Chances? Pretty please

Eiffel · October 21, 2009, 10:52am

I know there’s no definite way to determine whether or not I’ll be accepted, but I feel that hearing from actual Stanford students would help give me a idea at least. :)

Stats:

Weighted GPA: 4.625 (currently but will be raised because I’m taking 2 more AP classes this year)

Unweighted GPA: 3.85

Currently ranked number 8 in a class of 507

I’ve taken all honors (except classes like Spanish where you can’t take honors at my school) and by the time I graduate, I will have taken 5 AP classes (including taken AP Senior English [or AP English Literature] in my sophomore year.) I will also have taken Statistics and Life Management Skills at a community college.

AP Scores:

AP English Literature - 5
AP English Language and Composition - 5
AP U.S. History - 5

SAT I score was 800 Writing, 740 Critical Reading, and 600 Math (overall, 2140), but I’m retaking it in November and hope to get an 800 CR and for math…I really can’t say. I’m definitely studying for it, so I hope to get at least a middle range 600, if not higher.

SAT II - U.S. History (710); taking Literature in October (expecting high 700’s or an 800)

Extracurriculars:

1.) Scriptwriting (created and have been writing scripts for an original television series for the past 6 years, began scriptwriting when I was 8 for a different original series. When I was 8, I secured a literary agent for my TV show but decided to stay in school instead.)

2.) Creative writing (written at least seven novellas, five short stories, and one in-progress novel)

3.) Playwriting (one play written)

4.) Songwriting (have a medium-sized portfolio of lyrics I’ve written over the past four years)

5.) Poetry (larger portfolio of poetry I’ve written)

6.) Affinity Independent Film Company (freshman - senior year)
-Acting (starred in one full-length independent film and a cameo in another)
-Cinematography (two full-length independent films)
-Creative consulting (three full-length independent films)
-Writing (one short film and another in-progress feature-length)

7.) Animation Appreciation Club (freshman - senior year)

8.) Newspaper Club (freshman year)
-Staff writer for the school newspaper

Community Service:

1.) Drama-coaching middle school students for play productions for two summers (freshman year and sophomore year, 35 hours)

2.) Assisting teachers and students at an elementary school (junior year, about 110 hours)

3.) Writing poetry for individuals going through difficult times [sick/dying, those who have recently lost a loved one, et cetera] to help get them through their strife (freshman - senior year)

4.) Participated in two episodes of a local television program called “Today’s Family” as a guest speaker (5 hours)

5.) Junior Honor Guard <a href=“10%20hours”>top 10 students, assisting with graduation ceremony and senior banquet</a>

Special Events:

1.) Junior Honor Guard

2.) I won third place in the San Diego competition Voice of Democracy, which comprises an essay and an audio recording of the essay on a specific topic concerning America. I was the first person from El Cajon to make it to the finals.

3.) I have won 1st place four times in the Rancho San Diego Library Poetry Contest.

Not sure if it makes a difference, but I would be a Film Studies major.

Some things I think might lower my chances:

-I have taken Honors Geometry and Honors Algebra II but no Pre-Cal or Calculus. I am taking Statistics at a community college this spring, however.
-I have only taken two years of Spanish, not three.

Do you think these things equal a likely rejection? I’d really appreciate any feedback about my chances of getting in and any advice you have to offer! Thank you so much for your time. :)

pacheight · October 21, 2009, 11:51am

it looks good! your focused and passionate about creative writing and scriptwriting! they love focus and passion. only red flags that I see are the math SAT…get it above 700 if possible. And your writing focus is mainly around tv and film…Stanford is not exactly known for their ties to that industry. hope usc, ucla, nyu, and yale are your back ups…they’d serve you well, especially usc in scriptwriting and industry connections.

pacheight · October 21, 2009, 12:50pm

ps: I’m not a Stanford student…but I do know a bit about the tv and film industry, LA and New York is where you want to be if that’s the industry you want to go into. you don’t have to start there, but you will need to go there eventually. and a lot of people get connected by attending the schools that are there!

Eiffel · October 21, 2009, 6:51pm

Thanks so much, pacheight! USC is actually my first choice and I am applying to the Screenwriting major there. But Stanford is obviously a wonderful school in general and one I’ve always been interested in applying to, so I do want to give it a shot! :)

Any one else willing to chance me?

Techy233 · October 27, 2009, 6:08pm

Why no calculus or pre-calculus?

northcountry · October 27, 2009, 6:57pm

You’d have a great match/safety in NYU…not sure if you’re considering it but it has excellent film resources and it’s in the heart of the city…also Columbia, maybe a reach with your SAT I and II scores but also with a great film/arts department and lots of opportunities there

Eiffel · October 27, 2009, 7:10pm

@ Techy, I knew I would perform poorly in Pre-Cal and Calc so I decided to focus my energy on subjects that suited my strengths, interests, and career goals. I have had several academic accomplishments/challenges, though, that I think would prove that I have challenged myself voluntarily in school.

For instance, during my freshman year, I was in Honors English (highest you can be in at my school for freshman year), but my teacher and I collaborated to craft an independent curriculum that was more challenging for me. The same exact thing happened in my freshman Spanish 1 class. Additionally, I sought out the opportunity to write for my school newspaper, and even though they never allowed freshmen before, I was deemed qualified and became the first freshman admitted to write for it. I was also the only sophomore in my year deemed qualified and admitted to take AP English Literature sophomore year (most are only admitted senior year). I took AP English Language and AP U.S. History sophomore year, and am currently taking AP Econ and AP Government. So far I have gotten all 5’s on my AP tests. Do you agree or disagree that these accomplishments and challenges in the humanities and foreign language might make the “not taking really advanced math” subject moot? (Or at least not as much of an issue?)

@northcountry, I have considered NYU and Columbia but I don’t they are right for me. I am looking for a more traditional campus experience, but thank you for the advice! :)

Techy233 · October 27, 2009, 8:11pm

Pre-calculus is not an advanced math topic. You are applying to highly selective colleges; students, at these schools, do extraordinarily well even in subjects they are not strong at. I would consider math my weakest subject, tho I did manage 5s on my Calc BC AP, and took Multi/DE/Linear, etc. in high school. {I was also admitted to Princeton, but chose NYU. I love the city.} Not that it matters so much, I do think exposing yourself to something you are not so naturally inclined towards shows an eclecticism of character adcoms admire.

With that sad, try and score a 700 on your math SAT. I don’t think that will make-up for it. I wrote my school newspaper as a freshman {same deal.}, I am an author in a few science publications, I took AP tests in the humanities w/o taking the courses - achievements, notwithstanding, as far as Pton is concerned, not huge. Maybe if you started a weekly poetry publication in school, wrote for the NY Times, had a novel published, or a great historical piece. I am not saying that Princeton demands these, but your weaknesses in the maths and sciences really does stick out.

Eiffel · October 27, 2009, 8:24pm

I don’t really think I’m weak in science, though. We only have one AP science class at our school, and while I didn’t take it, I took all the honors classes available and got A’s in all except one term of Honors Chemistry, in which I got a B.

As for pre-cal, when you say it’s not advanced, do you mean normal pre-cal or honors pre-cal? I know for a fact I would perform poorly in honors pre-cal. Normal pre-cal, I don’t know, but would it make a difference if I took normal pre-cal as opposed to statistics at the community college?

How do high schoolers honestly get the opportunity to write for the NY Times or get their novels published (unless they self-publish)? Most publishing companies really aren’t keen on publishing the works of minors usually.

Also, why are you particularly saying this for Princeton though we are on the Stanford forum? Congrats on getting in by the way!

NJDS · October 27, 2009, 8:43pm

usually precalculus is considered a strongly recommended subject. even calc is strongly recommended.
ur ability to have calc (or other math or economics classes) on campus would be less

Techy233 · October 27, 2009, 8:44pm

I thought Princeton was your top choice? Princeton, Stanford, same thing. {yes, not the same thing, but both top-notch, nearly-impossible-to-get-in-as-far-as-percentages-kind-of-schools}

H Precalc, regular precalc - there is no appreciable difference. Besides in H you probably cover a few basic derivatives. Thing is, you should be able to perform well in these classes even if they are your weakness.

That’s it, some people self-publish. I don’t know. NY Times was a poor example. What I mean to say is that the only way your achievements in the humanities can really come thru is via doing something major; otherwise, you seem {for a Stanford or Princeton applicant} normal in the humanities, and weak everywhere else. You will certainly get into some really great universities, and, academically you are qualified for P and S, but it’ll be difficult for you to stick out compared to those who have challenged themselves mathematically, and have done the same you have in terms of the humanities.

Eiffel · October 27, 2009, 8:54pm

I don’t really want to say my top choice on these forums, just in case…But yes, I see what you mean. :P

So, let’s say I took pre-cal online and maybe even regular calc online (my school won’t let me in the classes anymore, even for next term. Too full.) Do you think that would make a big difference?

Is self-publishing really a good accomplishment? I’ve written over 20 novellas, 7 short stories, large portfolio of poetry, medium portfolio of lyrics, and one in-progress 200-page novel, but haven’t self-published. Again, would it make a big difference? I probably could self-publish them all if it would.

Two other things I’d like to ask: do you think the fact that I did independent study programs in English and Spanish, only freshman in newspaper, only sophomore in AP Lit, etc, are really the same as other top applicants? I’m just wondering because I’m the only one at my school to do these things, and am wondering if it could push me ahead of other applicants in terms of humanities.

The last thing is…to “stand out”, doesn’t a lot of it have to do with one’s extracurriculars/passion? I’ve devoted 240 hours a year to screenwriting for the past 6 years (1440 hours total) and have completed ~20 scripts (each about 80 -85 pages in length) for the television show I created. Similarly, I’ve written a play, two short film scripts, and one in-progress full-length movie. I’ve also done substantial work on independent films as a choreographer, actor, and creative consultant. As stated above, I’ve also completed many works of creative writing that I could easily get self-published.

I think I might also have unique community service EC’s. For one, I created and spearheaded a special program for middle school students to learn the different forms of creative writing and I was their teacher. Another one is that I was a drama coach for middle school students and helped them put on Shakespeare productions during the summer.

Do you think these EC’s would help me stand out from a lot of kids who have more traditional “Key Club, Debate Team” type of EC’s? (No offense to those EC’s at all; I’m just wondering if mine would be more unique and help me stand out for colleges like P, S, etc.)

Techy233 · October 27, 2009, 9:25pm

I did Independent studies in maths {DE/Multi, Linear, some basic Analysis}, English, French etc. You are not ahead of other applicants in terms of the humanities. I opted not to waste my time with AP English; I got little out of the course, and was working full-time as a manager at K-Mart. However, I did do a lot of work by myself, and took the AP Exam {with a 5} anyway. I am not comparing our relative achievements, but what I did is very {maybe even below} average for many Princeton/Stanford acceptees. You are not ahead in the humanities, please understand that.

Emphasize some of those ECs. They are spectacular! I do think you should take calculus {if you think you can handle it}, and try to score a 650-750 on the maths section of the SAT. The important thing is to emphasize those ECs; not taking AP classes at a younger age, or being the only freshman to write for the paper - so what if you did it freshman year? What are you doing now? I think you have solid chances if you convey these ideas correctly. Calculus is highly recommended for most PS applicants. Best of luck.

Eiffel · October 27, 2009, 9:34pm

Thanks for all the advice. I’m sorry to bug you, but I did have three more questions.

1.) Should I mention the independent studies, etc, even though other applicants have similar accomplishments? I think it wouldn’t hurt me, so I’m inclined to list them under “additional info”.

2.) The thing is that I doubt I could handle Calculus. Maybe a regular level one. But would I be able to take that without taking Pre-Cal? And does it matter if I take it online? My school doesn’t offer regular calculus, and the only related course at the local community college is Analytic Geometry and Calculus. :-/

3.) Would you mind chancing me for Cornell and Brown since Cornell has a higher acceptance rate and since I’ve heard Brown doesn’t care AS much about math/science? (Not sure if it’s true, but…)

P.S. Also, do you think I should look into self-publishing some of my stories?

Techy233 · October 27, 2009, 9:47pm

Take pre-calculus before any kind of calc. As a senior, it’s a little late to try and self-publish things - some students submit their work into competitions {made specifically for college-bound HS students, etc} and win. You may want to try looking into some of those.

Emphasize the ECs you do have - don’t try to go out and do new things. An essay that captures your personal EC experiences is important. If you have a particularly strong piece, have a staff member/older adult you’ve worked with write about how wonderful it is! You do not need calculus for an acceptance, I was merely wondering why, though I do recommend you try. I say slightly higher chances for B and C; especially since you went about doing things independently, Brown’s corelessness might be ideal for a student like you. Cornell’s higher acceptance rate is negible, almost: it is still Ivy, it is still highly selective. If you can work yourself into a mid-700 on the math SAT, you’re golden. {I think math is the only section where students do not reach a ceiling. It’s possible to move from a 600. I had a 610 on my sophomore PSAT, and an 800 on my SAT, which I took sophomore year, as well.}

Eiffel · October 27, 2009, 9:53pm

Okay, thank you! I’ll look into taking pre-cal online. If I can’t, I’ll just take statistics at the community college and hope for the best. I have been studying my math and am really working on getting a 700+…here’s hoping, again!

Also, that’s really great that you were able to move up that much on math! Congrats! :D

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