anyone here gone to school at Stanford?

[surftheiop]

I am applying to stanford in the fall and i have i few questions i wanna ask some who has attended stanford.
Plz PM me if you could help me out

[stinkypete]

there's some indian guy in a pink shirt around here who goes to stanford

[Sberkboss]

f Stanford. Go Bears!

[bruin]

I will be starting there this fall. I'm definitely not an expert on Stanford yet but I know the place a little better than most (my sister will be a senior there next year). Feel free to pm me.

[Taraz]

I just graduated from Stanford last year, I tried to PM you, but PM's are down. I guess you can ask questions in this thread and I can try to answer them.

[surftheiop]

Well first off my main question has to do with if i have a legitamate chance of getting into stanford, i can look at test score averages and stuff but then with a 15% acceptance rate Stanford must be turning down people with much better stats than me.
SAT:
Math 740
Verbal 730
Writing 630
Class rank/GPA:
GPA: weighted so not sure if means anything 4.66+ (see below)
Rank: 15 (+/-3) out of 651 (This was halfway thru Junior year but i had a exceptional second semester making 98+ in all classes so im sure its going up)
AP EURO 5 on exam
AP CHEM 5 on exam (havent gotten back yet but i would bet my savings on it)
Will take AP Calc,Eng,Econ/Gov next year.

II) I know they want to see a "love for learning" in essays/applications and such would poker be such a taboo because of gambling or would there be a good way i could mention my love for learning of poker theory through books and forums? Also all the stuff i read in here as definately taught me alot i would never know otherwise.

III) If i did get into Stanford i wouldnt wanna break the bank going there but ive heard they give really good financial add, so any comments on what your average white,male, with parents making 100K - 130K combined a year (dont know exactly how much they make just guessing) would
expect to be paying at Stanford.

[bruin]

Stanford's acceptance rate is more along the lines of 10% I believe (at least for Regular Decision).

Your SAT may hurt you a bit in comparison to other applicants.

Honestly, a huge part of whether or not you get in is your essays/activities. You must stand out to Stanford (and all of the top schools, for that matter). They're not just going to accept you because of your grades or your scores. GIVE them a reason to accept you. Show them that you're not just another transcript with good grades and activities.

You basically need some kind of "hook" to get into the top schools. My hook for getting into Stanford was probably my dad's legacy. That's not to say that I wasn't qualified, because I definitely was, but it's probably what pushed me over the edge from 'rejected' to 'accepted.' The other girl at my school who got in was a voice-over on Jackie Chan's Adventures playing the niece... the elite colleges want people who bring interesting life experiences etc.

Your chances probably aren't that good. Stanford is [censored] hard to get into. Just make sure you apply to a bunch of other schools where you wouldn't mind going to.


Do not write your essays about poker. You must have some other passions, no?

III) I'd imagine you'd get some kind of financial aid if your parents combined total is only 100-130k. Maybe 20k a year from Stanford? I really have no [censored] clue.

[surftheiop]

Thanks for the help bruin i pretty much figured id be a longshot and Stanford is pretty much my take a reach school they always tell you to try for. Im going to apply early decesion so if i get rejected,which i probaly will, i can just worry about the schools im more likely to go to later in the year.

Ive already been provisionally accepted to Clemson were i would definately be happy, and i will also be applying to NC state a Georgia Tech both of which im very qualified for.

Also im not one of those kids who obsesses over poker. I was just trying to eliminate a posible essay i could write about (which i think i have).

You talked of needing a hook, i dont have anything huge but this summer im going to a 2 week research partnership at Clemson in materials science which is the major i plan to put on my application so that should give me something slighty unique.

[srjunkacct]

[ QUOTE ]

You talked of needing a hook, i dont have anything huge but this summer im going to a 2 week research partnership at Clemson in materials science which is the major i plan to put on my application so that should give me something slighty unique.

[/ QUOTE ]

This advice isn't particularly unique to Stanford, but make sure you work hard in your research gig, impress your supervisor, get him/her to act as a reference for you. And make sure that you're able to communicate what exactly it is you do over the summer and why it's important to you when you interview/write essays.

[surftheiop]

We will be working with Clemson professors and i think the reason they do this is to draw people interested in this field to Clemson. It would seem counter productive if the professors were helping people get into stanford. Again i havent meet any of the professors yet but thats just what i was thinking.

[srjunkacct]

[ QUOTE ]
We will be working with Clemson professors and i think the reason they do this is to draw people interested in this field to Clemson. It would seem counter productive if the professors were helping people get into stanford. Again i havent meet any of the professors yet but thats just what i was thinking.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm sure it is, but if you do really good work and they think you're elite-college material, it's still in their interest as researchers to help you get into the best college possible. It's entirely proper to ask them for a reference anywhere. Obviously they would hold out some hope that you'd be interested in Clemson for graduate/postdoc work if you go that far in academia, but they wouldn't feel like they have a right to expect it.

On the other hand, if you show that you're really not that interested in their work and are just trying to milk them, they'll see through that as well.

[surftheiop]

Ok sounds good i dont really plan on asking for any recomendation unless its really obvious that i deserve one/they want to give them out. Even if i thought i deserved one i would probaly wait a few weeks after the program is over to ask, mainly because i really hate putting people on the spot where they would have to be like "no, your not really good enough for me to recomend you".

[legendary loser]

[ QUOTE ]

You talked of needing a hook, i dont have anything huge but this summer im going to a 2 week research partnership at Clemson in materials science which is the major i plan to put on my application so that should give me something slighty unique.

[/ QUOTE ]

If you have time this summer get very involved in something like Habitat for Humanity or the Peace Corp. A lot of involvement in these types of activities can also serve as a hook. I had a friend who took a year off and then was admitted (as a transfer which is more difficult) to Duke mainly in part because of his involvment in the Peace Corp.

[surftheiop]

Every summer i do Habitat stuff with my church and also go on a week long mission trip, i know its not the peace corps but atleast its something.

[lastchance]

Stanford is an excellent school. As a senior who went through the process this year, I can tell you, being a great student will not be enough to get into a school that selective. You really need to stick out, either with an excellent essay, or amazing extracurriculars.

I know a friend with a 3.9 GPA, 2370 SAT, Eagle Scout and a few other extracurriculars (and an excellent writer), and I don't think he came close.

[mistermuni]

i had legacy (father, grandfather, grand uncle), three varsity sports, 3.8gpa, 2200 sat, 7 ap classes completed by end of junior year, 3 more during senior year (mostly 4s, a few 5s), applied early action, was deferred and later rejected.

just try to be different, thats all i can say. good luck.

[surftheiop]

Damn, its not looking so good, but hey might as well take the time to try, maybe something about me could catch someones eye.
Thanks for the help all