Stanford REA with Arts supplement

Chance Me / Match Me
1

SAT1: 2070 (CR-630 M-760 W-680) (SUPERSCORE)
ACT: 30C

Top 20% of graduating class

EC’s:

Professional photographer
Exceptional arts supplement (photographer)
Worked in an NGO as a photographer - Photographs featured on their website
International Website (Portfolio)
Published photo story in a magazine
Won awards in photography
Programmer - HTML, CSS, C++, PHP, SQL, JavaScript
Participated in computer symposiums
Rockschool Grade 4 electric guitar - Passed with Merit
Trinity College Grade 2 Theory of Music - Passed with Distinction

What are my chances of getting in?

2

Close to 0% in the REA round. I would not recommend it given your SAT/ACT score and class rank. Slightly better in the RD round given your ECs, but you would have to make a really compelling application that links your photography and CS interests. I’d guess it’s in the 1-3% range based on Stanford’s admission profile:

http://admission.stanford.edu/basics/selection/profile.html

If your SAT was 2200+ or your ACT 33+ and you were in the top 10% of your class, then I’d give you a solid shot at RD. But I still wouldn’t apply REA.

3

How is REA more selective? Isn’t it supposed to have a smaller applicant pool?

4

REA has a smaller applicant pool, but it includes legacies, donor kids, athletes, and other highly hooked applicants, as well as kids with stellar credentials. And out of that it accepted 10.2% last year and rejected 80% outright. Stanford prefers to only review files once, knowing that they will get another 32,000+ incredible applicants in the RD round. An unhooked applicant who is outside the top 10% of his class and below the 25th percentile on SAT and ACT scores stands essentially no chance in the REA round. The RD chances aren’t a lot better, but there is more of a possibility of slipping in because of a specific skill, such as a strong arts supplement (and Stanford does want to bolder its arts presence).

5

If I have near perfect SAT Subject test scores, does it help?

6

Some, but not enough to make a difference. Top 20% along with a 30 ACT and 2070 SAT I for an unhooked applicant is going to be very tough to overcome.

7

An exceptional recommendation from a professional photographer? And what exactly is a “hooked” applicant?

8

Hooked means you are a URM, recruited athlete, legacy, child of a significant donor, or person of national/international renown. It means that your presence adds some significant tangible benefit to the university, therefore they will relax their usual standards a bit (though not completely). Having a good EC is not a hook.

Your stats would be on the low side for Stanford even if you were a recruited athlete or URM.