Chance Me Please?

Colleges & Universities Stanford University
1

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>I would really appreciate if you could chance me on my chances at STANFORD. As you can tell, it’s my dream school :)</p>

<p>STATS, ETC.</p>

<p>Ethnicity: Asian–Indian!
Gender: Female</p>

<p>School - Huge; 3000 kids</p>

<p>GPA-- 3.945 (W) and 3.923 (UW) (we dont go above a 4.0)
Class rank: we dont rank; top 5% according to counselor
Course load: Most Rigorous possible, i think; took a college course at a really good college (sorry i wont say the name because i’m weirdly scared of stalkers :slight_smile: ). Took at least 8 AP classes and self studied for 8 AP Exams</p>

<p>ACT: 32, writing:11 (■■■■■■■■ science section…)</p>

<p>SAT I:
Math - 740
Critical Reading - 680 (i cried when the score report came home)
Writing - 750; 12 on essay :)</p>

<p>SAT II:
Math II - 720
Biology M -660
Chemistry-660</p>

<p>AP Tests:
US History - 3
World History - cancelled score because i self studied as a sophomore and thought i should cancel 3’s. This is the same for Macroeconomics, Euro History, Environmental Science. I took 6 on my own sophomore year.
English Language - 5
Biology - 3 (I nearly fainted I was so sick during this exam and Chemistry. I know it’s not a good excuse and I also know that no college is ever going to believe me. Oh well. I’ll place out of classes I guess?)
Chemistry - 3 (doesn’t help that I had a moron for a teacher anyways >.<)
Calculus BC-3; AB Subscore-4
Government -3</p>

<p>Taking AP Eng Lit, AP Stats, AP Latin Lit, AP Physics Mechanics C, college course—organic chemistry (SO HARD by the way), and a really selective anatomy/physiology program (had to apply and get to shadow a neurosurgeon, which is what i want to be, next semester)</p>

<p>Also self studying for AP Psychology this year, too.</p>

<p>Essays: I’m finishing them up; I think my roommate one is really good; everyone said it was the best one I wrote (trust me, I wrote a LOT; i applied to A LOT of schools)</p>

<p>Recommendations:
Counselor: AMAZING. she’s told me that at least 5 times already. I hope that helps since she has like 4 or 500 students…(not just seniors)
Teacher 1: AP Chem Teacher-loved me, told me it was a good letter ( I didn’t see any of these)
Teacher 2: English teacher–Pretty sure it’s really good since he told me he’d be willing to write the rec before I even asked…</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
-No school sports, though I do have been learning Indian classical dance intensely for the last 14 years; doing the honorable graduation next summer!!! :slight_smile:
-Violin (nothing special there really :frowning: )
-School Clubs: NHS, Interact, Science Olympiad (Co-captain 2 years), Forensics (only freshman year, then it died. I was VP and a state finalist in informative speaking), Model UN (soph year, Board of Advisors. then we had to stop b/c lack of funding), Biology Olympiad (founder and copresident of the opportunity at my school. The school made me start a club so it could administer the exam. 3 years), Indian Student Association, started a Red Cross Club at my school this year </p>

<p>Other Stuff/Community Service:
-Over 800 volunteer hours total (that was my “passion” thing)
-two hospitals–ER of one and children’s cancer ward at the other
-Red Cross–board member and leader of the youth people (some 70+ people) (youth people = YCAT); over 200 hours in the last 2.5 years
-Youth Senate–Leader of the School Board committee where we give a report that I write to the Board at their biweekly meetings, Facilitator and Leader of the LeadTeam, Fight AIDS in Africa Project coordinator’s assistant and wrote grants for them
-Cofounder and Codirector of ScienceDays in my city
-Started and am head coach of the middle school’s Science Olympiad team; coach two individual events as well (Anatomy and Forensic Science…i love that event :slight_smile: )
-Also create some events for Elementary Science Olympiad in my county.
-Reach out and Read (3 hrs/ week)
-Started two nonprofit organizations (one is about dance and raising money for rural organizations in India and the other is helping kids get interested in volunteering) and am the Executive Director for both
–Prostate Cancer Research (22 hrs/week; started after my grandfather died of prostate cancer) and also Pediatric OCD Research (6 hrs/ week; work as the Research Assistant there; I love the brain and want to be a pediatric neurosurgeon, and I got an opportunity in psych research so I took it :slight_smile: )</p>

<p>Other stuff:
-National Merit Semifinalist
-AP Scholar
-Student Teacher for both Dance and “Indian school” (which I have been attending for over 10 years)</p>

<p>I’m really worried about the 2 B’s I got in calculus (both semesters). They were actually supposed to be B+'s but they were 0.2% away and my teacher hated me <em>sob</em>
Also, I don’t think my standardized scores, ESPECIALLY my APs are really good at all. It’s really unfair since I don’t ever sleep, since I’m studying all the time. I really hope that doesn’t affect me too much.</p>

<p>Sorry for writing so much. If you managed to read all that, what do you think my chances are?</p>

<p>Thanks! =)</p>

2

<p>How’d you manage to fit all those EC’s on your App?</p>

<p>Which ones did you choose to include?</p>

3

<p>The ones I listed are the ones on the resume that I submitted in the Additional Information section of the common app. Thats how I managed to fit it all in…</p>

<p>Do you think its enough to outweigh the hideousness of my AP Scores? Because I’m not stupid. I took freakin organic chemistry without stoppingany of my ECs and managed to pull off a high B+. I just suck at AP multiple choice questions. It’s not even the free response :(</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

4

<p>Any other opinions anyone???</p>

5

<p>Your stats are VERY similar to mine, so I hope so.</p>

<p>However, like you, I have many other ECs, BUT people strongly advise me against putting my resume in the ad inf,</p>

6

<p>i put my resume in the additional info and it didn’t hurt me at all</p>

<p>i dont know if i’m one to judge on stats, but in places where you might be weaker (standardized testing) you make up in ec’s…</p>

<p>my tip: there’s a certain academic level an applicant is expected to reach (which you have, i think) and after that, it’s all about personality and what you bring to the table. try to be as open, honest, and genuine as you can be in your essays. i was a qualified applicant, but i’m pretty sure it was my essays that got me in!</p>

7

<p>You seem like a machine. There were about 2 or 3 kids from my school that applied and they pretty much the same(one had better) stats as you. All 3 got rejected. Along with the 6 others that applied early.</p>

8

<p>Oh boy. I’m so nervous. I just want it to be April already :(</p>

<p>Thanks for reading!</p>

9

<p>Haha I hope you didn’t include all those explanations in your actual application! I don’t think college admissions will really take into account things like “I nearly fainted during this exam” or “my teacher was an idiot.”</p>

<p>But besides that, you look good to go! At least your extracurriculars are stronger than mine, lol.</p>

10

<p>Lol no, that would have given them something to laugh about maybe…right before they rejected me anyways!</p>

<p>I guess I get to wait till April now…joy of joys.</p>

11

<p>depressiing part = AP scores
amazing part = your ECs. i’d like to meet you in real life actually after reading those. must have been wonderful doing all that</p>

12

<p>AP scores don’t matter for anything. what matters is that you took the classes, and still ended up with a pretty strong GPA.</p>

<p>you honestly have nothing lacking in your application, from the outside. your numbers and ECs are all acceptable for Stanford. </p>

<p>what matters now, is how you set yourself apart in your essays. if your essays are able to connect with the admissions officers, then you’ll get in. </p>

<p>but if you come across as a “machine” or someone without true passion and intellectual vitality, then you’ll likely get rejected like the slew of 2400, 4.0 kids that were rejected/deferred in SCEA.</p>

13

<p>Well I don’t think I’m any Shakespeare, but my English teacher proofread my essays and he said that they sounded like me. But yea, there’s no doubt that I’m DEFINITELY counting on those to help me get in.</p>

<p>I really hope you’re right about the AP Scores. Until April, I’ll just keep praying to all the Gods in the Hindu pantheon…that should take up sufficient time =)</p>

<p>The number of people/types of people they didn’t accept is ridiculously scary so I’m definitely really nervous about that :-/</p>

14

<p>it’s all about how you present yourself</p>

15

<p>Good Luck. Hope you get in.</p>

16

<p>Thanks everyone and Happy New Year!
=)</p>

17

<p>hi stanfordluver401
so i was reading through your stats, and it seems like you’re taking in a slightly narrow view of what stanford looks for. Not to freak you out, but these scores do not guarantee you a spot. There have been MANY valedictorians that have been rejected. It helps if you have good scores, but i recommend that you show you have a compassion for others and you have a life beyond school. Have you made any contributions to yoru community? for example teaching underprivileged students? If you’ve done some community work, EMPHASIZE THAT. Stanford is FILLED with people who have perfect SAT/ACT/AP scores, they don’t need anymore. I’m just trying to help you get a more realistic view of how they look at you. They are looking for people who can use their TALENTS, DREAMS, SKILLS, etc and thus, use them to change the world at Stanford and beyond.</p>

18

<p>aabg2013, you really think my stats are good?!
i won’t lie; i’m shocked you think that. or maybe i misinterpreted and you think they’re dismal scores and i shouldn’t have bothered with stanford at all…?</p>

<p>well i hope what i lack in stats i make up in extracurriculars, because i really do want to go there. oh and i had my essays edited by two teachers who both really liked them…but i think i will just go and pray to the many gods on the hindu pantheon and hope for the best =)
good luck to you in your endeavors too!</p>

19

<p>AP scores dont matter in getting in so dont worry. Ur EC and community service is solid and that is something they really look for. If you think you did well on intelectual vitality essay then id say you have a good chance 680 is still in they 50% average so thats not to bad. Ur gpa might be low but you took a lot of aps so that might balance it. Id say it really depends on ur essay id say a 30% chance of getting in but thats not to bad compared to how picky they can be</p>

20

<p>haha science olympiad solidarity :)</p>