How are my extracurriculars for Stanford?

cliffnotes
Mon, 29 Aug 2016 03:23:14 +0000

I haven’t applied to colleges yet, but I have done an insane amount of research on selective college admissions. (I had a school project, and I went above and beyond because the topic truly interests me outside of my own personal benefit. I even called my region’s Stanford admissions officer.)

This post kinda turned into a “how to get into Stanford” post and is REALLY lengthy. I apologize, I’m just really passionate about college admissions. If I get in (I’m a junior in September, so we’re going to be waiting awhile), I’ll make it into a separate thread.

Check out the applicant profiles of the students who applied here: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/stanford-university/1873356-stanford-2020-regular-decision-results-thread.html (CC has multiple other results threads for Stanford and other universities.)

As you can see, tons of students have a similar profile as you. Some of the lucky ones were able to differentiate themselves through essays, and maybe some were just plain lucky, but for the most part, I believe those ECs alone will not take you through the door (I don’t know your whole profile, and I am NOT saying you won’t get into Stanford).

You will see in the results thread that the broad majority of people who got accepted have 1) good grades 2) AP/IB classes, if offered and 3), most importantly, usually have one thing that they did that most Stanford applicants, and even most people in general, have never done or even considered doing in their lives. You may/may not have heard this before, but basically THOUSANDS of valedictorians and section leaders are applying to Stanford. Out of all these people, only four percent have what it takes. All colleges are a businesses, and not only need money to run but also at the end of the day have to make a profit. Therefore, they want students that will generate revenue, whether it’s because their parents are famous alumni or famous in general, because of good grades (this is true of less selective state schools, like the University of Texas), or because they just have something special. Stanford genuinely thinks that 1) this four percent will most likely choose to attend the school and 2) this four percent will bring more fame to the school, bringing in money and increasing prestige (to be clearer, basically Stanford believes you’ll one day be rich enough to donate money, and provide evidence to the idea that Stanford is the home of startups and big companies).

To increase your odds of being part of this four percent, you need to have something that, after reading a sea of applicants that more or less have the same extracurriculars, will catch admission officers’ eyes and make them remember your name. You need something that will convince them that you’re the next Kathy Fields/Katie Rodan/Larry Page (not necessarily in their field, but at their level of fame, wealth, and success).

I see that you’re in band. Not only should you be section leader, but maybe you should write/produce your own song or perhaps participate in your local adult jazz band (if you have one). Being second is fine, as long as you can make up for it by doing something really eye-catching in music (assuming that music is your interest-if not, being second is just good enough w/o making up for it). You might be able to submit a song into Scholastic Art and Writing, but I’m too lazy to look into that. What do you plan to major in? This may also help you find your “thing.” If you don’t know your interest, you should try and find something to change in your school or in the world. If you need ideas, PM me.

You say that every senior is an editor. This is something that Stanford will most likely figure out, and you can’t be like everyone else-you have to be special. (Keep this EC, though–the leadership is definitely helpful.)

It seems hard, but I was actually relieved when I figured all this stuff out. I went from suffering from playing a sport I actually didn’t know how to play nor did I enjoy playing to writing on Wattpad and submitting novels to publishers in my free time, simply because I like writing for the sake of writing–and it may even help me get into Stanford. If I can do this, you can too.

I suggest reading these articles:
http://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-get-into-harvard-and-the-ivy-league-by-a-harvard-alum
http://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-get-into-stanford-by-an-acceptee

Contrary to those articles, however, you CAN get into Stanford by being well rounded–it’s just a lot harder to pull off. Through my research, I’ve seen many acceptees say that “you don’t need to be super special” in order to get into Stanford. And it’s true, but being special certainly improves your odds.

Based on your ECS, you appear to be well rounded. I think you need to convince Stanford as to why your being well-rounded will benefit the school and the world, and what you have already done using your well-roundedness to benefit the world. Also, your essays need to be beautiful (everyone’s does, but you really need something else, considering the fact that most people will be well-rounded). But I would recommend the route of pursuing one or two interests.

However, I will say this- playing a sport, and playing it well is a HUGE advantage at Stanford. It’s so big that they even stated it on their admissions page: “In some cases, exceptional abilities in athletics may influence our decision if the applicant is otherwise well qualified, but such abilities never, by themselves, ensure admission to Stanford.” I know this statement doesn’t seem like much, but these selective universities are reluctant to say that scores alone can ruin an application–and everyone can agree that grades/scores matter. (I mean, there are those lucky people that can get into ivy leagues with below 600 on their SATs, but based on the stats on Stanford’s page, those people are very few.)
But “exceptional abilities” means qualifying for the olympics. If you can qualify for the olympics, you’re going to have a much easier time in admissions than nerds like me.

Also, you should really think if you actually NEED Stanford. It costs a lot (although I read that the university is very generous with financial aid. This is probably true, as I live in a suburban neighborhood and my parents make 100k+, and my parents said that we made the cut for some help. Read this article: http://www.latimes.com/local/education/la-me-ln-stanford-aid-tuition-20150402-story.html), and you can get an excellent education from state schools. People from state schools oftentimes are more successful than Stanford graduates because 1) better grades and class rank in state schools, making it easier to get into graduate school and 2) the college you go to doesn’t guarantee success. (However, I’m not gonna act like I’m high and mighty; I’m into these big name schools as well, and I plan to apply to some of them, including Stanford.)

(These ideas about extracurriculars are while probably not as necessary for state schools, are helpful and can probably make up for low SAT scores if you apply.)