<p>I want to address three points. </p>
<p>First, it’s not a lottery. See this video:</p>
<p>[Stanford–How</a> do you respond to the observation: “Admissions is all just a gamble”? - YouTube](<a href=“Stanford--How do you respond to the observation: "Admissions is all just a gamble"? - YouTube”>Stanford--How do you respond to the observation: "Admissions is all just a gamble"? - YouTube)</p>
<p>Every decision is made very carefully by a committee of admission officers. At times, it may seem random because for each person whom Stanford admits, it turns down 2 or 3 who are just as good. Therefore, a lot of great people won’t make it. It’s a “many are worthy, few are chosen” scenario. But there is solid rationale underlying each acceptance. </p>
<p>Second, Stanford’s financial aid is among the best in the nation. A majority of undergrads (approx. 60%) receive need-based financial aid. It’s free if your family makes less than $60,000/year. </p>
<p>“stanford accepts the top 5% of the applications”</p>
<p>Perhaps…but “top” is more arbitrary than an outsider might think. They don’t throw everything into a spreadsheet and make decisions from there. It’s a very human process centering on human characteristics which take humans to evaluate. See this video:</p>
<p>[Stanford–What</a> factors affect decision beyond academic measures - YouTube](<a href=“Stanford--What factors affect decision beyond academic measures - YouTube”>Stanford--What factors affect decision beyond academic measures - YouTube)</p>
<p>It’s best to say that Stanford takes the 2,210 applicants it likes the most. It’s difficult to predict precisely who those admits will be without seeing the entire pool, reading everything in an applicant’s pile, and understanding the composition and needs of the committee.</p>