Stanford Reject needs school list help!

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I was rejected from Stanford SCEA. I just want some advice on my school list, and whether it's too top-heavy or not, and if so, if people have any good college suggestions for me. (Intended Major - Political Science/Economics). </p>

<p>School: Homeschooled. I take full semester loads at the local community college, and have exhausted the math, physics, and chemistry course offerings available. I also take honors courses there, which usually involve an extensive research project.</p>

<p>GPA: 3.9 (College GPA) - only one C in Calc II</p>

<p>Courseload: Calculus II (taken as a sophomore), calculus-based Physics (also as a sophomore), Honors Organic Chemistry, Honors English. I will be presenting my research that I did for my Honors project in my Shakespeare class at the community college's arts symposium. </p>

<p>SAT Reasoning: 2320 (800 CR, 770 M, 750 W) Superscored</p>

<p>SAT Subject Tests:</p>

<p>800 Literature
800 Physics
800 Chemistry
780 Math II</p>

<p>Extra-Curriculars:</p>

<p>-Website + Online Journalism
*I have been an administrator for the world's largest fan website for Real-Time Strategy games for more than 3 years. This is a major EC of mine, and takes a LOT of time to keep running!
*Experience in online journalism, website creation and management, international volunteer staff management, international tournament running
*Invited, and paid by Electronic Arts to fly to their studio to preview one of their games and write a set of articles for my website</p>

<p>-Game Design
*Extensive experience in game balance and design; I have coded a major game modification
*Helped design balance patches for EA's games with an international team of very skilled players and freelance game designers
*Beta tested several of EA's upcoming RTS games</p>

<p>-Assistant Community Manager for Electronic Arts, Los Angeles (EALA)
*Run several tournaments, a few with prizes upwards of $5000
*Written a weekly e-sports column for their website</p>

<p>-Violin
*12 Years of playing
*Member of State's top youth orchestras for 7 years, 2 years as Concertmaster</p>

<p>-Boy Scout Venture Crew
*7 years of Boy Scouts/Venture Crew Combined.
*Nearly Eagle Scout</p>

<p>-Swim Team (I train and compete with the local high school)
*4x Region Finalist, 2x State Competitor, 2x Varsity Letter
*Senior: Team Co-Captain</p>

<p>Awards: National Merit Semi-Finalist, Honors student at community college (not many awards for homeschooled kids :P)</p>

<p>Harvard
Princeton
Yale
Columbia
UPenn
WashU of St. Louis
Georgetown SFS
Pomona
Claremont McKenna
USC
ASU - Barrett Honors College
Duke - Legacy here</p>

<p>Thank you :)</p>

2

<p>You have a great profile, so don't be too down on the rejection; however, your list does look a little top heavy. How about an actual safety? Plus, you'd probably get a lot of free money.</p>

3

<p>I'm so jealous you get to work for EA. You haven't been laid off have you? jk</p>

<p>But seriously I think you have a very interesting profile and am a bit surprised that you at least didn't get deferred at Stanford (I know SCEA was a massacre).</p>

<p>I think you should go to WashU because that's where I'm going :)</p>

<p>For suggestions maybe Northwestern of UChicago. They have outstanding Econ programs.</p>

4

<p>Hey I'm that homeschooler you chanced on harvard. </p>

<p>"and have exhausted the math, physics, and chemistry course offerings available"
Why are you taking so much math and science if you want to be a poly sci major?</p>

<p>Nice SAT II scores. I hope I get scores like those.</p>

<p>"Website + Online Jounalism...Game Design"</p>

<p>Once again, it looks like you should be a comp sci. major.</p>

5

<p>You'll easily be in at Duke.</p>

6

<p>I have taken a lot of science courses but only last semester did I take economics, which I absolutely loved, so my interest in science has somewhat diminished.</p>

7

<p>how did this fall 6 pages in less than 24 hours?! wow lol.</p>

<p>bump :P</p>

8

<p>Top heavy? Yes.
Too top heavy? I don’t know. But I agree that a safety or two could help.</p>

<p>When I read your app, I thought of one school: Carnegie Mellon. CMU sounds like the perfect place for you if you’re in to video games and computers and such. It’s also probably more of a safety / target, which would be good for you.</p>

<p>I’m a big fan of UVA. Arguably the top public university in the country. They have great poli sci, economics (#1 undergrad business school), and computer science. Again, closer to the safety range for you.</p>

<p>A word of caution on the Claremont colleges: they are intensely focused and it’s very hard to change. Only go there if you’re absolutely sure you want to do journalism (or whatever you’re planning on majoring in) and are sure that your mind will not change. I’m just not sure, so that’s why I didn’t apply there.</p>

<p>Just some thoughts on your general application.
After talking to Harvard’s director of admissions, it seems that college are in a sticky area with homeschool kids. I would say make sure to optimize the personal areas of your application to the best of your ability: pour your heart and soul into your essays, reflect your voice everywhere, constantly refer to specifics (don’t make generalizations), send in your application at least a week early. Include some sort of explanation of your home school system so they have something to go by.</p>

<p>Best of luck! God bless!</p>

9

<p>I would take it to mean you should rework your appliction for the other schools.</p>

10

<p>Thread is year old. OP is comfortably tucked away at another school and happy as a clam (god willing).</p>