Sophomore trying to get into Stanford

skatearabia
Sun, 25 May 2008 13:37:04 +0000

Just be different from every other applicant.

And that’s not exactly a tall order, either. Be yourself, and you’ll be different. That’s all you can do, because unless you’ve got some abso-freaking-lutely amazing awards on your side, you won’t be getting in based on test scores and GPA (or even a list of leadership positions). Take some time to do some truly interesting things (and that by no means implies expensive international help-the-needy trips, which are about as transparent as scotch tape). Come across on your app as a person that people will be glad to have met—those are the people stanford is filled with.

Of course you need good scores and grades to not get rejected at first glance…but you have those. Don’t worry about getting them perfect. It’s not necessary and you’ll do much more for your chances by developing your own personal interests and exploring them.

As for the student perspective of the school, it’s amazing. Whatever you want to do…academics, clubs, sports, drinking, drugs, video games, board games, mind games…it’s all there. The people, especially, are unforgettable.