Hello everyone! As you can tell by the title, my dream school is Stanford. I have a 3.97 GPA unweighted (4.6 weighted) and a 35 on the ACT (superscored to a 36). I’ve taken many AP classes. Last year (as a junior) I took AP BC Calculus, AP Physics C, AP US Government and Politics, and AP Language and Composition. This year I am taking AP Statistics, AP European History, AP Biology, and AP Chemistry. I have been involved in various activities (a few clubs, extensive volunteering, elite soccer outside of school, tutoring). I am wondering if this is enough for Stanford? I was on our school’s Dance and Soccer teams but at the end of sophomore/beginning of junior year did not make either. Will that hurt me? I know the essays are a huge aspect of admission to Stanford- any tips? What else can I do to get in? I am planning on applying for Restrictive Early Action. Also, not sure if this matters but I love math and science, and am currently planning on studying biomedical engineering.
Not enough.
Stanford turns down 69% with perfect test scores. They want evidence of “intellectual vitality” and passion outside of the classroom. I don’t see that from what you wrote.
I coach a youth softball team, and have been doing so for over three years now. I also have organized a “math olympics” day at our local elementary school. I have also started a club focusing on social issues and current politics
You are very competitive for a lot of schools. Write a great personal essay, so that your true voice comes through. Best of luck with the Sanford app. Be sure to apply to some match schools and “love thy safety.”
How are you on elite soccer outside of school yet rejected from a school team? Surely your school soccer team isn’t more elite than outside soccer.
@gollege124 , I do not mean to discourage you, but Stanford is very holistic. Your academic credentials are fine - and then will no doubt get you into some very fine schools - but you will need to show more. I can’t say that you won’t get in, but right now there’s nothing th as the makes you stand out from thousand of other qualified applicants, so you need to be realistic.
Why exactly is Stanford your dream school? What specific programs and resources appeal to you?
Thank you for your honesty @renaissancedad . I forgot to mention that I have worked in a coffee shop 20 hours a week for the last half of junior year and this summer. I also attended a 4 month long physics seminar (every saturday) at Fermilab. Would that help me? Do you have any advice for the essays? Any information or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks again
@jarrett211 You are correct; it definitely is not. At the time of tryouts my sophomore year I was in a pretty dark place (dealing with depression, anxiety etc) and did not perform my best at the tryout. Despite being a leader on the team the year before and carrying the team, I was cut. (Note: I instead found an additional high level club team to play for during the high school season, with many of its girls continuing on to play D1 or D2 in college) Less than a month after that occured, I was also cut from the varsity Dance team. This was completely unrelated to my skill level. There is no set or max amount of girls on the team. The coach got rid of all the girls who were not her personal favorites (and extremely popular). Not making excuses, but what she did was pretty big news around the school. That part of my high school experience was crushing and it’s taken me years to rebuild my self esteem. I know you likely don’t want to read such a long-winded rant but I wanted to share this
@glido Thank you. I really appreciate the support
Soccer isn’t going to get you to Stanford. It’s a very common sport. You can apply but the chances are as low as admission rate divided by yield.