<p>In response to the uproar about legacy/connections, remember that TWICE as likely is only a 1/7 chance of admission.</p>
<p>@LNSebastian
Just knowing that I was even remotely qualified was exciting…but a shoo-in?!
Thank you; I will definitely respect your advice. You have honestly made my day! </p>
<p>But you are certainly right about the legacy aspect…I do believe that it contributes, but I cannot bank on that.</p>
<p>I wonder if some of the above posters interpreted your original post to say that your family “has its name on buildings”, in which case you would be a “developmental” admit (the favorite hook at every college). I read it to say you know/have connections with such people, which may be a bit of a boost but doesn’t make someone a shoo-in (unless, of course, your friends with their name on the buildings would like to make another big donation in your honor). Best of luck in any case!</p>
<p>That could certainly be the case–unfortunately, my family has not pledged any exceptional sums of money to the school and I do not believe that my “connections” would do such for me. Thank you for your comment anyways.</p>
<p>I misinterpreted your post; it doesn’t seem as though your connections would be helpful at Stanford. I think you have a pretty good shot of getting into Cornell, and a decent shot at Stanford.</p>
<p>I knew my chances sounding a little too good to be true–thanks anyway, phantasmagoric!</p>
<p>You’re a junior, so it’s a bit early to freak out over college yet, but anyways here goes:</p>
<p>You’re a very strong applicant…no one will tell you differently. That being said, most people who apply to Stanford are. I’d say you’re definitely “in the running” to get in. The best thing you could do right now [in my opinion] would be to keep your grades up and work on your SAT scores. At least to me, it seems odd that you’re a year ahead in math but only scored in the 600s on the math section of the SAT.</p>
<p>I’m just a planner…I want to make sure I’ve gotten “everything” done before I send in that application. </p>
<p>“In the running” is better than “not a chance,” I suppose… 
</p>
<p>I haven’t gotten my official scores back; I may have done better in the math portion than on practice tests. I’m one of those people who is quite inaccurate at predicting what I will score based on a “feeling” after the test. </p>
<p>You’re right–it is slightly odd that my math scores are lower even though I am ahead in math. Actual math courses, however, are different than the SAT in that one can actually spend time on each assignment. I do not fare as well in timed scenarios. </p>
<p>Depending on my actual score, I will take it again and try to get my math score up. Thank you for your advice!</p>