What's my chance with Stanford?

Chance Me / Match Me!
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<p>Background: I'm a first-gen student and my nationality is Asian; if that matters at all. I am from a relatively remote place and while I attend an awesome private school, it lacks in available courses. I have taken the hardest courses available at my school and I'm currently a Junior - I know, a year left... I'm diligent and I work hard for my grades. I'm not one of those stereotypical Asians so please refrain from making jokes about my wish to attend Stanford. My school offers APUSH and AP Language during Junior year (I'm taking both right now). Senior year, they offer AP Euro, AP Calc, AP Literature, and AP Physics. While I have been taking the most hardest courses available at my school thus far, I am thinking of just taking AP Euro and AP Literature my Senior year. </p>

<p>EC's:
- Nothing Freshman year
- Sophomore Class President
- Joined National Honor Society Sophomore Year
- Joined National Art Honor Society Junior Year
- Vice President of NAHS
- Project Coördinator of NHS
- Participated in National History Day all 4 years of high school (Going States this year!)
- Been involved in Student Body/Government
- About 150 hours of community service so far
- Joined the track & field team, paddling team, tennis team, cross-country team. Trust me, I'm no jock. My school requires each student to participate in at least 2 sports per trimester. Never went to state or won a medal.
- Participated in the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards
- Interned with a stock broker my Freshman year because I wanted to learn about the stock market. I actually got interested into the stock market because of this game I play and the economy that it's based on is quite similar. I was a Freshman that year so I didn't learn much other than the meaning of derivatives.
- I have and still am doing an internship with an App developer. I have been doing it for about a year now and I will talk about this later because it's really my only interesting and meaningful EC.
- I plan to start a HOSA chapter at my school. Most likely to become President.
- There is a SADD chapter at my school but I don't believe in the club's purpose. There will be teens who will always drink alcohol and use drugs so what's the purpose? Just by showing horrible images or telling tragic stories will not stop teens from destructive decisions. </p>

<p>Grades:
I was a horrible student in middle school and fortunately I got my game face on before it was too late. I've been receiving consistent 3.95+ GPA throughout high school. As of now I have a 3.95 cumulative GPA. The last two trimesters I received a 4.54 GPA and a 4.5 GPA. Although my school does not have a ranking system, I am probably guessing I am in 3rd or 4th place right now. My class is very competitive so I'm not sure who will be Valedictorian/ Salutatorian. </p>

<p>SAT/ACT:
I have not taken the ACT or the SAT but I have taken the PSAT. My rough score were in the 450's - Yes, I know I need major work. My first SAT will be next month and hopefully I can score a 1700 within my first try. I know that this is way below the average SAT score of a Freshman at Stanford but I'd be more than happy with a 1700 SAT score. </p>

<p>App Internship - I've always liked the idea of becoming an entrepreneur and at the same time, I had a passion for technology. I don't code or program much, but I like learning about the trends and innovations in the technology business. Every year, my school has this interim week and for the past three years I have been doing internships to find my true passion. Last year, I did an internship with a guy who has his own successful app business and I've asked him to take me under his wing. I've learned a lot about the App business but I was never exposed to the actual coding part. I've taken my own studies by viewing free development courses that are offered by Stanford, hitting the books at my local Barnes & Noble, and using Codecademy. For my Senior Project, I'm hoping to create my own app and paying part of my college tuition with the money I earn. </p>

<p>Why Stanford? - Putting aside the fact that Stanford is a great school, I've always wanted to attend Stanford for its business/computer science program. More importantly, the history behind Stanford is very interesting. Stanford is the holy ground for entrepreneurism. </p>

<p>Thanks for taking the time to read my post and it'd be great if you chanced me by using the normal 1-10 scale. Any tips to finish my high school career strong or general advice would be great.</p>

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<p>Your stats are average for an Asian male applicant for Stanford, unfortunately.
You already have a disadvantage by simply being Asian. </p>

<p>Your ECs seem fairly good. The internships seem interesting, but the rest are fairly standard for applicants. Stanford puts heavy emphasis on ECs, so if you can try to do something more unique to make you stand out from the pack, you might have more of a fighting chance.</p>

<p>You absolutely must get your SAT score up. As things stand, this will probably be the strongest point against you. I’ve only ever heard of students being accepted with such a low SAT score when they had hooks, such as being a URM. They reject 2400 SAT scores routinely.
You still have time to study for the SAT, so you are not doomed. I would try for 2200+ if you can.</p>

<p>As of now, I’d say your application is 5/10.
Just my opinion based on what I’ve observed from Stanford acceptances.</p>

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<p>I’m gonna say to you exactly what I just said to this other guy, because I think it holds true for almost all of us on here…but I’m not gonna say it to everyone, LOL:</p>

<p>I think that you are very ambitious, and I commend you. Honestly, I abhor all of this “chance me” stuff. Yes, colleges look at your grades and ECs–heck, they scrutinize them. But I can tell that this college search is really stressing you out… as it is me xD Most of the people on this site have EXCEPTIONAL grades and complain that their B will ruin their lives. Frankly, I’ve never gotten a B in a class, but I’m sure it will happen. I’m a junior and I have plenty of time to jack up. All I’m saying is that we over-acheivers work so hard and still have the nerve to say, “Chance me!! D:!!” It makes us all look bad. So… Don’t sweat it man. You’re a great guy. As much as we’d like to believe that our hard work will be rewarded with the college of our dreams, it might not. But random high-schoolers’ “chancing you” is not going to make a difference. Realize that if all you are is a row of As and extracurriculars in a portfolio, that’s all you’ll ever be. Try not to get so caught up in the hype of this college search thing. We (myself included) need to remember that we are so much more than that! And God forbid you don’t get in, it’s not the end of the world. I don’t even know you, but I like you, and I’m proud of you. Keep doing what you do, but because YOU WANT TO DO IT. And don’t ever feel the need to be “chanced” by random people online. Come on this website to learn something, not to have condescending opinions thrust upon you; I’ve read some of the other posts–it’s pretty unsettling to see the mindsets of some people. You have a wonderful thirst for knowledge, and, in the words of that weird Dos Equis guy, stay thirsty my friend.</p>

<p>TooLegit2Quit :)</p>

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<p>I was going to say you had a decent chance, but the 1700 sat score finished that off for me. Take an SAT course over the summer!</p>

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<p>Wow I thought I’d never receive any comments :D. This thread is pretty old, I’m a bit surprised you guys found it.
@Subterranean
Since I’m a “5” right now, what else can I do to get that number higher? You said something about a worthy EC. What if I made an app for my school that can track announcements, grades, and other school related stuff? How much higher would my number be if I had a 2000+ SAT score? By the way, that 2000 score would be my life achievement if I even got it :)</p>

<p>@TooLegit2Quit
Thanks for the supportive and inspiring response. To be honest, I’m not one of those students who does things just for the purpose of college. In fact, I despise students who do. I joined the NHS so that I could fulfill large community service projects with other students. Without it, it’s almost impossible to recruit HS students to help the community. I’m doing my app internship because I’m genuinely interested in majoring in the field of Computer Science. Then why do I try so hard? I feel that if you actually try learning the material given by teachers, the A’s are just a given thing. I’m not afraid to face reality, I don’t mind if others tell me that I don’t stand a chance for this and that. I’ll still try no matter what.</p>

<p>@Gamesofthrones1
Ye standardized tests aren’t my cup of tea. I’m a slow test taker and I generally suck on tests. I will be studying for the SAT’s all summer and hopefully that will pay off.</p>

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