<p>Stanford has a very large, very active Christian community. </p>
<p>It may come as a disappointment to skeptics, but Christians are accepted and rejected at the same rates as everyone else. </p>
<p>And on another topic, MIT always sends the largest delegation to the CRU (a Christian organization) retreat of any other school in the northeast, so, yes, there are scientists who, shockingly enough, believe in Christ.</p>
<p>OP’s failure to return after such an agitated first post makes my ■■■■■ radar ping louder.</p>
<p>I have to say that the stories of applicants being devastated by rejections from high reach schools leave a bad taste in my mouth. I can understand wishing and hoping–and even praying–for admission to a school like Stanford, but anyone who is totally crushed by a rejection from a college of that caliber is exhibiting a certain amount of hubris and/or entitlement. It seems OP’s daughter expected to get in. I don’t know how a kid comes by that sort of expectation–maybe OP has been telling her daughter for years that she’s the cream of the crop, in which case she did her a real disservice-- but I tried to raise my kids with a reasonable level of humility about themselves. They didn’t think they were the greatest thing since sliced bread and therefore made no assumptions about how appealing they might be to colleges. As a result, they took rejections with a shrug, rather than a weekend of tears, and acceptances with glee.</p>
<p>One of the Stanford admissions reps specifically said that intellectual vitality could be demonstrated in an essay on shopping. Still not buying it.</p>
<p>The last time I looked at New Trier’s Naviance site, they seemed to be doing better in terms of Stanford acceptances than similar high schools that I’m familiar with. That was a while ago, though; and it may not be generally accessible any more–I haven’t tried to access it recently. I doubt that all of the New Trier students who were accepted matriculated at Stanford. In part, New Trier’s (relative) success could just represent better-informed advising of their top students.</p>
<p>Of course many of the top colleges have feeder schools. It is just my impression (based on about 7 years of local data) that in our broad geographic area, Stanford reaches outside of its feeder schools less often than HYP do.</p>
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<p>Very good point, MommaJ.</p>
<p>Rejection is pretty crushing to most kids, whether they are egotistical or not. I’m not special, but I can assure you that I am hurt by rejection, even at the ripe old age of 50.</p>
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<p>Not buying an essay on shopping? In addition to the obvious pun avaliable here, allow me to add an anecdote. As usual, while the plural of anecdote is never data, such essay HAS worked. Of course, the essay theme is just the canvas. The finishing touches express the real purpose of the essay. This means that writing an essay about shopping might work if the underlying theme is well-crafted and uses a subtle approach. </p>
<p>My sister wrote her essay about shopping at Office Depot. Her admission letter to Stanford came with an handwritten note from Dean Shaw about her roommate essay. The reality was that the essay was not about shopping; it was all about how she spent time with our dad and what the shopping experience meant to her. </p>
<p>But again, none of us can say for sure how much one essay means in terms of admissions or rejections. After all, the ticket for holistic admissions is that the total of parts should exceed the sum. Or something along those lines. :)</p>
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<p>Actually, if that’s indeed true, it’s not a disappointment at all. To the contrary, it proves the point that belief in gods and praying to him/her/them has absolutely no effect on the outcome of one’s college application.</p>
<p>Reading this thread reminds me why it’s so liberating to be a non-believer. When my DD gets home from school in a few hours and runs to the mailbox for her Georgetown letter (it should be there), whatever the result might be, she and I will know it’s all about her efforts, not divine intervention. If it’s an acceptance, then she gets all the credit. She earned it, not God. If it’s a rejection, then she gave it a good try and will move on. It won’t have anything to do with whether God has a “different plan for her” or that she should have prayed more. Praying would not have helped. But spending more time on her “why Georgetown” essay instead of going to the movies with her friends and writing it at 11 pm the night before the application was due probably would have.</p>
<p>DGDz, my fingers are crossed for your dd!</p>
<p>Oops! Hoping crossed fingers are OK. :D</p>
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<p>Thanks! Crossed fingers? Sure, why not? I wonder where the crossed fingers thing comes from anyway. I’ll have to look into that…</p>
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<p>So it only demonstrates hubris and entitlement to be crushed by a college rejection if the college is of high caliber? Why?</p>
<p>I’m very sorry about your daughter’s rejection. I also got rejected from my dream school Stanford on Friday, so I understand. I pinned my hopes on this school for months. But in the end, I was disappointed. The next best thing to do is to keep moving forward. Do you see my username? We are all meant to seek a “great perhaps” by looking elsewhere to see what more we can find.</p>
<p>Hang in there! :)</p>
<p>“It may come as a disappointment to skeptics, but Christians are accepted and rejected at the same rates as everyone else.”</p>
<p>Evidence? (or is that simply a hope?)</p>
<p>“Captain, the distress transmission from the anomaly is also inducing an unexpectedly massive energy drain from ship’s computers. ■■■■■ detection sensors are reading off the scale and the gravitation from the epicenter is increasing exponentially dragging keel port of trajectory towarrrrds the asteroid field. The crew are also agitated and have begun fasting. Shall I blast everything with the neutron cannon before we lose control?”</p>
<p>Mini, you are more cryptic than a cartoon in the New Yorker.</p>
<p>What exactly are you trying to say?</p>
<p>I don’t doubt that many fine qualities can be demonstrated in an essay about shopping, as xiggi’s example of his sister’s essay indicates. I just don’t think that “intellectual vitality” is one of them. Not referring to xiggi’s sister, the Stanford admissions staffer didn’t say that the entire application holistically indicated intellectual vitality–rather, specifically that an essay about shopping indicated intellectual vitality. I could see an essay about shopping illustrating “vitality.” It would not fit my idea of what’s “intellectual,” though.</p>
<p>The way in which one makes observations about anything demonstrates intellectual vitality. The topic itself could be world peace or going to the local mall. Certainly you would agree that there are essays in New Yorker, the Atlantic, etc. that are about “frivolous” subjects that demonstrate an intellectual and / or thoughtful approach to the topic. </p>
<p>My S’s essay was about a fairly common household object. How he thought about its uses and how he linked his usage of the object to his own personality, approach and by extension, what he would bring to the college campus and community demonstrated intellectual vitality. While this item wasn’t necessary a “frivolous” one, it could have been. I think it’s overly pedantic and way too literal to think that an essay has to be about a Deep Subject in order to convey that the author is a Deep Thinker.</p>
<p>Dorothy Parker is someone who made astute and deep observations about human nature, while using as her canvas “trivial” things (dating, entertaining, fashion, etc.).</p>
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<p>Try “high selectivity” instead of “high caliber” instead. Disappointment in being rejected from a highly selective college is understandable. Disappointment in being rejected from a non- selective college is understandable. The hubris and entitlement is in believing that in a college with (say) a 5% or 10% or 15% admission rate, you had more than a 5% or 10% or 15% chance. You have to face those numbers squarely, look 'em in the eye, and know that the chances you won’t get in are overwhelming.</p>
<p>GdGz:</p>
<p>I’m curious.If you are that opposed to religious beliefs, why on earth is your D applying to Georgetown? </p>
<p>You don’t have to be religious to attend Georgetown, but you do have to respect people who are, IMO.</p>
<p>OP - I posted this on the Yale board years ago telling of D1’s disappointment with the her EA results. Some of the later applicants found it comforting:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/7008050-post1.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/7008050-post1.html</a></p>
<p>A PPS to the PS in the linked post: D2 did not get into her EA school (Stanford) either. She ended up at Dartmouth, and she loved her school too. These things really do have a way working out in the end.</p>
<p>I wrote my essay on the crystal egg that was on our mantle in the living room, and how it got broken.</p>
<p>One of the HYP adcoms wrote me a personal note saying, “We need guys like you, collegealum…”</p>