Stories of current undergrads on how they got into Stanford

Colleges and Universities A-Z Stanford University
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<p>Hi, I'm currently a freshman in high school, and once I went to the Bay Area to be with all of my cousins, aunts, and uncles during winter break, I just fell in love with Stanford. I did some research, and then realized that Stanford was a top school (I used to hate it because of the prestige).I am in a program in high school called Science and Technology, which is pretty much a program focusing on mathematics and science in the early years, and then the student gets to choose between intensively studying Biology, Computer Science, and Engineering/Architecture. I am also going to CTY's summer program to take Fast-Paced High School Physics. In school, I see to be on track to finishing 9th grade with either all As or maybe one B (in orchestra). My math is like a 98%, my US History a 99%, Biology is a 96%, English is an 88% (It WILL come up-trust me), Health was a 90-something, gym is currently a 100% (who fails gym? And yes, to those who have a head harder than diamond, that was a rhetorical question), technology is a 96% or so (My tech teacher is also our robotics coach, and she will be giving us automatic 100% this quarter to help her with some graphic design things she is trying to construct), and-drumroll, please-orchestra is an 89.31%. I know, I know, it looks real bad, but it's a performance-based course, and my fingers are fat enough to miss a note by a quarter-step sometimes. Although I will be following the Biology track, I have deep interests in mathematics, other sciences (physics, especially), and computers and electronics. I am aspiring to get into medicine, but at college, I want to major in two or three areas, and a minor, probably (Do NOT tell me not to. I understand this will be hard, but I am really good in most subjects, except for the devil of them all: English. I come from a family that is a minority both in our homeland and here, in the USA. I live in MD, and I understand UMD is a good school, and so are Georgetown, GWU, and even Princeton, which is closer. I am Zoroastrian, which makes me fall under harsh conditions in Iran, and I am Iranian, leading to a lot of discrimination in the States. When I was only 10, I fell sick to cancer, and thankfully, I was one of the lucky ones to not have too many complications with the treatment (I understand I was lucky to LIVE, but many others who pulled through had many serious medical conditions afterwards, too). This is what led me to the medical field, and I think I might use this in my admissions essay. I am in Robotics, It's Academic Quiz show, and in a competition called National History Day, I finished in first place for the Senior Individual Website category, and I am about to go on to the State competition (Wish me luck!) later in this month. I also took the SAT in 8th grade (unfortunately, they weren't recorded for the future), and I got a 650 in math, 540 in critical reading, and an essay subscore of 8. People who got into Stanford or are currently Stanford undergrads, how am I doing? Am I on a good track academically? Will my story be enough of a hook to get me into Stanford? If I need to add extra info, I will be happy to comment as soon as I find the time to get onto CC. </p>

<p>Oh, and I almost forgot. I just didn't want to sift through this encyclopedia I created above, but I am very good at computers (I can build from scratch, I made a very nice business form for my dad's auto care shop out of Word, I spend a lot of time on them, etc.), I am very good at math (I am currently taking Algebra 2 Trig. in freshman year, and sophomores, juniors, and seniors come to me for help, I can compute calculations in my head quickly), and from my time in the hospital, I became very familiar with science. Also, from all the time I would travel, I have interested in geography and history (I scored #1 in my middle school for Geography Bee in both 7th and 8th grade, and #1 in the county History Day program this year, plus I love traveling).</p>

<p>Thanks again for reading this long mess, and I appreciate the support and personal stories!</p>

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<p>You are a freshman, there is a long ways to go. Just keep those grades up and work as hard as you can, plus join some clubs and get those leadership positions. Enjoy high-school while you are in it.</p>

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<p>Second the above post. There is no formula for getting into a school like Stanford (I’m still surprised I got in). Admissions at the tippity top levels are fairly crapshoot-y. Example: got into Stanford, waitlisted at Harvard and Williams, rejected at Yale and UPenn.</p>

<p>Work hard, but find a balance. Do what you love/love what you do, and you will go far. Oh, and write good essays :P</p>

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<p>There is no formula for getting into Stanford, and nobody really knows exactly what got them in; the most you can do is look at the accepted student threads, but even they have limited utility, since there’s a lot of inconsistency (such is the nature of elite admissions, esp. at Stanford). But there are many themes. You are on track, and while your story could be relevant in admissions (it could easily be an essay), it isn’t a hook. You’ll have to be careful not to sound like you’re trying to get a sympathy vote.</p>

<p>Find what you love and pursue that in any way you can.</p>

<p>I’m not going to tell you not to double or triple major, but I will tell you that you’ll most likely not end up doing that. This is partly because it can be difficult or impossible to do such at most schools (and definitely at top schools), and partly because you’ll eventually realize that majoring in several different things simply means being forced to take certain sets of classes that you aren’t interested in taking, all for a mere title. When I was your age, I also thought I would major in 2-3 things (and couldn’t be told otherwise), maybe a minor or two, as I too was at the top of my class in every subject. But like everyone else, I realized it was neither worth it nor very feasible. Each major has a set of requirements that will deviate from your core interests, so it ends up making more sense just to take classes in the areas that interest you. Plus, once you find what your passion is, it will be become counterintuitive to take other classes at the expense of classes that fall under your main interest, which will be more fulfilling to you. If your interests are interdisciplinary (as in, they don’t exist independent of one another, but are relevant to each other), then you should look into interdisciplinary programs. Stanford is famous for having a multitude of them (many of which aren’t found at any other school). See this:</p>

<p>[Interdisciplinary</a> Programs: Stanford University](<a href=“http://stanford.edu/academics/programs.html]Interdisciplinary”>Interdisciplinary Programs – Stanford University)</p>

<p>Most importantly, try not to spend too much time on this site. It will make you neurotic, competitive, and insecure. It makes more sense to use CC when you’re a junior doing your college search. If you do use CC more before then, take everything you read with a grain of salt. For that matter, even as a junior and beyond, still take everything with a grain of salt, including this post. ;)</p>

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<p>op, i appreciate how you are aiming for Stanford early on. when my S graduated 8th gr, he had Stanford in mind. in fact, when he created his FB in freshman hs, he wrote Stanford as his school. that was his motivation. even tho he was top student, he came fr so-so gr sch & was ranked ~60/~300 by end of freshman yr at very competitive hs. that did not discouraged him bec he had stanford as his target. by end of jr yr, he was ranked 5. he had stanford in mind with everything he did, and still enjoyed his hs life very much. get as much AP as you can. my son had 11, & on those AP ones he was rejected early on, he self studied & even got 5. he took classes at community college during summers. unlike others, he did not have “specialty” (or “ticket”, as others call it). so his strategy was to be “holistic”, all-around student. joined, lead & excelled in several clubs & sports. never be discouraged. for every setback or rejections he encountered, he jumped to plan b right away. did 300+ hrs of community service. worked/volunteered during summers. prepared well for sat/act. lastly, had well-written essays finished bef start of sr yr. now, he couldnt be any happier with his life as freshman at stanford, & doing very well. keep your grades up. also, keep in mind the “nice factor” that stanford is looking for on top of outstanding numbers (gpa/sat/act) & ecs. show it in your essays. my son opted to not write anything academic-related on all his essays. nice & intellectual, yes, but no mention of any academic performance. just his choice, i guess. he learned fr “horror” experiences of kids fr his hs, who were 4.7+/2400/36 & were rejected by stanford. good luck!</p>