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Chances on Getting into Stanford?

jmcmillan12jmcmillan12 Registered User Posts: 28 New Member
in Stanford University
I am a sophomore at a Jesuit High School in LA and have been playing tennis since I was 9. I am playing aggressive tennis and playing at tournaments. My rank has improved and I would love to play at Stanford for their team. I am Native American and am 25%. I have not registered since my grandmother is sensitive about talking about her past due to the fact that her father left the family to rejoin the tribe. I am very interested in learning more about my culture. I was the ASB president in middle school and received the presidents award for gold level hours in community service. I took a trip to Nicaragua and held a school drive for supplies (while I was president). I went to the school there and played with the kids. I am planning on doing another trip to the dominican republic. Sophomore grades are 3.65 for 1st semester and 3.9 for expected 2nd semester. I would like to know how Native American culture will help and what my chances are.
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Replies to: Chances on Getting into Stanford?

  • Wien2NCWien2NC Registered User Posts: 1,060 Senior Member
    can't hurt to try. obviously you need the best GPA and ACT/SAT you can muster. I can only imagine being Native American would really help your chances.
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  • jmcmillan12jmcmillan12 Registered User Posts: 28 New Member
    edited April 2016
    Correction, I just calculated my gpa for 1st and it was 3.7
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  • Wien2NCWien2NC Registered User Posts: 1,060 Senior Member
    @jmcmillan12

    keep in mind that Standford's acceptance rate is less than 5%. there are students with perfect GPAs and SAT/ACTs that get rejected.

    that being said, go for it but apply to a range of schools so you don't get shut out. look into Notre Dame and/or Georgetown, USC, UCLA, in-state options that fit your budget, and out-of-state schools that offer big merit aid like Alabama or Mississippi.

    make sure to apply to one or two "safety" schools that:
    1. will certainly accept you
    2. you can afford
    3. have the program you want to study
    4. you would enjoy attending

    being Native American can only help, both in terms of getting accepted, and also winning scholarships
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  • jmcmillan12jmcmillan12 Registered User Posts: 28 New Member
    edited April 2016
    Ok thanks for those option @Wien2NC I am looking into Cal and have alum there. Also looking into Boston College. My friend and I are also starting a non-profit for third world country kids and donating school supplies/sports equipment. I will definitely add it to my application. I would like to study business and/or computer science.
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  • Wien2NCWien2NC Registered User Posts: 1,060 Senior Member
    good luck. you sound pretty impressive.
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  • jmcmillan12jmcmillan12 Registered User Posts: 28 New Member
    @Wien2NC thank you for your contributions to my q's
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  • skyovermeskyoverme Registered User Posts: 319 Member
    Since you went to Nicaragua and played with kids there, my guess is that has greatly increased your odds for getting in (vs. the 4.8% recent acceptance rate)
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  • jmcmillan12jmcmillan12 Registered User Posts: 28 New Member
    @skyoverme I stayed in a very small shack with a shower made of recycled plastic, no electricity, and we stayed in the 5 star area for that location. It should me how little these people had and I am doing a non-profit with a friend to go back there and build a school/soccer field for the kids.
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  • sbballersbballer Registered User Posts: 574 Member
    if you're native american.. a bit of advice... make sure you have cultural engagement with your ancestry. I know of one American Indian student who got in to Stanford and didn't participate in the Stanford pow wow or engage with other American Indians on campus.... the sister who applied later was rejected and I heard through the American Indian grapevine that she did not show cultural engagement on her application and they had experience with her brother who did not engage with the American Indian community on campus. just marking down you're American Indian is not enough.. show through your achievements and community service that you're not just checking off the box... I think admission committees are always going to have that asterix in their head.. .is this guy really an American Indian or just claiming to be for admission purposes? on the flip side if you are culturally involved too... you have a leg up on other candidates. and get connected with the American Indian community at Stanford.. they can really help you. good luck!
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  • jmcmillan12jmcmillan12 Registered User Posts: 28 New Member
    @sbballer Thank you for the input and I will for sure look into the Native American clubs at Stanford. I found the percentage of Native Americans at Stanford for 2015 and it's a grand total of 0.2%. I will register with my tribe and become more involved in their culture.
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  • gardenstategalgardenstategal Registered User Posts: 4,842 Senior Member
    @jmcmillan12 , you MUST register with your tribe to get the benefit of being Native American at any school. There have been other threads on this in the past. Registering may take a while and can be quite involved, so get started on it now.
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  • skyovermeskyoverme Registered User Posts: 319 Member
    I stayed in a very small shack with a shower made of recycled plastic

    Wow, a shower! That is a luxury. Might not want to mention that part if you use that in your essays.
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  • jmcmillan12jmcmillan12 Registered User Posts: 28 New Member
    Didn't mean to state it as that but I wanted to explain how poor the area was without giving a detailed description. Also that's why I want to go back again. @skyoverme
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