<p>hi! im a sophomore in high school
stanford is my dream school and i really want to get into that school
ive only taken one AP class so far and thats AP Statistics i havent got the results back yet but i think i passed the AP exam
last year my GPA was 4.0 and this year its 4.1
next year i'm planning to take
AP english 11
AP Calculus AB
AP Biology
advanced chemistry
AP United States and Virginia History
french 4
and may be AP world history
in my senior year
im planning to take
AP english 12
AP United States and Virginia Government
AP physics
AP Chemistry
and AP french</p>
<p>im a swimmer im not good enough for a scholarship or anything but do you think it will help? because i made it to states and i think im gonna make it to states next two years too im also planning to be the team captain my senior year</p>
<p>do you think if i do well and get all As and pass my AP exams i can get into Stanford? and also, what does Stanford consider most important (like volunteer and clubs??)</p>
<p>If i volunteer and join clubs what kind should i join?</p>
<p>classes are really impressive.. But what about EC's, standardized test scores, and other stuff. I know you're only a sophomore so you might not have some of that, but its difficult to tell without those..</p>
<p>"e"xtra "c"urriculars.... basically you have to show that you are more than your classes/academics. an interest/activity or two you've been pursuing for several years (sophomore year's a little late in the game imho).. officer positions in clubs that demonstrate leadership... national/international awards. all that makes you YOU.</p>
<p>SAT in fall is good - spring next year is even better....will give you chance to retake summer/fall next year in case you need to.</p>
<p>thanks! the only thing ive been doing since i was young is swimming
may be i need to start something? like in dunno. should i join a club?
and how many hours of volunteer work is 'excellent'?</p>
<p>I think swimming is a good sport to get into Stanford but you need to be winning some good awards at the State level.
I think there are 2 distinct application process to get into top school
1. Harvard process if you nail this then you can get into Ivies
2. MIT process if you nail this then you pretty much get into any Science/Technology college.
Stanford process is a mix of the above two if you nail any of the above, you have a good chance to get into Stanford.</p>
<p>Now what about any other college. If you nail any of the above two you will get into any of the other good colleges.</p>
<p>I'm certain that the two processes ParentOfIVy Hope speaks of don't exist. I find it hard to understand why people would draw the conclusion that Stanford is between MIT and Ivies. Look, admissions to Stanford is tough..(10.8%) and each year is getting worse. Just make sure your grades are top-notch, your scores are competitive (within range), you participate and contribute to school activities, and make use of your summers. There's no combination of clubs that will get you into Stanford...don't let people on this board tell you what clubs to join...it's what YOU want to do.</p>
<p>thanks! i think ill join the multicultural club for supporting invisible children and volunteer at the pool my team owns... and try to get all As
and about the recommendations i was thinking may be my swim coach since he knows a lot about me would that be okay?</p>
<p>A swim coach recommendation would make an excellent supplementary letter. You'll still need two recommendation letters from junior or senior year teachers in two different subjects. However, I think Stanford is using Common App next year so things might be different.</p>
<p>Bear in mind, that if you're out of state, Stanford is going to be killer. And unless you're headed to the Olympics in 2008, you're not going to be recruited for swimming.</p>
<p>
[quote]
i think ill join the multicultural club for supporting invisible children and volunteer at the pool my team owns
[/quote]
Not really enough. These are good things, don't get me wrong. But people underestimate just how amazing the kids that DO get into Ivies, Stanford, and the like are. They don't just belong to a club, put in a few volunteer hours. They found groups and get state and/or national recognition for doing so, are not just going to state athletic contests but winning them (medals at the Olympics are even better, Stanford has several of these kids enrolled), are Westinghouse winners, spend summer doing research in a lab, have appeared on TV or in films, have a parent win the US Presidency (or at least hold a major cabinet position), etc. Not one person doing all of these things, but I give these as examples of the level of achievement or hooks that gets noticed at the most selective schools.</p>
<p>I'm not trying to insult you or say what you're doing isn't worthwhile. But spend a little time digging around to find out the ECs that kids aiming for the very top have, and I think you'll come away impressed. There are 3 million HS seniors graduating every year, Stanford has room for 1600 or so of them. You do the math.</p>
<p>I didn't take the ACT yet I got into Stanford. As long as your SAT is strong, you don't need to take the ACT. BTW, why don't you want to swim after hs?</p>
<p>yeah.. not my favorite sport and im not good enough to qualify for a NCAA meet or anything.
my dad made me do it instead of volleyball and basketball because ive been doing it for longer</p>