<p>East coast high performer I know (straight A, multi-national awards in both humanties and science) was admitted to Stanford and rejected from Harvard and a secondary Ivy. No other rejections (large state Univ and a couple of high-profile privates.) Additional essays were really well thought out and specific to Stanford. Recs were also likely tailored to Stanford, since it was a school this student had been talking about for a few years.</p>
<p>The Stanford admissions office has a pretty good knowledge of the profile of students likely to attend, and who won’t. They want a high yield, and unless an east coast high performer really stands out, or has clearly tailored their essay answers to Stanford…they are likely to be put in the more random choice “pile” of applications.</p>