The Intel award is impressive, but probably many other Intel winners applied to Stanford too, and they’re not going to take them all.
Haha, TPG is not reading the links (list of 2013 where Kai is listed) now posted twice and BB is crossing the missing Tees (for trademark) … /insert smiley.
Fwiw, I do think he would need a mountain of luck to obtain a patent given the existing inventions. On the other hand, a career in weapon engineering might be lucrative.
“On a side note, being the liberal minded they are, the young adcoms probably find it distateful that any kid is interested working on guns, for better safety or otherwise, while they are advocating “doing away” with them. I see that being an issue at every elite college he applies to, even if we as adults find it a noteworthy cause.”
Uh, no, we liberals are intrigued by the idea of something that makes guns safer, so we don’t have tragedies like small children shooting their mothers or one another because we live in a gun-soaked culture where people mistakenly think carrying a gun makes them big or cool.
As impressed as I am, Stanford is a private school and therefore should be free to admit/defer/reject anyone it wants.
I didn’t say this “entitled” him to get him into Stanford or that Stanford is obligated to admit him; of course they can accept or reject anyone they like. I said that if I were an adcom, I’d let him in. Don’t mistake these two concepts.
“No doubt it is cool that he built something, but it is also wrong to pretend that some new ground was broken and Stanford knows that - darn any serious gun owner knows this already exists.”
Oh, well, I’m perfectly cool that I am not a “serious gun owner” and am not up on the finer points of the differences between all these things that people carry in vain attempts to prove their manhood.
Some relevant groups are worried that the availability of smart guns will increase gun ownership, as they are perceived as safer than those currently available. Maybe Stanford adcoms are in that camp. Also, this young man no doubt owns guns, and maybe they don’t like that either.
I find it painful but honest to relate when an alumni interview results in a clear picture that the student does not care about my alma mater one bit. Like it was one of many schools they applied to. That’s a possibility, assuming Stanford does interviews.
I would find it really distasteful to pick one award and say that is enough, ignoring essays, grades, and recommendations, to get a student into any of the top twenty schools.
IMHO, if a GC mentions “high-strung” or “stressed” or “perfectionist” (which usually equals the first two), some schools would be worried about the student being a hazard to themselves or others. A balance of ECs shows the ability to work with others. One award shows a tiny bit of what a student is.
I didn’t say this award entitled him. I said that i am impressed with the idea of a young person trying to make guns safer. I’m perfectly ok I didn’t know this concept already existed; to me, learning about the finer points of guns is rather like learning about the finer points of Honey Boo Boo.
I think this kid is interested in technology and safety, NOT guns. I’d bet he does NOT own a weapon. His prototypes were on plastic models. And the NRA is against this idea. Sadly predictable.
This kid is interested in safety- preventing unnecessary injury and misuse of firearms. The good ol’ NRA thinks this will restrict access to guns. From who? Gun thieves, criminals and children? Good grief.
*Let’s make sure to keep the discussion focused on this particular student or similar examples, and not let it devolve into a debate on guns, gun control, gun technology, etc. Otherwise we will have to close it.
Also, let’s read posts carefully and be accurate and civil towards other members. For example, Pizzagirl never said that this “entitled” him to get into Stanford, only that she thought it was impressive enough that she would have let him in. That’s a personal opinion she is free to have and also a very different thing than claiming entitlement.*
“I dont think they looked at it as a problem but I suspect most young adcoms are not impressed by gun safety as a topic based on the many views I hear about doing away with them completely in US. Many of them seem rather young and idealistic and more likely give the nod to someone who started a social movement (just my opinion, not that I am encouraging any kid to jump on it to start one as a way to get in>”
Well, Stanford is not know as a bastion of liberalism so I find this argument as to why he wasn’t admitted silly.
I don’t believe his invention had anything to do with his not be admitted.
Stanford has already admitted many of the top scientists and CS whizzes like this fellow in the early round:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/stanford-university/1712948-stanford-class-of-2019-rea-results-thread-p5.html
Very rarely do these types of students post on the CC (I know I wouldn’t want my kids to post on CC for privacy)…but, at least he took the time to post. You can easily figure out who this individual is by the initials of his username, Gordon Moore Award (grand prize at Intel), and Maryland…
…he has already announced he will be attending Stanford.
I would not be surprised that Kai will be ultimately admitted in the regular round…but, it would all depend on how many others in the regular round will have even better academic credentials along with their extracurricular achievements/prowess…and Stanford can only take so many top STEM type students…they need to leave room for other interesting students from ALL academic endeavors and pursuits…
I am sure you are not a young adcom though.
@gravitas2 sounds like he won the overall top prize with a huge chunk of money to go with it.
@texaspg. This candidate is as close to what we call “slam dunk” applicants. Just look at his profile. You should see his reaction when they announced he was the top Intel grand prize winner…it’s priceless. He has literally cleaned up with so many other prize awards as well…I’m sure he won’t be struggling financially…
…he already has deep connections to the biology/engineering/medical school departments along with the many biotech/tech companies nearby who will be clamoring for his services once he arrives on campus…
Oh sure if I were an ad com, I would admit this kid, but I have known several kids I would have admitted to schools who did not get in. But that is Stanfords decision, not mine.
I think Stanford just started doing alumni interviews, and I don’t believe they matter that much.
“Oh sure if I were an ad com, I would admit this kid, but I have known several kids I would have admitted to schools who did not get in. But that is Stanfords decision, not mine.”
Sure. I don’t think I was ever claiming I had any greater right than Stanford to determine who they should admit 
They are, of course, fully entitled to accept or reject anybody they like, and they needn’t justify it to me, you or anyone else.
If I were a powerful dictator, the use of ‘ad com’ as a job title would be a serious criminal offense.
I know a regular person, who did not win any important prizes, but who had good SAT scores (but under 2300) and was val of her class, who got into Stanford. She had a lot of regular kid ECs (prefect, captain of a sports team where all the teams were pretty mediocre, private Christian school, roles in various plays, etc.) but no major awards. I’m posting this as an encouragement to applicants who think they must win a Nobel prize or cure the common cold in order to be admitted there, and as a caution to those who think that, because they have won national awards, that they deserve to be admitted.