I am starting to think being a URM doesn’t affect admission to stanford at all. My sister was rejected with a 3.9 uw and 4.7 weighted gpa, 1500/1600 Sat, amazing ECs. This is really discouraging me because I have a lower gpa(3.5 uw). My SAT is 1600 so hopefully I still have a chance.
So what are you guys opinion on URM being admitted to prestigious colleges?
What led people to believe URMs have it easy in the college admissions process??
It just shocks me that my sister as amaZing as she was, she was still rejected by many colleges(All ivies deffered by Harvard)
Can someone explain this madness. I am super stressed.
Stanford, and colleges of that tier, routinely reject applicants with perfect stats while accepting some with lower stats. Stats are but one part of the equation. While URM can provide a slight bump (depending upon the college), in absolutely no circumstance should an applicant assume that URM is a sure-thing admissions ticket. No college will accept a URM, or any other hook, if the balance of the application is not strong.
I would widen your search. 3.5 to Stanford, while not impossible, is highly uinlikely.
@Lazybum648 I will give you an honest answer. When I reviewed some Results threads for high-ranked colleges such as UC Berkeley, Harvard and Stanford, I did notice that on average (not all) URMs who were accepted did have somewhat lower test scores. Some URMs had 2400 on SAT. However, they had just as good GPAs (most of them 4.0 gpa) and ECs. I would think at very competitive schools like Stanford, being a URM would raise your chances from the average 5% to maybe 10 ~ 20% (just throwing out a number; don’t really know) but it still means a majority of URMs with good/great stats will not get in. It could have been that your sister did not come across as likable or the “voice” of your sister’s essays did not connect as well. Perhaps your family is sort of well off, so the admission reviewer might have preferred URMs of the same race who were relatively poorer.
I have seen applicants of all races with awesome stats (in fact I would have accepted them instead had I been an admission reviewer because their stats were so awesome) get denied. I can only say they must have liked other applicants slightly more as a member of future Stanford classes.
I still think you have a chance at Stanford if you write great essays that connect with the admission reviewer and have good ECs. However, as the above poster said, do apply at some safeties.
No, not with a UW GPA of 3.5. What is your UC GPA? https://rogerhub.com/gpa-calculator-uc/
High test scores do not make up for lower grades unless you have a compelling reason especially for the top UC’s.
URM status DOES help though at top colleges that practice Affirmative Action to increase student diversity. But again, being a URM is not a golden ticket to the Ivy League. You will still have to be very accomplished.
Affirmative Action is illegal and does not exist in UCs and CSUs. They will not see your race.
For example, as of 2016, only 2.5% of admits are African American to UC Berkeley, which is such a small number. This is because affirmative action is completely illegal to UCs. With a 3.5, if you’re considering UCSD as a “safety,” you should probably reconsider.
@AshleyMisAwesome Agree generally. Can you clarify your statement that UCs “will not see your race”? Does this mean all applications at UCs has names whited out? Or even though they see their names, admission reviewer will “try” to ignore race altogether? Someone said UCs “white out” applicant’s name but I have a hard time believing that, which means admission reviewer does see names of applicants.
It takes a lot more than stats, rigor, and what friends and family think are “amazing ECs,” to get into Stanford. You need a wider perspective. Take the stress and convert it to some energy to learn more about what the various tippy tops look for. (From them, not guesses on any forum.)You don’t just get to apply, present your stuff and expect the sort of approval you get in your own high school.
Not quite a system to see only UC number. It’s when you submit your application, they will give you an applicant number. You don’t send transcripts until after admitted, so they will never know your name. Your information will be provided through your CA identification number if you are in-state. Your parent’s names are not asked for, and your social security number doesn’t reveal your race. They do this so readers (typically teachers and alumni) are not given any reason for bias when they rate your application on a scale from 1 to 5.
I like UCB system. That’s the way it should be done. And then if colleges have a special interest to accept certain types of applicants, they can set aside certain percentage of admission spots for them.
Personally I believe that people that think they are going to get into a top school for whatever reason, URM, perfect scores, great EC’s, etc. fail to put enough emphasis on their essays. The admissions people have always said that one thing alone won’t determine whether you get in. They have to read 100’s of essays so if your essay doesn’t engage them…well you know what happens. The competition is extraordinary, if the person reading your essay feels they understand who you are through your writing then you have a good chance, some applicants actually send in an essay on their accomplishments…kiss of death.
Actually, essays aren’t a deal breaker for UCs. With over 120,000 applications for UC Berkeley alone, they are not emphasized that much. My sister wrote that she was an avid opponent of gun control on her UC Berkeley essay and she still got Regents scholarship and early admission to Berkeley.
I think the biggest misconception when it comes to URM admissions is that there is some shortage of applicants. Just because a school such as Stanford actively seeks a diverse student body does not mean that they have a problem attaining that goal. Schools may aim to hit a certain percentage of AA students for example, but they have a rich applicant pool to draw from, so why is everyone so surprised when a high stats AA student does not get admitted to every school they apply to?
Here is some data from the 2016 admissions cycle:
Columbia: 4606 AA applicants, 174 AA enrollees
Cornell: 3928 and 300
University of Chicago: 2659 and 126
Yale: 3171 and 148
Tufts: 1286 and 64
Duke: 3877 and 186
Actually your data is a bit skewed. To fully understand that % it is important to note that AA applicants only comprised 5% of the overall applicant pool to begin with, and of those applicants 10.8% were accepted in 2016.
@planner03
It’s because people want to attribute they’re not getting into schools to affirmative action when in reality it’s such a small boost. This year, with some of my experiences, you wouldn’t believe how many conversations I’ve had with people who blame their rejection from top schools on affirmative action and minorities. It’s such a small boost. The way ppl scream about AA you’d really think they accept any black person.
@sweatearl Of course they are not accepting “any black person.” It’s a fact supported by researchers and private college’s released data that you can easily find online that affirmative action allows less qualified students to get in. Obviously, a 3.0 black student still has no chance at Stanford or Harvard even if they are a URM, but a 3.8-9 student might have an upper hand over a non-URM student. I personally believe that affirmative action is necessary for colleges to achieve diversity and to level the playing field, but I don’t think to deny that AA exists is useful.