stanford out of reach?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>hey, i'd just like an idea of how hopeful i should be about the following schools that i'm interested in (in order of preference): </p>

<p>stanford
princeton
georgetown
yale
cornell
vanderbilt
uc berkeley
ucla</p>

<p>background:
half japanese, half american. male. lived in japan all my life. my first language was english. i attended an international school over here, so my high school experience is pretty much similar to what you guys got over there. i don't really have many relatives over there, so location (as you can see by my choices) isn't an important factor at all. </p>

<p>stats:
sat 1: 1480 (v:690, m:790)
act: 31
sat 2: math iic: 710, physics: 680, writing: 590 (horrible... i know. i'm retaking it on jan 22, but it'll be too late for some schools).
gpa: 4.1 (unweighted. i don't think my school has weighted)</p>

<p>ecs:
varsity basketball: 9th-12th (captain)
varsity baseball: 11th-12th (captain)
varsity volleyball: 9th - 12th (captain)
varsity soccer: 11th-12th (defensive captain)
volunteer carpentry work on a church (120hrs of community service or so)
overseer of school building construction
volunteer basketball assistant coaching (30 hrs)</p>

<p>work experience:
teaching english as a part-time job for 3 years. </p>

<p>AP courses:
my school doesn't offer any AP courses. i finished my high school credits last march, so i'm currently enrolled in the university that my high school is a part of. i've taken about 25 credits worth of classes, and i've gotten A's in all of those as well. here is a list of those classes:</p>

<p>introduction to literature
introduction to public speaking
physics for engineers (1a)
calculus (1a & 1b)
american government
comparative politics
freshman composition</p>

<p>so what are my chances? is there something i can still do? i know that i got some good recommendations, and my essays are alright (i tried).
i appreciate any input, so please just be honest. thanks for your help!</p>

2

<p>U&E4U:</p>

<p>Stanford: Reach
Princeton: Reach
Georgetown: Slight Reach
Yale: Reach
Cornell: Slight Reach
Vanderbilt: Match
UCB: Reach (out of state)
UCLA: Reach (out of state)</p>

3

<p>Hmmm...seems like UCB, UCLA, Vanderbilt, and Gerogetown are the only reaches you should be going for. You need way more safeties. Stanford, Princeton, and Yale are like.......um.......really really really huge reaches.</p>

4

<p>Where in Japan do you study? St.Mary's?</p>

5

<p>everywhere is a reach except for Vanderbilt and Cornell</p>

6

<p>No one can predict Stanford. Some of the others are easier to gauge... Vanderbilt and Cornell shouldn't be a problem. I don't know how UCs treat international applicants, but I know already they aren't very friendly with out-of-staters. Your chances at Stanford are like everyone elses: 13% But I agree--you should stick a few more matches/safeties on there... Right now for some reason NYU's January 15th deadline is sticking in my head, so maybe that's a route you may want to consider. Might prove to be a little more realistic than say, Yale.</p>

<p>But take all this with a grain of salt. ANYTHING could happen come April, and come back and rub it in our faces it everything goes your way. At the end of the day, no one here knows what the hell they're talking about, least of all me. I'm only involving myself in this sick game because I'm procrastinating ;)</p>

7

<p>hey guys, thanx for all the replies, i really appreciate it. my school doesn't have guidance counselor yet, and my dad has been doing the best he can...</p>

<p>to your question asim1701, i'm attending KIU academy in kyoto. is st. mary's in tokyo?</p>

<p>laurak, thanx for the info about NYU; i'll check it out. thanx for being so encouraging too... that helps. where are you headed? i applied to stanford last year when i was junior (stupid, i know), and i'm applying again this year, but will my application last year hurt my chances?</p>

<p>gutrade, i know i need more safeties. i already made it into university of nebraska-lincoln, and i know i can get into the master's college in santa clarita, california, so i guess those are my safeties. maybe university of idaho if things look bad, i dunno... my family's financial situation is terrible, to say the least, so i'm on my own as far as college funding is concerned. </p>

<p>about the UCs... i'm a US citizen, so i'm not an international applicant, but will that still affect my chances?
so i realize my chances aren't so great at most of these schools. just out of curiosity, how do my ec's gauge/influence my chances?
and another thing. what hurts me the most in my resume? the sat2s, or ???</p>

8

<p>U&E4U: No problem. Actually, I was a little cranky when I wrote that (no sleep last night, you see), but I think I'm one of the few fatalists on this board, so I try my best to be encouraging of any applicants. You just never know what might happen. It's worth a shot. Truth of the matter is, Stanford/Yale/Princeton aren't realistic for anyone, when you think about it. Some like to feel they have more of a right to do some wishful thinking, but those are just egos and insecurities at play. I've heard 1100-1200s getting into UPenn, and ditto to Stanford. And none of that saving third world countries/writing a Pulitzer/URM/athlete garbage, either. You don't have to be a freak to get into these schools. For every 1600/4.0uw that gets rejected, there are people like us who aren't perfect, but the school still sees something in us--they see us for who we are. These colleges are accepting people and their personalities and passions; not numbers. Too many kids try and treat this whole process like a game that can be played, when that's just not the case. Perhaps that says too much about our generation's attitude toward education in general.</p>

<p>Anyways, with that said...</p>

<p>In regards to where I'm headed: Stanford's my top choice as well. I was there this past summer for a creative writing program and fell in love. The campus is incredible, San Francisco is amazing, and the people are fantastic. If you've ever been over at the Stanford board on CC, people are really encouraging and positive; very warm and compassionate and eager to learn. You'll notice on their RD Roster, there are no numbers, because we know we're not defined by them. It's small stuff like that that really sets Stanford apart for me. Every student I've talked to from there has been incredibly passionate and friendly. There are very few egos; we all know Stanford admissions is a crapshoot. Anyway, my attitude toward my admissions verdict changes daily (and almost hourly). I'm aware of my shortcomings that may prove to hurt me, but I'm also aware of the things working for me, and I'm really proud of how far I've come in the past four years and what I've accomplished. If that's 'good enough' for Stanford, great, but if not, I have a feeling I'll find myself at the University of Chicago come fall. Still, I'd love to be a testament to the fact that you don't have to be a freak of nature to get accepted. But even if I'm not admitted, I know kids just like me will be accepted and be thrilled and deserve it whole-heartedly, regardless of people telling them they didn't stand a chance.</p>

<p>I'm not sure how last year's application will affect your chances of applying this year... Not much, I'd imagine. I don't see why it should. I can't see it being used negatively. It shows you're still determined and interested in the school, and if your stats have upped since you applied as a junior, all the more power to you.</p>

<p>As for UCs (I live in California), all I know is that they're a bitch with people who don't live in California. It's nothing personal, it's just because we're so damn poor.</p>

<p>Looking at your resume, I'm not that bothered by your SAT IIs (just up that writing score and you're in the running fine), I just would have liked to see more leadership or diversity in your ECs. However, I can only imagine how much time four varsity sports (wow) must take, so perhaps that isn't a fair critique--I know nothing about sports. But your volunteer work stands out a bit, so hopefully you took advantage of the opportunity to discuss that, especially being on varsity basketball and then going on to coach voluntarily. That could have made for a strong essay.</p>

<p>Out of curiosity, what did you write your essays on?</p>

9

<p>hey laurak,
thanx for your reply; you wouldn't understand how helpful you've been. good luck with your schools. you liked stanford too huh? yeah, i visited there last february, and really liked it too. </p>

<p>about my essays for stanford, for my short essays, i wrote about my interest in political science and interpreting for my coaches (because all my coaches were americans, and all the players were japanese, so i was the language go-between). the long essay was something about a cultural misunderstanding. i'm not sure if that'd help me much because i understand that stanford is already overflowing with asians... oh well. i'll just pray and hope for the best. do you think captain isn't quite enough for leadership? that captain situation turned into pretty good essays for yale and cornell, but it didn't seem to fit in the stanford essay topics. <em>sigh</em></p>

<p>my school really just started 6 years ago, so the student government started last october (unbelievable, i know) and i couldn't participate because of class scheduling. student govt and sports are the only ecs at my school so far besides english as a second language and bead work (you know, making earrings and necklaces with tiny beads), so that's why my ecs look pretty simple. </p>

<p>good luck to you to laurak!</p>

<p>any other comments people?</p>

10

<p>Your essays sound pretty good--especially the shorter ones. In your longer one, though your topic may be a common one, it's all about delivery. </p>

<p>When I made the point about leadership, it was in respect to other areas outside sports--like clubs pertaining to your choice of major. If you were able to elaborate on the leadership you did have in sports, though, you should be okay.</p>

<p>I feel your pain with new schools... My class is the first graduating class to have gone through all four years. Although it's given me the opportunity to found some clubs/organizations, it still sucks. But your situation with not being able to do student gov't is definitely one that could and should have been addressed in a counselor's recommendation, but you said you didn't have one... Hmm. Your school's situation seems unique, and I'd hate for you to be penalized because of a lack of opportunities and resources. And a counselor.</p>

<p>Good luck to you, too, U&E4U! Hope to see you at Stanford as part of the Class of 2009! :) Let me know if I can be of any further help, and keep us updated.</p>

11

<p>thanx laurak! about ecs, i am playing in my church's youth band 6hrs/wk, 50wks/yr for 2 yrs, and i'm a guitarist and vocalist, but that's about it. </p>

<p>hey, anyone else?</p>

12

<p>does anyone else have any other ideas/comments/suggestions about any of my colleges?</p>