Stanford- SCEA or RD?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>I'm trying to decide whether or not I should apply early action or regular decision. Here are some of my stats:
Rank: 1/358
GPA: 4.0 unweighted, 4.43 weighted
Current coursework: Spanish IV, AP English, AP Statistics, AP Studio Art, AP Calculus BC, AP Government, Physics, AP Bio, AP Computer Science.</p>

<p>Extracurriculars: overall, I'd say I'm well rounded. I put a lot of time into everything I do, so I do it well, too. I have some academic extracurriculars like Academic Decathlon, Model UN, and Science Olympiad, athletics, community service organizations, leadership, and work experience. </p>

<p>Essay: I wrote about how being bipolar has shaped my outlook. Unique because it reflects my positivity, openness, and happiness for life. I've heard you shouldn't write on things like this, but I've never been suicidal/a danger to others and I think my essay shows this. I focused mostly on how my disorder led me to be robotic and so focused on my transcript that I lost sight of what made me happy. It has a bit of a sarcastic tone because I talk about how I haven't found my true passion, cured cancer, etc., but how I've achieved happiness which will allow me to pursue my goals for a long time without being burned out.</p>

<p>Test scores..
Okay so this is where I'm wondering if I should do early action or regular decision. I was switching meds at the time I took my tests so I didn't do as well as I could have.
SAT: 2050
ACT: 31</p>

<p>I also haven't taken subject tests. If I do early action, I have to do subject tests, leave my SAT, and I can retake my ACT. </p>

<p>Should I do early action, or should I wait, retake my SAT and submit regular decision?</p>

2

<p>I would wait and retake your tests. At a school as selective as Stanford, there is only a small difference between RD acceptance rate and ED acceptance rate.</p>

3

<p>Do you think this is an acceptable essay topic? The prompt is essentially talk about a failure you’ve experienced and what you learned from it.</p>

4

<p>You do need to bring up your score. For Stanford, if you apply SCEA and are not admitted, you are most likely be rejected instead of deferred. Take the subject tests also. Wait until you have solid score, then apply RD. Your essay does not tie to the prompt very well. You may want to tweak it a little bit.</p>