This is a non-story.
Agree.
And the reason she’s relatively old for her current level of schooling is because of her injury and all the recuperation and therapy she required.
Yes, in reply to Consolation #14, it was the GCSEs. If she just got her GCSE results, then normally she would not be taking A levels this coming year. There were far too many exams for them to be A levels. Three A levels is a typical requirement for university admissions in the UK (at least, it has been in the past). Some students are known to take 4 A levels, but I think that 5 is pretty rare, and 10 or so really does not happen.
From the GCSEs, Stanford can easily tell that Malala mets their academic requirement. And if they are looking for people who have already had a major impact on the world . . .
I stand by my comment that the requirement is just silly in her case.
Seriously, if you Google "Malala Yousafi gets 10 A* or A GCSEs, from the Daily Mail Online, you will see that she got 6 A* grades and 4 A grades. Although the scores on GCSEs and A levels have risen in the past 40 years or so, this is still a very impressive accomplishment. The A* grades were concentrated in mathematics and science.
I would not argue that she should demand that the SAT requirement be waived, just that it is ridiculous on the part of Stanford to require it.
Her scores and success at school show she is well qualified. A non-story as it is just part of the application process. There is no information suggesting she asked to waive the SAT and Stanford did not allow this. In this case, the Nobel Peace prize was certainly well deserved and not a popularity win, but a win based on what she endured for her beliefs.
Sorry, I have been mistyping her last name. It is Yousafzai.
This past June we were able to attend a speech/interview she gave here in town and to bring our 2 kids to see her also. (It was sold out and video piped to 2 additional auditoriums.) She is an inspiring speaker, and seemed very intelligent. She is also very humble, down to Earth, and seems like a real kid the same age as my son (Class of 2017). She did say that she only travels to give speeches and meet with heads of state when school is out, because the importance of education is paramount to her, and the basis for her foundation. She has told presidents of countries that she can come visit them after the school year is over. She mentioned some of her classes that were difficult, but it sounded like she was doing well in them. Even without her life experiences, she would be a strong candidate.
Someone asked her what college she wanted to attend, and she mentioned Oxford. It sounded like she’s planning to major in political science, which seems like a good fit. She didn’t mention Stanford. Perhaps Stanford mentioned Stanford…
There was significant security for the talk, and we heard that she does receive death threats. Wherever she attends will need security similar to that for Malia Obama.
There are plenty of SAT optional,schools that would be happy to accept her, I’m sure. If she doesn’t want to take the SAT, she can apply to one of them.
I agree with Ynotgo, I think she wants to go to Oxford. An SAT-nonexistent university.
“SAT used to stand for Scholastic Aptitude Test but they had to change it to Scholastic Achievement Test.”
Small correction: When they changed it from Aptitude, the new A stood for Assessment, not Achievement. Achievement Test was the old name for what are now the SAT subject tests. Now, of course, SAT stands for nothing at all; it’s just a name.
Texas A&M has done the same thing, and the initials don’t stand for anything.
@QuantMech, how is this a ridiculous requirement of Stanford’s? Do you expect either of Oxbridge to take her without requiring her to take A-Levels?
Agree that this is a non-story. BTW, we know that Stanford takes some football players with less than stellar test scores, so I doubt that they will set a very high bar. Which makes it even more of a non-story.
Newsflash: Stanford (and Harvard, etc.) will even require her to fill out an application and answer some essay questions before admitting her. The horror.
They won’t even admit her if she doesn’t apply to their school. Shocking idea to some people, I know.
While Yousafzai actually DID SOMETHING to credit winning a Nobel Peace Prize, the reality is they’ll give the prize to just about anybody, including to heads of state who have been in office less than a year, on anticipation that that person could possibly achieve something.
Unless Stanford accepts GCSEs from other UK applicants, in lieu of SAT/ACTs, then Ms. Yousafzai should sharpen her no.2 pencils. In principle, people championing equality shouldn’t be demanding special privileges for themselves.
Anyone know if Stanford gave Tiger Woods an SAT waiver?
BTW, @QuantMech, the SAT isn’t very similar to A-levels at all. The closest American equivalents to A-levels are AP tests (and some SAT subject tests). Which is why almost all UK unis care more about AP scores than SAT/ACT scores from American applicants.
You can champion equality of opportunity without supporting equality of reward no matter what the achievement.
The bigger impediment would seem to be all the honorary doctorates she’s been awarded. Are you allowed to matriculate as a college freshman if you’ve already been awarded doctorate degrees? 
Thank God she doesn’t seem to have any (honorary) bachelors.
I think Malala Yousafzai should be treated just like any other Stanford applicant who made a name for herself by calling for educational opportunities for girls in her home country and was shot in the head for it, then recovered remarkably, compiled an outstanding academic record in the country to which she moved, and won the Nobel Prize.
The SATs are no big deal. One can walk in the door with no special preparation (not even the book of Real SATs), and walk out with a 2400. Literally.
To the best of my knowledge, the reason that Stanford wants the SAT or ACT is that grades in the US are very non-uniform across schools, and the standardized tests give a more uniform academic measure. But isn’t it right that the point is to have a uniform measure of academic ability? The GCSEs do that. A levels do that even better. I anticipate that Malala will go to Oxford, after completing A levels.
Does anyone know that Malala has any actual interest in Stanford? Is the whole discussion hypothetical?
I think the headline should be “Stanford requires that its Applicants take the SAT.”
Stanford didn’t demand anything of anyone. If you want to be admitted, you simply follow the procedure. If you don’t want to be admitted, you don’t have to do anything.
In other words, the oft-repeated: “Yes, the rules apply to you too.”
Yeah, a total non-headline. It must have been a very slow news day.
As far as I’m heard, Malala isn’t “demanding” anything from anybody. Where did this whole thing start, anyway?? Can we just quietly end this thread?
@QuantMech, if the SAT is no big deal, then why is it ridiculous that Stanford requires it (or the ACT) for everyone?
Again, since you didn’t answer the question, do you expect Oxbridge to admit her without taking A-Levels?
If you think that any standardized test can stand in for any other, do you expect Oxbridge to admit an American who takes the SAT instead of the prescribed AP tests even though Oxbridge says they require 5’s in certain AP tests for a chance of being admitted to various courses?