- class of 2020
- live in southeast GA, go to an underfunded public high school
- top 10%
- ranked top 10
- letter in 2 varsity sports/year
- bilingual
- course load heavy on APs and honors
- 5 extracurriculars
- bilingual
- latina
the key word here is Latina, hopefully you have a connection to your Latina roots and are a member of hispanic organizations.
@CU123 I hope so! I took the EOC for Spanish 1 and 2 as a freshman, received high As on both, and skipped them my freshman year, so I took Spanish 3 as a 9th grader, and skipped 4 my sophomore year to take AP Spanish Lang, in which I received an unweighted 99 for the year. I’ve been bilingual my whole life, and I decided to take Spanish in high school to really stay in touch with that. while I won’t get my AP score back until July, i definitely am looking to participate in hispanic organizations. my high school is super small, and 2/3 white (only 3-5% latino), and there are no hispanic organizations. do you think it could be possible to create or implement one?
Absolutely! You may want to consider ways in which you could help your community with your language ability, along with your school.
@ChezCurie thanks so much for the help! I’m on summer break at the moment, but when the school re-opens I’ll be sure to stop by and ask what I can do.
That’s a great idea, @catiestudyingg. Do you have any leadership positions for either your sports or other ECs? I think that is the one thing you are missing/don’t mention in your original post that Stanford will be looking for.
Having gone to an underfunded high school could provide great inspiration for you application essays; for examples of good writing and subject matter, check out the essays that the NYTimes publishes every year in May or early June. Is there any chance that you’re first generation college? If so, don’t forget to mention this in your application because it is considered a hook.
Lastly, start looking at SAT/ACT prep resources. You’ll be taking the PSAT in the fall, so if you have time to study a bit over the summer it will help you to be ready for the test. If you take a practice test, you’ll be able to gauge how much time you’ll need to study in order to get the high scores you’ll need to be competitive for Stanford.
You’ve obviously worked very hard–best of luck!
@ChezCurie I actually will be first generation college, and I took the PSAT last fall and didn’t score as well as I’d wished. I’m currently beginning to think about when I should take the SAT, and I’ve already laid out plans for a Hispanic/Latino organization at my school, all I need to do now is contact my principal. Thank you so much! I don’t currently have many leadership opportunities in my sports or ECs, but that could change with my new ECs next year. I’m trying to finetune my activities into things I’m passionate about, and not just join 100 clubs to fluff up my apps. Thanks for the help!
You’re a rising junior? A lot depends on your stats and actual rigor, not just rank. You need test results, both SAT or ACT and the AP tests. How they’ll react to a) a native speaker taking Spanish and b) you stopping foreign language after soph year is a risk. Take a look at their course recs. Stanford recommends “three or more years of the same foreign language.” Many kids aiming that high might take Spanish along with a new language started freshman year (for the three minimum years.)
In your other thread, you note, you’re in the “vet science and agriculture program.” In hs that offer these more vocational tracks (or elective paths,) it can matter much what your other AP classes are. Most rigorous cores or less rigorous AP?
It’s up to you to take a look at what Stanford says it wants and values, looks for in apps, learn the sort of stretch it takes. They want that sort of initiative. Afaiac, S is one of the toughest 4 years out there and candidates need to be ready for the challenges. Adcoms need to see this in your record, academic and activities, plus how you come across in all the written sections of the app/supp. It will matter what you hoep to major in, how your courses show this prep, and where possible, that you also have activities related to the possible major. (Eg, if you want stem, have math-sci ECs, if available in the hs.)
Just being Latina and first gen isn’t enough for automatic assurance. And rather than try to start some clubs at school, put some effort into existing Hispanic organizations in the community- learn from them, take on some responsibilities with them, have some impact (and hopefully do some good for others, the needy.) That’s more stretch than a club. Stanford isn’t looking for “leadership positions” as much as leadership qualities- how you get involved can show that.
You have some homework to do. Take a look into what S says and shows.
And you don’t need "100"activities to fluff-- you need very wise choices that reflect your savvy, drives and follow through. Btw, it’s not just “passion.”
EDITED
@lookingforward hi! thanks so much for your comment, I do understand the importance of stats and rigor, and did not stop taking foreign language after soph year. I’ve completed 5 spanish courses, including AP Spanish Lang/Culture (on the exam, I received a 5). While I no longer have the option of continuing with spanish at my high school, I’m looking into taking arabic or French. I take both rigorous cores and AP, and so far have taken APGoPo, AP Spanish Lang/Culture, and AP Human Geo (less rigorous, but it was the only freshman AP offered), and am taking AP Lang/Comp/Amer. Lit, AP US History, AP Calc AB and BC, AP English Lit, AP Environmental Science, AP Psych, and either AP Biology or AP Chemistry in the next two years. I definitely understand being Latina won’t get me into Stanford on its own, and while I attend a majority-white high school and there are no hispanic organizations, im looking into starting a chapter of one at mine. Thanks so much for all the help.