<p>My friend told me that Stanford has a reputation for letting in "random" people
I assume she means "random" as in those who might not be your typical 2400 SAT score, 4.0 GPA, 100 brilliant ECs-people</p>
<p>Is this true? The "random" people getting in part?</p>
<p>They are not “random”. You can usually easily see why they got accepted.</p>
<p>
I agree. People at Stanford don’t usually share their SAT scores or GPA; it’s more likely that you’ll discover how amazing they are by a) their performance in college classes, b) the activities they choose to pursue, or c) just by chatting with them and hearing their views and passions. Not every 2400/4.0/100 EC student has a love for learning and a drive to impact the world, whether on a small or large scale.</p>
<p>After knowing some people for a while and eventually finding out their high school scores/grades, I have found that some of the amazing people I know (who have started their own businesses, done volunteer work in Guatemala, won national competitions in a sport, etc.) didn’t have perfect grades or scores. Their numbers don’t define them.</p>