Chance me? :)

Colleges & Universities Stanford University
1

<p>Hello!</p>

<p>I’m new to this website and was curious to see what you all might have to say about my chances of being accepted into Stanford. :slight_smile:
Of course nothing is ever guaranteed with Stanford admissions, but I’m very interested to hear your feedback! </p>

<p>Weighted GPA: 4.0
Unweighted GPA: 4.42
Class Rank: Salutatorian, #2 of 186
Type of HS: Private, Christian High School
ACT: 32 (35 Reading, 34 English/Writing, 30 Math, 27 Science)
Financial Aid: None required
Gender: Female
Ethnicity: Caucasian
State of Residence: California, USA
Attachment to the University: My Aunt studied at Stanford.
Method of application: Restrictive Early Action for Fall 2015
Possible Majors: Economics, Entrepreneurship, Business, or Pre-Law</p>

<p>AP/Honors Courses: World History Honors, English 1 Honors, Geometry Honors, English 2 Honors, Algebra 2 Honors, APUSH, AP Language and Composition, Pre-Cal/Trig Honors </p>

<p>Senior Year: Physics, AP Literature, AP Microeconomics, AP Government, AP Calculus AB, AP Spanish </p>

<p>Awards: Best Student: English 1 Honors, English 2 Honors, Spanish 1, Spanish 2, Spanish 3, Human Anatomy and Physiology; President’s Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement, ACSI Distinguished Student in Academics and Athletics, CSF Lifetime Membership, NSHSS Lifetime Membership. </p>

<p>Sports: Team Captain of my school’s Equestrian Team (2012-2013, 2013-2014, 2014-2015), Winner of 2012 CA/NV State Championships (Individually) at Varsity Intermediate level - 6th Individually at 2012 IEA National Finals in Syracuse, NY; 5th at 2013 CA/NV State Championships (Individually) at Varsity Open level - Varsity Team Rider/Captain at 2013 IEA National Finals - Team finished 3rd in the country, 2014 Varsity Open Year-End High Point Rider for CA/NV (Best competitor of the season), 3rd at 2014 CA/NV State Championships. </p>

<p>(If only Stanford’s equestrian team was NCAA certified!) </p>

<p>Extracurriculars: Ambassador for JustWorld International (non-profit organization that helps to feed and educate children in need in Cambodia, Guatemala, Honduras, etc.), tons of community service for Samaritan’s Purse (Operation Christmas Child), community service with Soroptimist, and worked as a camp counselor at a horsemanship camp for young riders.</p>

<p>Work: Horse show manager and assistant for a local competition series. I mostly worked in the office doing entry paperwork, check-ins and check-outs, etc., but also managed the back gate and helped to keep the show running on time. </p>

<p>I’d love to hear your thoughts. :slight_smile:
Have a great day! </p>

2

<p>Yes, you will be a very competitive applicant especially with your dedication to equestrian EC. Other than that no one can ever “predict” your outcome without access to your entire file including your essays and recommendations. I would recommend applying REA since Stanford is your top choice because no matter what people may say…you have far better CHANCE of getting in REA than in the regular round…</p>

<p>…work on your essays, get the best recommendations…because the essays and the recommendations will make or break you. It usually comes down to the “intangibles” for most accepted students outside of the highly recruited athletes. Hope this helps.</p>

3

<p>I think you’ll be very competitive! Just try to raise your ACT a bit with that science score maybe?.. You’re strong where you’re at! but I raised my science from a 27 to a 34 in just one shot! Worth a try because the science test is a little hit and miss(in my opinion). Good candidate as far as I can see!(:</p>

4

<p>@gravitas2 Thank you very much for your feedback. I am following your advice and definitely applying via REA. :)</p>

<p>@Thaddaeus97 Thank you for your feedback as well! I will look into potentially taking another shot at the ACT before submitting my application this fall. :slight_smile: </p>

<p>I hope that you both have an excellent day! </p>

5

<p>^It might be important for you to know that Stanford requires that you submit all test scores from all test dates, so if you do retake ACT’s, you should plan on doing well on all of the sections. They do superscore, but they don’t recalculate a new composite based on multiple test sittings, as far as I know. That being said, a 32 is slightly below average (This year’s class mean was 33), and math and science are the easiest sections to improve on, so it is very feasible for you to improve your composite. A 32 definitely doesn’t put you out of the running (as the two posters above highlighted, you’re a very strong candidate), but some simple practice could definitely help you out. Personally, the only studying I did was with the Real ACT red book and online using sparknotes (seriously, it covers some sections quite well), and I improved my composite from a 31 to a 33. You can probably easily improve your science just by practicing your timing because most of the info is right in the graphs. Math also is just all about practice, which the ACT red book gives plenty of. If you decide not to test or don’t improve your score, you still have a 32! Some would even argue that adcoms don’t care beyond a 32 or so, but it could give you a slight edge.
Hope that helps!</p>

6

<p>Thank you, @hopefullyhopeles! Fortunately, I have the Real ACT book that you mentioned. I am satisfied with my current score, but I will definitely keep your suggestions in mind! Have an excellent day! </p>