<p>Well, my school has two graduates who are going/about to go to Stanford. They are both Asian. They were both not academically no.1 (but probably not that bad either, most likely still top 10%). However, everyone basically thinks that it is their special qualities that got them in. The first girl lived in Germany and knew four languages, the other had a bunch of math awards. So maybe Stanford wants people who do pretty well in school but also have some “quirky” and special qualities/achievements. Granted, my school is special in that it is an international school in China, so maybe Stanford also considers this abroad experience. Who knows.</p>