<p>Hi,
I was rejected EA at Caltech-- should I bother with Stanford?
My parents think I should stick to my safeties: Cornell, CMU, Michigan and add one more safety much lower down RPI, possibly two: Adding Northeastern or RIT....</p>
<p>Here's my stats:
GPA 3.84 unweighted 4.61 weighted
SATIIs MathIIC 760 Chem 800 Bio 760
APs Chem 5, CompSci 5 Have Physics, Calc and Econ now
ACT 31 (I blew it ...)
ECs: Loads including FIRST Robotics, Math, sports leadership and meaningful community service.
Applying as an Engineering student
Hook: URM - AA, Took summer courses at Cornell and earned As
REcs : AMAZING</p>
<p>SHould I bother with Stanford knowing Caltech flat out rejected me EA?
Any other schools I should consider?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>Using Cornell and Carnegie Mellon University as safeties is just arrogant.</p>
<p>As for Stanford, their admissions process is so subjective, I’d say just apply. Of all of the people I’ve know that have gotten in, the majority did not get in purely on academics.</p>
<p>I got a likely admit letter from cornell…</p>
<p>And no one thinks I’m arrogant…most people who know me think I am quite humble and lack confidence… </p>
<p>CMU is probably safe-- I was essentially told so on an on-campus interview during diversity weekend…</p>
<p>What are some other issues that might tip Stanford in my favor?
With 20,000+ applicants having much better SATs than I do-- seems hopeless with my mediocre ACT…so my parents think it’s a waste of the ap fee…</p>
<p>If the interviewer likes you, then they probably all say the same thing. And considering many students of your caliber apply to those types of schools, I’d say many of them say that a lot of students are a shoe-in. What they think and what the Adcom thinks are two different things. As for Cornell…it’s an Ivy League School. No one is for sure into the Ivy’s. I can say confidently that 99% of the population will think it’s arrogant using Cornell as a backup even if you have some “likely admit letter”.</p>
<p>As for Stanford, your GPA is far more important than your SAT/ACT scores. You spend 3 1/2 years molding your GPA and only a few months preparing for one test. The best you can do now is hope your GPA will outshine your ACT score. I got into NYU Stern with a 31 ACT, but I also had a 3.88 UW and a 4.51 W. Just write a crazy good essay.</p>
<p>I’m a Cornell Legacy too…</p>
<p>But “Likely Admits” are admit letters-- they are informal b/c the ivies are bound not to out-bid one another- so they have the same decision release date…this is their scammy -clammy way to get students…many students in my hs got those letters from cornell, penn and dartmouth last year …</p>
<p>My first choice has been Stanford and Caltech all along…second choice would be CMU or Cornell…</p>
<p>^ My URM (black), legacy sister was rejected from Cornell.</p>
<p>^ your sister’s situation is irrelevant. a likely letter is an acceptance letter, so he’s in at Cornell.</p>
<p>To answer the question, I can only say that Caltech does not officially practice affirmative action and has almost no black students, while Stanford practices affirmative action to an almost absurd extent. Therefore, it is very possible for you to be accepted at Stanford.</p>
<p>Caltech selects students far more by the students’ stats than does Stanford, which takes a more holistic approach, so yes, you still have a chance at Stanford.</p>
<p>Don’t take a Caltech rejection letter to heart and don’t let it deter you from applying anywhere else. Caltech is pretty much numbers and achievement-based; it needs to know that an applicant can handle its curriculum (and even plenty of those who make it cannot). Definitely apply to Stanford as your stats and URM status make you very competitive for admissions.</p>
<p>And I’m sure you already know this, but just to refute earlier posters…You’re good for Cornell.</p>