<p>OP, you are a being a little irrational. If you got rejected at Rice, first, then yeah, you’ll probably get rejected from Cornell, Princeton, and Stanford. But Stanford is the hardest to get into out of those 4 schools.</p>
<p>cornell’s acceptance rate last year was 19% and rice’s was 22%. stanford’s was 8%. the only school with a lower acceptance rate than stanford was harvard at 7%. this means that stanford has a lower rate than P R I N C E T O N, caltech, mit, etc. </p>
<p>not getting into the second hardest school does not mean you won’t get into anywhere else!</p>
<p>I completely understand how you feel. I am taking it really hard on myself and also think Christmas break is gonna suck. But try not to worry, we’ll find our place :)</p>
<p>Thanks guys, I think everyone rejected can feel better after reading the posts in this thread.</p>
<p>
Well I thought I would at least get deferred…the biggest problem was having too much confidence in my application. And is Princeton really easier to get in than Stanford?</p>
<p>I think the biggest problem was my Why Stanford, which is:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Hopefully I can do better with the essays for other colleges.</p>
<p>For God’s sake, it isn’t a damn paradise here. I’m tired of this message being disseminated throughout circles of high achieving students. The fact of the matter is that you are at college to work and that every school, yes EVEN Stanford, has its share of miserable people. From the types of students I see on cc, it’s obvious that you guys have the skills to succeed wherever you go. But at one point, you’ll have to wake up and realize that your happiness is not tied to the university you attend. It is tied to what you make of whatever institution you end up at. </p>
<p>Why do I say this? Because I was of a similar mentality last year when I was applying to universities. Frankly, it’s unhealthy and sets your expectations impossibly high. Ironically enough, the people who seem happiest at Stanford are the ones who don’t ever give off the neurotic vibes that are so palpable here.</p>
<p>^I agree with a lot of that. </p>
<p>
For some it is (or so they say), but for most people it’s a school that they enjoy attending. A school you like to leave at the end of fall quarter (because work gets tough) but miss when you get back home (cause of the cool people, awesome paninis, mild weather, whatever). </p>
<p>
Yeah CC students will more often than not do better than non-CC students, based on the people I know at school who come on here. Honestly there are a few pretty dumb people at Stanford (unhooked ones too). I’d imagine it’s the same at almost every other top school. The CC profile really sets you up for success no matter where you go. </p>
<p>
I don’t agree with this. I’d like to think that there are just different types of “happy” at a school like Stanford. You have some people who get off by smoking weed on a weeknight and just chilling, and you have others who are barreled down in classes and activities and get pretty stressed but also have some good memories at the same time.</p>
<p>ripemango:
I can see why you might think that. Your essay there was something I could see hundreds of other applicants writing. You’d want something more precise. Not like a specific thing you like about the school, but the strongest reasons why school X will benefit Person X and how School X will benefit from Person X (you want this one to be more implicit). Stanford isn’t looking just for happy students, they are looking for happy students who will add to the campus community. </p>
<p>One thing I hate about “why ____” essays is to truly answer it you really have to know the place, if not attend for a while. My answer now (after 1.5 years) to “Why Stanford” would be much different than my answer 1 year ago which, in turn, would look nothing like my actual response. I’m thinking my response is getting pretty stable now, but who knows?</p>
<p>
Unlike other schools, Stanford won’t lead you on in terms of deferrals and thus they defer a small portion of students. So being rejected isn’t bad, but on the contrary being deferred or accepted is just hard. </p>
<p>(For deferred students): A deferral is generally a good sign of things to come. (for non-deferred students): Not being deferred doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t do well at other top schools. My high school had 39/40 rejected early my year (1 deferred), and all but a couple ended up at various top 15 universities/LACs. Of the ones I’ve talked to, the consensus is that all of us wouldn’t trade our respective college experiences (like Selter1 on the last page).</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I think your language is a little bit bloated. For future Why College X essays, try to write more cleanly and clearly. Perhaps just say, out loud, why you REALLY want to go there–not what you think the admissions people want to hear–and then write that down. Go from that.</p>
<p>I also got rejected REA. it sucks but fortunately i didn’t really think I had a legitimate chance of getting accepting. Could anyone could give me feedback on my Why Stanford supplement since I have to answer the same question in the rest of my applications.
Here it is:
“Academically, I am totally excited about Stanford’s Social Entrepreneurship & the Environment program. I have always dreamed of starting my own business that will improve or conserve the natural world. The interdisciplinary quality of this program would allow me to intertwine business and environmental science, two subjects that I plan to study in depth. I love the hands-on emphasis of the program through the required internship and accessible research opportunities, particularly those at the Woods Institute for the Environment.
Overall, the most enticing aspect of Stanford is the people. When an institution pulls the talents and intellect of outstanding individuals into one place, the synergy created by the group enhances innovation and advancement far beyond the capabilities of any one person. I want to attend a college where students are actively pushing towards advancement, whether it’s through laboratory research, technology design, field studies, etc. In addition, I want to be challenged and inspired by my peers because, like I’ve learned in competitive volleyball, when you play teams just as good or better than you, your game improves.”</p>
<p>Not exactly a strong essay…</p>
<p>^No it’s not imo. You had a similar essay to ripemango. That alone should indicate that there’s a problem. You want your “why ____” essay to stand out, to only be applicable to you. Your essays (and add in thousands of other applicants) are inherently similar and would only need a few words changed around to convey the same exact thing. BORING. </p>
<p>Stanford (and college for that matter) is a lot less one-dimensional than you guys make it out to be. There’s more going on here than research, studying, and entrepreneurship. Ripemango hit more on the finer points of the school but fell short with his/her cliches and attempt to do too much in not enough space. </p>
<p>RD applicants, I’d suggest finding a friend (or recent alumni) that goes to Stanford to ask them about it before you write your essay. Ask them questions specifically about how they’ve grown as a person while at the school. For me it was performing arts- that’s one thing I never really explored back in HS but there’s so much going on here and it was really easy for me to be sucked in (and so many groups that I had little trouble entering the mix, even if I have to work my way up). That’s a huge thing in my life now that I don’t foresee going away. Now obviously others will have different things they learn about themselves while here, but one thing that we all share is OPPORTUNITY. </p>
<p>I know it’s hard to write about something that you don’t know about, but maybe that’s the point. Write that you don’t know what will happen, but that something (you don’t know what) will change and you will eventually have benefited greatly from attending this institution. Maybe list some possibilities for your future? </p>
<p>Be bold, be creative, be original.</p>
<p>FYI about “Why X” college essays, I found it effective to tell a personal anecdote and relate it to how I see the school fitting with me. I’ve used a variation of my “Why Stanford” essay on several applications since admission and received all positive results. Admissions (and other essay readers) want to see how Stanford (or X college) will affect YOU. They know that the students have fun and learn at the same time…so don’t tell them things they already know (and read in 20,000 other essays) and talk about YOU. :)</p>
<p>^Yeah I’ve done similar stuff with those essays and got similarly positive results. It’s kind of ironic in that “Stanford” will teach one to master the “Why ____” essay. There are quite a few applications once you get here.</p>
<p>I got lucky with my “Why Stanford.” Only now am I starting to realize how to consistently pull these off.</p>
<p>Most other colleges to which you apply are going to be easier to get into than Stanford. Stanford is EXTREMELY selective and just because you didn’t get in there doesn’t mean you won’t get into other top schools. Rice and Cornell are easier; Princeton is about the same difficulty but it has different standards and you might have better luck that day. (I think a lot of the process is a lottery).</p>
<p>Don’t give up. Best of luck to you!</p>
<p>^I suspect Princeton may be somewhat easier this year, given its abysmal 54% yield last year versus that of its main rivals: Harvard (76%) and Stanford (72%).</p>
<p>“I suspect Princeton may be somewhat easier this year, given its abysmal 54% yield last year versus that of its main rivals: Harvard (76%) and Stanford (72%).”</p>
<p>Hmmm, Princeton is never “easy”. The yield is low because they have no ED / EA program. Stanford is definitely more arbitrary, but when it comes to academics and pure numbers, Princeton is actually harder to get into.</p>
<p>[College</a> Search - Princeton University - SAT®, AP®, CLEP®](<a href=“College Search - BigFuture | College Board”>College Search - BigFuture | College Board)
SAT Critical Reading: 690 - 790 96%
SAT Math: 700 - 790 96%
SAT Writing: 700 - 780 96%</p>
<p>[College</a> Search - Stanford University - The Farm - SAT®, AP®, CLEP®](<a href=“College Search - BigFuture | College Board”>College Search - BigFuture | College Board)
SAT Critical Reading: 660 - 760 92%
SAT Math: 680 - 780 92%
SAT Writing: 670 - 760 92%</p>
<p>Pton’s acceptance rate for the class of 2014 was 8.18% before admitting wait listed people, Stanford’s was 7.2%. You’re talking about less than a 1% difference in acceptance rates; when they’re that low though, it means something, but not much though. And Princeton is usually #1 on US News, so it’s better.</p>
<p>
Wow great logic. </p>
<p>^As far as you saying Princeton’s class admits higher scoring students, thus it’s harder to get into in terms of pure numbers, there’s also the thinking (probably more applicable to CC) that if you are a high scoring applicant, which Princeton seems to accept more of, than it is thus easier to get into Princeton for said applicant. </p>
<p>That seemed to be the case at my HS. The Princeton acceptances had grades, test scores, and honestly not too much else imo. Stanford was a tad bit less severe on the grades, but admits also had something else (legacy, athletic recruit, national-level ECs, top research, etc.).</p>
<p>wow…
1st, U.S. News rankings are definitely not a dependable source of which is “better”</p>
<p>2nd, And the reason Princeton’s yield is lower is that people prefer other places to Princeton. Harvard doesn’t have EA or ED but its yield is even higher than stanford. if princeton usually being #1 ranked means so much, why don’t people choose princeton the most?</p>
<p>3rd, there is little credibility in saying that admits to princeton are better just because the average SAT score is 10-30 points higher…how do you know that the people at the higher end of that range didn’t all choose to attend harvard? then the data for the actual class would be lower… so a 1% difference in admit rates isn’t significant but a 20 point difference in SAT is?</p>
<p>^I don’t want to defend ib612, but I also want to show that I point out inconsistencies in both sides of the argument. Anyways…</p>
<p>Just because Princeton’s yield (and cross admit yield, too, which is what really matters) is lower does not mean that Princeton’s undergraduate education is worse. It’s no surprise that admits choose a place where sports teams contend (Orange Bowl baby), where one can sunbathe in the winter, and where there are nice people ;). </p>
<p>I don’t know 10-30 (actually more like 40-60) points higher on the SAT seems like a lot. Better scoring student body =/= better undergraduate education, or harder to get into, though. I also think ib612 said that the 1% was significant (“when they’re that low though, it means something”).</p>
<p>At this level, one school is not “better” than the other. HYPS, U Chicago, MIT, CalTech, Amherst, Williams, Swarthmore, Columbia, etc. No one talented enough to attend any of these institutions will be any more successful in life (except for serendipity) because they studied at one over the other. BTW, the admissions process will inevitably be somewhat arbitrary: some rejected at Stanford are accepted at Harvard, Oxford, etc. (certainly schools with more long-lived dominance than Stanford).</p>
<p>The SAT scores I pointed out do mean quite a bit, actually. </p>
<p>If you knew anything about the normal model, you would 1) be able to do simple math and 2) understand that comparatively “small” differences are significant as you reach higher percentile ranks.</p>
<p><a href=“http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/sat-percentile-ranks-2010.pdf[/url]”>http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/sat-percentile-ranks-2010.pdf</a></p>
<p>Again, here come the facts…</p>
<p>[College</a> Search - Princeton University - SAT®, AP®, CLEP®](<a href=“College Search - BigFuture | College Board”>College Search - BigFuture | College Board)
SAT Critical Reading: 690 - 790 96%
SAT Math: 700 - 790 96%
SAT Writing: 700 - 780 96%</p>
<p>[College</a> Search - Stanford University - The Farm - SAT®, AP®, CLEP®](<a href=“College Search - BigFuture | College Board”>College Search - BigFuture | College Board)
SAT Critical Reading: 660 - 760 92%
SAT Math: 680 - 780 92%
SAT Writing: 670 - 760 92%</p>
<p>When we add these numbers up, we have a range of 2090 - 2360 for Princeton and 2010 - 2300 for Stanford. According to the link above (if we average each of the percentiles for the respective sections), a score of 2090 with those scores in each section places you in the 94.3 percentile (this means that you scored higher than 94.3% of those who took the test, placing you in the top 5.7% of test takers) whereas a score of 2010 places you in the 91.3 percentile (this means that you scored higher than 91.3% of those who took the test, placing you in the top 8.7% of test takers). If we do the same analysis for the 75 percentile of admits, we get 99 percentile for both 2360 and 2300.</p>
<p>The upper range isn’t that significant then, but the lower range does mean quite a bit. It means that an applicant is competitive for Stanford if he or she is in the top 8.7% of test takers, whereas Princeton applicants should be in the top 5.7% of test takers. Now, 3% of test takers is quite a bit, considering that 1,597,329 people took the SAT in 2010. (<a href=“http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/2010-total-group-profile-report-cbs.pdf[/url]”>http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/2010-total-group-profile-report-cbs.pdf</a>)</p>
<p>This means that 138,698 people fall in Stanford’s lower 91.3 percentile, whereas 91,047 people fall in Princeton’s lower 94.3 percentile; that means there is a margin of <em>47,651</em> people that could be considered competitive for Stanford, but not Princeton–that, my friend, is the effect of what you called a measly, insignificant point difference.</p>
<p>I’m just pointing out the numbers, but I agree with Senior0991 that a school with higher SAT scores doesn’t necessarily make it better, just more competitive from a pure numbers perspective.</p>