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1590
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: N/A
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): Uhh like 3.5? Not sure, we don’t do the 4.0 scale here (Really low lol)
Weighted GPA: N/A
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): N/A
AP (place score in parenthesis): N/A
IB (place score in parenthesis): No predicted grades yet
Senior Year Course Load: Heavy. Full IB diploma program.
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): Young Top Researcher, scouted for rugby (not by Stanford but by other universities), internationally ranked pianist

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Entrepreneur Group (co-founder), rugby, student council, research (lead a project and published paper), speech&debate, HSMUN

Job/Work Experience: Piano teacher

Volunteer/Community service: Unicef, local community charity events, tutoring, a lot of in school stuff

Summer Activities: Research at local university, YYGS

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common app: 8/10, mainly focused on importance of being well rounded, my need to learn new things, etc.

Dear Future Roommate: 9.5/10, mainly talked about how naturally messy rugby players tend to be, my love for sappy sitcoms, etc.

Intellectual Vitality: 7/10 I talked about my research mainly and added stuff about how it made me a great leader and etc. It sounded kinda cliche in my opinion.

Meaningful Essay: 9/10 I talked about my piano students and how seeing them succeed motivates me to succeed and talked about motivation, etc.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 10/10 IB coordinator. She knows me well and we talk often.
Teacher Rec #2: 9.5/10 math SL teacher. Taught me for 2 years. He knows how I’ve struggled and how much I’ve improved.
Counselor Rec: 6/10, kinda had a falling out with her. Doubt she put in much effort.
Additional Rec: 10/10 my supervisor prof. Been working with him since grade 9.
Interview: 10/10, I do better at interviews. My interviewer was also very sweet and genuine, turned out we liked some of the same TV shows!

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: nope
Intended Major: Microbiology
State (if domestic applicant): N/A
Country (if international applicant): Canada
School Type: Public high school
Ethnicity: Asian
Gender: F
Income Bracket: .
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): None LOL

Reflection

Strengths:
Being a good speaker (interview ayyy), my essays weren’t boring, and my ECs were definitely well rounded. Stanford apparently also really likes IB students and I think that really helped me. My research definitely helped me get my name out there as well due to my published paper.

Weaknesses:
Low grades, being Asian. Not a ton of major awards. I didn’t really accomplish anything that really stood out but it was enough to get noticed.

Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Being an athlete, researcher, AND artist really helped “advertise” the fact that I was well-rounded. I really emphasized that in my essay and I guess it was enough? My main EC (research) really helped give me a leg up in my intended major.

Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Just a few within Canada. I only applied to Stanford in the US.

General Comments:
Always expect the unexpected. I actually applied to Stanford for fun because I wanted to make a meme out of the rejection letter. Your essay is the most important part of your application, in my opinion. It really shows who you are and helps admissions officers decide if you fit Stanford’s standards (ooh alliteration). Best of luck to future applicants!

[HopefulStud]

Hopefully, this helps someone… or not… Either way, Stanford’s a crapshoot. Just apply and see what happens. I wish everyone else the best of luck. Congrats to all who got in.
Decision: Rejected

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1510 (superscore)
ACT (breakdown):
SAT II:
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98
Weighted GPA: 4.56
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): My school doesn’t rank
AP (place score in parenthesis):
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load:
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): international award for some random competition

bunch of regional stuff that doesn’t really matter

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
Math Club (President, founder)
Student Schoolboardmember
Debate Team (VP, ranked)
Orchestra (concertmistress)

Job/Work Experience:
Tutoring
Volunteer/Community service:
Music Instructor
Debate Instructor
Summer Activities:
Research, research, research
Essays (rating 1-10, details):

IV Essay (7): Mine was really strange. People thought it was really passionate, but idk if it really came through
Roommate (9): Really easy to write
What matters (8): It felt bland, but sort of good?
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 8/10 chem/physics teacher, knows me pretty well ig
Teacher Rec #2: 10/10 ap lang teacher, she spent a lot of time on it, gave it thought
Counselor Rec: 7/10 idk doesn’t know me very well
Additional Rec: 8/10 research mentor
Interview:

Other

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

Reflection
there wasn’t really much anything special…
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:

General Comments: Good luck…

[TantasticOne]

Decision: Rejected

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1430 (Math 720, English 710, Writing 19)
ACT (breakdown): 34C (35E, 34M, 34R, 31S, 9W)
SAT II:720 US History 680 World History 620 Biology E 610 Literature (yikes)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.833/5.0
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/408
AP (place score in parenthesis): 5 - APUSH, APWH 4 - Stats, Lang 3 - Biology
IB (place score in parenthesis): not offered
Senior Year Course Load: AP Gov, AP Lit, 3-D Design, AP German, AP Calc (another weak spot, had to drop AP Chem due to personal circumstances)
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): AP Scholar w/ Distinction, German Honor Society, nothing else major

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Massive organization representing 22,000 students in district, recognition in magazine (Head Delegate, Executive Director, cofounder)
Key Club (Secretary, Vice President
Asian Club (Treasurer, President)
School Site Council
LINK (Commissioner)
Varsity Tennis (#1 Varsity Singles)

Job/Work Experience: Held jobs at pizza shop, tutoring center, fine dining restaurant, and call center
Volunteer/Community service: Hundreds of hours with Key Club, Team Manager for tennis, walking dogs at shelter
Summer Activities: Mostly just working, having fun, taking 4 college courses, nothing amazing
Essays (rating 1-10, details): Common App - 10 (felt really good about this one)
Short Answers - 8 (were from the heart and very genuine)
Short Essays - 8 (also very personal but some generic)
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: Math Teacher (gave me an award and loves me) 10/10
Teacher Rec #2: AP Lang teacher/ Academic League Coach 9/10
Counselor Rec: Had some issues with her so I think she might’ve given me a bad recommendation 5/10
Additional Rec: Tennis coach, have known for years and great relationship 8/10
Interview: Kinda awkward at times but I shared a lot about myself and it felt like a pretty genuine conversation.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: YES
Intended Major: Political Science
State (if domestic applicant): CA
Country (if international applicant): USA
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Male
Income Bracket:100,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Extenuating circumstances talked about in Common App essay

Reflection

Strengths: ACT, ECs, Essays, Teacher Recs, GPA
Weaknesses: SAT, SAT II, Counselor Rec, White Kid
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Generic Valedictorian white kid, I actually thought that I had a fair shot since I poured my heart into that application, but it wasn’t meant to be. Congrats to everyone who got in!
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: Just a couple safety schools, will find out about the rest in March…

General Comments: Apply! You never know what the admissions committee might think of you!

[tornadosurvivor]

Decision: Rejected

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1570
ACT (breakdown): 34, didn’t send
SAT II: 740 chem, 800 math level 2
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.54
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): top 5%
AP (place score in parenthesis): didn’t send
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: theology (catholic school), ap english lit, spanish 5, honors economics/ap gov, 1960s elective, ap physics, ap calculus ab
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): national hispanic (psat)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): varsity cheerleader (3 years, spirit club vp), varsity pole vaulter (track and field, 4 years), sailing club (co-founder and vp), nhs, national science honor society, national spanish honor society, spanish club, etc
Job/Work Experience: high school entrance exam tutor, summer intern/shadow in trauma department of major hospital in houston med center, frequent babysitter
Volunteer/Community service: girl scout silver award, mission trip to costa rica, service hours for honor societies (20 per semester), sports events for disabled children through cheer
Summer Activities: study abroad program to spain summer after freshman year, stanford high school summer college 8 week program summer after sophomore year, mission trip to costa rica summer after junior year
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
common app: 8/10, written about surviving the tornado that destroyed my house (hurricane harvey), how I coped with losing everything
stanford-specifics: (8/10), I put alot of thought and effort into these, made them all really personal, had two people edit them, definitely felt pretty confident in them and that they conveyed who I am
Recommendations (rating 1-10, details): (never got to read any of these)

Teacher Rec #1: (9/10) ap english teacher - absolutely loved having me in his class, would talk to other students and teachers about how talented he thought I was, genuinely one of my favorite people, so probably a pretty good rec letter
Teacher Rec #2: (8/10) honors alg 2 teacher - I did extremely well in this class and the teacher always sent students who needed help to me, she’s known for writing really good letters
Counselor Rec: (9/10) I’m really close with my college counselor and she was a major source of support for me while I was going through the whole tornado thing, so she got to know me really well and said she even mentioned how well I dealt with loss and my resilience throughout the situation
Additional Rec: n/a
Interview: I thought this went really well. It only lasted around 25 minutes, but I had good answers to all the questions he asked and he even said at the interview that I was very articulate and he was impressed

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes just to see
Intended Major: chemistry
State (if domestic applicant): texas
Country (if international applicant): n/a
School Type: small, private, catholic, all-girls
Ethnicity: hispanic (puerto rican and argentine)
Gender: female
Income Bracket: 200,000+
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): ethnicity, hurricane harvey?

Reflection

Strengths: test scores, gpa, harvey, recommendations, variety of ecs, essays?
Weaknesses: only one national award, no real struggles up until harvey, not alot of community service
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I was pretty prepared to get rejected just because I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but my school’s entire college counseling department was shocked. I think I was definitely academically qualified and had the resilience after struggle component down, but I just didn’t stand out or excite them enough I guess?
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
accepted to auburn, clemson, alabama, ole miss, texas a&m, colorado school of mines
General Comments:
This definitely wasn’t the outcome I was hoping for, but congrats to everyone who did get in!

[pluris]

Decision: Rejected

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1560 (780, 780, 20 essay) 1 attempt
ACT (breakdown): 35 (36E, 35R, 34M, 36S, 9 essay) 2 attempts
SAT II: 800 Math II, 770 Literature
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 4.0
Weighted GPA: 4.39
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/439
AP (place score in parenthesis): Calc AB (5), Calc BC (4), World History (5), U.S. History (5)
IB (place score in parenthesis):
Senior Year Course Load: AP Psych Online, IB Biology II, AP Stats, AP Spanish, AP Gov/Econ, IB Literature II
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): no major ones, just a couple from the state science fair + spoken word champ + National Merit Semifinalist

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): XC Running (Captain), XC Skiing (Captain, but wasn’t on application), Mock Trial (Captain, but wasn’t on application), Partners Club (Board Member), MUN
Job/Work Experience: I work at REI
Volunteer/Community service: Ski Coach (this is kinda complicated–for some things I get paid and some I don’t, I put volunteer because my coaching was all unpaid up until this year), NHS
Summer Activities: work, ski training, running, coding! also YEBW at the University of Portland in 2016
Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Common App: 6. I don’t like it very much honestly, though that might be because I’m tired of looking at it. It’s about how I have a tradition of learning something new and random every summer (juggling, guitar, coding, etc).
Roommate: 9. I thought this one was awesome! It definitely showed why Stanford was right for me.
Intellectual Vitality: 9. Okay I thought it was good, but it was unconventional so I bet the adcoms didn’t like it. It was about how I look at everything from an evolutionary perspective and how art fascinates me because it deviates from biological necessity. Weird, I know.
What Matters: 8. Looking back it might have been too sappy. It was about how my dad (who died about a year ago) used to take me up this one mountain.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: 9/10. My English teacher–knows me very well, likes me a lot
Teacher Rec #2: 6/10. Math teacher of 2 years–no idea what he said
Counselor Rec: 8/10. She read it to me–it was flattering, but sounded a bit contrived.
Additional Rec: N/A
Interview: 10/10. I had a frustrating experience with my interview (scheduled one day before, then cancelled 15 mins before, then could only reschedule for during school the next day) but when I finally got a chance to sit down with my interviewer, she was very impressed with me. After I got rejected, I emailed her again and asked for critique–she didn’t have any and said I was the best applicant she’s ever interviewed.

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: Yes
Intended Major: Political Science
State (if domestic applicant): Alaska
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Public
Ethnicity: White
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: <$60,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): being from Alaska

Reflection

Strengths: GPA, test scores, geographic location
Weaknesses: white Jew, CA essay, lackluster recs?
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: I have a really specific reason for why I think I was rejected. My school has a reputation with colleges, so acceptances are kind of a niche–there’s always one or two people from my school that get accepted to Stanford. Two other kids got accepted from my school this year, and I am basically a blend of them (one has the exact same GPA/academic strengths/major and career plans, one has all the same extracurriculars). If I was the only semi-talented person applying from my school, I might have been accepted, but unfortunately Stanford filled their niche and I’m the one who got the short end of the stick.
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: haven’t gotten other decisions back yet

General Comments: I had never wanted anything as bad as I wanted to get into Stanford. Getting rejected hurt, especially because everyone around me constantly bombarded me with things like, “What do you mean you’re worried about college? You’ll get accepted anywhere you want to go.” Don’t listen to people that don’t understand that college admissions is a crapshoot!!! And don’t let yourself get too attached to a school. I started to envision myself at Stanford and ended up getting my heart broken. Also, highlight adversity! I should have emphasized my economic situation way more (single-parent household, mom got laid off this year, I work 2 jobs). I shied away from the parental-cancer-death and work-to-help-my-family clichés and I actually regret it big time.

[andyarrgz]

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1400 (700 both english and math… yikes)
ACT (breakdown): 33 (35 E, 29 M, 36 R, 30 S)
SAT II: 740 literature, 720 ushistory, 800 spanish (didnt send this one bc i thought it would look ridiculous for me to send a score from an exam about my native language)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.76 yikes
Weighted GPA: 4.2979 YIKES
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 103/690 YIKES !!!
AP (place score in parenthesis): AP studio art (5), AP psych (5), AP lang (4), AP us history (5), AP world history (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): N/A
Senior Year Course Load: AP studio art again, AP econ and AP gov, AP lit, AP biology, pre-ap precalculus, health & speech (required courses lol)

Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): bunch of art: state VASE 2016 gold seal award, regional 2017 scholastic gold key award, 2017 houston livestock show & rodeo art contest special merit award and auction placer, bunch of other minor awards in art, also won a contest to display my art in a gallery in california (i never went lol but …they dont know that)

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): i own an online art account in which i post my drawings and ive been doing it for 4 years and have over 20k followers, National art honor society (secretary), NHS

Job/Work Experience: none, unless u consider my art account a job because i sell my art and get commissions

Volunteer/Community service: aside from all the required hours for NHS and NAHS, i volunteer at petsmart with puppies lol and also at a local nursing home for ppl w alzheimers… i dont think this helped w anything tbh lol

Summer Activities: stanford CNI-X (clinical neuroscience immersion experience) before my senior year…its supposed to be an internship but it was only 1 week long lololol, also did the 2-week harvard pre-college program… again, i dont think either of these helped w anything

Essays (rating 1-10, details):

• common app (7) - most ppl who have read it have liked it, but i dont rlly like it bc i super rushed it and i feel like it was rlly cliche/melodramatic. i have fixed it now but since my deadline to apply to stanny was october 15th (bc art portfolio) it was super rushed. i talked abt asking questions my entire life and always wanting to search for answers even tho i may never find them loool.. also mentioned being from mexico very briefly
• intellectual vitality (6) - UGH i hated this one. i talked abt art and the fact that im interested in many types of art, even the ones i havent explored yet... the reason i dont like it is bc i felt redundant bc i talk abt art in all my supps lmao and also i wish i wouldve talked abt psychology instead
• roommate essay (9.5) - i actually rlly liked this one... my name is andy so i compared myself to famous people named andy
• what matters to u and why (9) - it was rlly weird... i talked abt doodling things on my skin with pen and being scolded in elementary school bc of this lol.. but i guess the weirdness is good *i also wrote a little blurb in the additional info section of the common app about the eating disorder i had at the beginning of high school and why my grades are so low in that part of my transcript lol.. i regretted sending this afterwards bc i feel like it just sounded like excuses

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: (8) my AP psych teacher. i love her to death but i dont think shes very experienced w writing recs and i dont know how generic it was but maybe it was good because last year i helped her design her new home’s library lmaoo idk

Teacher Rec #2: (6) my AP lang teacher. again, i love her a looot but im pretty sure it was realllly generic since pretty much everyone asked her for one lol . she also procrastinated and wrote it like on the Day of.

Counselor Rec: (5) gosh i dont even wanna think abt this one lol i go to such a big public school that–and im not exaggerating–i have never, Never, met my counselor. obviously it was unbelievably generic ugh

Additional Rec: (10) finally a good one !!! i asked my friend, who goes to pton, if she could write me a rec (because i knew my teacher and counselor recs were gonna be super generic) and she actually showed me it and it was so beautiful… she talked abt how we met online thru twitter and my art and everything… i lov her

Interview: (8) it was good. not excellent, not bad. just… good. he seemed to be more nervous than i was (lol) and he was writing down my answers frantically in front of me as i was talking, so he kept asking me to slow down lmaoo but he was rlly nice … idk dude

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yeeees
Intended Major: i have no idea what ill do, but i think i put visual arts ! and psychology for other option
State (if domestic applicant): Texas … ew
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: veery large public … ew
Ethnicity: mexican !!!
Gender: female
Income Bracket: ~60k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): maybe legacy? i have 2 brothers that go to stanford (well 1, because the other one just recently graduated)… but idk if this counts as legacy bc its grad school (phd and masters) and theyre siblings, not parents… but idk… also idk if this counts but i moved here to the US from mexico about 5 yrs ago but nah i dont think that counts.

Reflection

Strengths: art… thats pretty much it … maybe some of my essays?
Weaknesses: grades, rank, scores (i hate stanford’s all-scores policy bc i took my tests quite a few times and many of my scores SUCKED lol), lack of leadership positions in ECs, generic teacher recs, etc etc etc
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: i think they didnt reject me bc of my art… maybe they liked it! also, i did have kind of an upward trend grades-wise, so maybe they wanted to see how i did in my first semester of senior year (got all As! yay! maybe theyll like that! lol)
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: rejected from Deep Springs (idk if any of yall even know what that is… but basically this year it had an acceptance rate of about 2% lmao), accepted to SAIC (school of the art institute of chicago, with $76,000 merit scholarship), accepted to UT Dallas (but i’d rather die than go there)

General Comments: sigh. i dont know how to feel! i just know im suuuuper grateful that i didnt get straight up rejected, but im also dreading rejection bc its like theyre giving me another chance but it might get taken away again and thatll just hurt more than if i had just gotten rejected the first time around… lol… but im definitely super surprised because i thought they would just throw my entire app in the trash after seeing my grades lol. 3 other ppl from my school also applied EA, and they all have muuuuch (MUCH) better grades and scores and Everything than me and they all got rejected… wow. anyway i wish us deferred folks the bestest of luck :()

[andyarrgz]

Decision: Deferred

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1400 (700 both english and math… yikes)
ACT (breakdown): 33 (35 E, 29 M, 36 R, 30 S)
SAT II: 740 literature, 720 ushistory, 800 spanish (didnt send this one in bc i thought it was ridiculous to send in a score from a test about the language ive always spoken lol)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.76 yikes !
Weighted GPA: 4.29 Yiiikes!
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 103/690 huge YIKES
AP (place score in parenthesis): ap psych (5), ap art (5), apush (5), ap lang (4), ap world history (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): n/a
Senior Year Course Load: ap art again, ap econ and gov, ap bio, ap lit, pre-cap precalculus
Major Awards (USAMO, Intel etc.): a bunch of art stuff: 2016 state VASE gold seal winner, 2017 regional scholastic art gold key award, 2017 houston rodeo art special merit winner and auction placer, etc etc a bunch of minor art awards… i also won a contest to display my art in a gallery in california

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis):
i own an online art account that ive had for 4 years in which i post my drawings… i have over 20k followers atm, national Art honor society (secretary), NHS

Job/Work Experience: none unless my art account counts bc i sell my art and take commissions

Volunteer/Community service: petsmart w puppies, local nursing home… dont think these help at all lol

Summer Activities: stanford CNI-X 2017 (clinical neuroscience immersion experience) it was supposed to be an internship lol but it was only 1 week long so like… i also did the 2-week harvard precollege program. super fun but i dont think it helped at all

Essays (rating 1-10, details):

• common app (8) - everyone who read it said it was good but i didnt like it bc i didnt feel like it actually expressed everything i wanted to say and 650 words were simply not enough for me to express myself. it was also cliche/melodramatic. i wrote it abt always asking questions and searching for answers even tho i cant always find them. i also mentioned being from mexico a tiny bit. and a broadway song lyric. lol
• intellectual vitality (6) - i dont like this one bc i thought it was redundant. i talked abt art in literally all my supps lmao. i wrote it about how art makes me excited to explore other types of art forms that i havent explored yet ..
• roommate essay (9.5) - i rlly liked this one bc i feel like my personality was able to shine thru. i talked about how my name is andy and i compared myself to famous ppl who are named andy and art and blahblah
• what matters to u and why (9) - it was reeeally weird.. i talked abt how i doodle things on my skin all the time with pen lol

*i also wrote a blurb in the additional info section of the common app talking about the eating disorder i had at the beginning of high school and kind of how that explains my bad grades at that time… i regretted doing this bc i feel like it just sounded like excuses

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: (8) my ap psych teacher. i love her to death but im p sure it was generic and not very well written. i designed her home library last yr tho. lol
Teacher Rec #2: (6) my ap lang teacher. eh, i love her too but im very sure it was super generic bc everyone asked her for one. she also procrastinated it till the very last day
Counselor Rec: (5) gosh… im not exaggerating when i say i have never met my counselor. large public schools suck
Additional Rec: (10) yayy finally one that i like! i asked my friend who goes to pton to write me a lil thing and she showed me it and it was so nice i almost cried… she talked abt how we met online and now were good friends and she originally followed me bc of my art and all that

Interview: (8) it was good. not bad, not excellent. just … good. he was more nervous than i was. he was nice tho

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yeees
Intended Major: i think i put visual arts but i dont know yet what im gonna do… also interested in psych and other things
State (if domestic applicant): texas… ew
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: large public…
Ethnicity: Mexican !!!
Gender: female
Income Bracket: ~60k
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): kind of legacy? i have 2 brothers that go to stanford (well 1 bc the other one graduated in 2017) but i dont think sibling legacy counts… and also they both did/are doing graduate school, not undergrad… so i dont think it counts

Reflection

Strengths: art… literally thats it… maybe some of my essays?
Weaknesses: grades, rank, scores (there are some i didnt list on here but they had to be sent to stanford bc of their policy… ugh), lack of leadership positions in ECs, teacher recs, etc etc ;/
Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected: honestly i think maybe they liked my art ! also i do have kind of an upward trend in my grades so maybe they wanted to see how i did in my first semester of senior yr (i got all As yayy lol maybe theyll like that! please)
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: rejected to Deep Springs (yall probably dont know it lol but its this miniature school in the middle of the desert in california (26 students in total) and it has a 2% acceptance rate lol), accepted to SAIC (school of the art institute of chicago, $76,000 merit scholarship), accepted to UT Dallas (but id rather die than go there lol)

General Comments: honestly im soooo thankful that i wasnt rejected… also very surprised. 3 other ppl from my school also applied EA and they all have muuuch (MUCH) higher grades, scores, Everything than me, and they all got rejected :0 anyway… i wish us all deferred folks so much luck, ive loved stanford for so so so long and it would mean the world to me to get in lol. but i dont have much hope

[obamaflask]

Decision: Deferred

Objective:

ACT (breakdown): Total- 35, English- 35, Math- 35, Reading- 35, Science- 36
SAT II: Math 2 (790), Chemistry (740), Biology (740)
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0): 3.98
Weighted GPA: 4.7
AP (place score in parenthesis): World (4), Euro (4), Calc BC (4), Calc AB Subscore (4), Lang (4), Bio (5), US History (4)
IB (place score in parenthesis): Chemistry SL (6) (and taking 5 more this year ha yay)
Senior Year Course Load: IB Biology HL2, IB Math HL2, IB Mandarin Chinese SL, IB English HL2, IB Theory of Knowledge, IB Philosophy HL2, AP Physics C: Mechanics

Subjective:

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): International Relations Club (VP), Ambassadors Program, Link Crew Leader, Track and Field, Hospital volunteer (Executive Board member)
Job/Work Experience: Gymnastics Coach (2.5 years) and Math/Science Tutor (4 years)
Volunteer/Community service: Local library, Special Olympics, Serve food at various homeless shelters
Summer Activities: Laboratory work/independent research projects, coaching and volunteering and tutoring and trying to have fun?

Essays (rating 1-10, details):
Intellectual Vitality- I wrote about a unique experience in a biology seminar which shaped me both academically and personally. 7/10
Roommate- I think I included a few too many personal details but I honestly have no idea. It was personable though. 6/10
What is meaningful- I wrote about expressing my political opinion and how my largely Catholic/conservative atmosphere had previously inhibited that. I also used scientific diction to express my various passions (i.e. in international relations, public policy, and the sciences). 7/10
Personal statement- I wrote about how intriguing the body is, and how such small malfunctions can lead to great disasters. I related this to my personal experience(s) with terminal cancer.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):
Teacher Rec #1: This teacher is literally my mom and we are super close but, as I have no access to the LOR, I cannot give a fair judgment as to how good it could have been.
Teacher Rec #2: I have had this teacher for AP Calc BC and IB Math HL2, but, again, I cannot give a fair judgment as to how good this LOR was.
Counselor Rec: I’ve met with my counselor numerous times in the past 3 years and know him very well.
Additional Rec: did not do one
Interview: went very well

Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: yes
Intended Major: Chemistry
State (if domestic applicant): CA
School Type: Private, Catholic
Ethnicity: Asian, White, Hispanic
Gender: Female
Income Bracket: >$100,000
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): none?

Reflection

Strengths:
Weaknesses: very average across the board
Why you think you were waitlisted:
Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected: haven’t heard back from anywhere else yet

General Comments:
I honestly expected to get rejected and I have no idea how this happened?? Thankful as heck though!

[Rollomama]

Decision: Rejected

Objective:
SAT I (breakdown): 1560 780/780 One sitting 40/37
ACT (breakdown): N/A
SAT II: 800 Math II, 800 Literature 780 Latin
Unweighted GPA (out of 4.0):4.0 (School does not weight)
Weighted GPA: N/A
Rank (percentile if rank is unavailable): 1/11
AP (place score in parenthesis): Statistics (5) Literature (5) APEH (5) Will take APUSH, Calc BC
IB (place score in parenthesis): No predicted grades yet
Senior Year Course Load: Heavy. Honors, Independent Study Calc II, Independent Study Latin VI
Major Awards National Merit Finalist, Phaedrus Latin Competition, National Latin Competition 6 gold medals, All State Choir, Rec Soccer District Champions

Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): House Council – head of Committee for Academic success, Varsity Soccer, Drama, Church youth Group, Debate (2 years), Choir
Job/Work Experience: Soccer Referee (5 years), Tutoring

Volunteer/Community service: Awana leader at church (6 years)

Summer Activities: Chess, Grand Tour, Tutoring

Essays (rating 1-10, details):Common app: 8/10, – wrote about combining love of creative writing and math
Dear Future Roommate: 7/10 talked about her favorite books

Intellectual Vitality: Fine

Meaningful Essay: 7/10 DD chose to write about her Christian faith in the what matter’s to me essay – well written, but could be off-putting to any atheist readers.

Recommendations (rating 1-10, details):

Teacher Rec #1: These were well written and complimentary (Math/Science teacher)
Teacher Rec #2: English teacher – most brilliant student I ever taught, etc.

Counselor Rec: Unknown - she likes me, but not sure what she said.
Interview: 7/10 Interviewer asked out of the blue what one would do with 10,000 dollars, and did not have a good answer. Interviewer talked about how she liked the Greek system at Stanford.
Other

Applied for Financial Aid?: no
Intended Major: Computer Science/ Creative Writing
State (if domestic applicant): WA
Country (if international applicant):
School Type: Christian Private School / Homeschool 10th grade
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Gender: F
Income Bracket: .High
Hooks (URM, first generation college, etc.): Fourth generation Stanford Legacy
Reflection

Strengths:
High test scores, academic motivation, GPA - - well-written essays. Legacy status

Weaknesses:
Essays did not show personality or passion. Essay topics not chosen particularly well – did not share them or get input. Not very many summer activities.

Why you think you were accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Discovered regional admissions director for my state was hired in November – so not much experience for making a decision on early applicants the first week of December, and my school is tiny and has not had many students admitted to top schools. I think my what matters to me essay rubbed someone the wrong way.

Where else were you accepted/waitlisted/rejected:
Accepted: U Oklahoma, Arizona State University, University of Arizona, Gordon, University of Idaho, Pacific Lutheran University. Applied: University of Washington, Washington State University, University of Chicago, Rice, Northwestern, Yale, MIT, William and Mary, Duke, Princeton, Baylor

General Comments:
While legacy and test scores and GPA are wonderful things, you really need to craft your essays to sell yourself, you need to show a passion and not just go for well-rounded. I was excited about applying early, but think applying regular decision and spending a little more time spent on my application, as well as having an opportunity to add more activities and meat to my application would have been a better choice.