Please help me get into Stanford.

September 5, 2009 9:16 PM

Tips on getting into Stanford?

I know there are plenty of sources on the Internet that give advice on top-tier college admissions, but Stanford's process seems to be notably different, and I really need some guidance. Anyone is welcome to contribute, but I'd especially like to hear from those who have recently gotten in themselves.

To give you a brief idea of what I'm working with: valedictorian at a decent public school, lettered in two sports, several leadership positions, 2370 SAT, 36 ACT, extremely passionate about writing, Native Alaskan/white, gay, overcome severe financial disadvantages. Obviously, my concern is not grades but standing out, which seems to be Stanford's main criterion.

I realize that I shouldn't be so stressed or so focused on Stanford, but, for reasons beyond my control, it's my only real option, so I need to get in. Any advice is much appreciated. Thanks.

posted by Gotham to education (13 comments total)

Being a native person is probably your ace in the hole, to be frank.

Write a great statement of purpose. Have it vetted by as many people as humanly possible. Start working on it now.

But otherwise, here's the thing -- Stanford would be awesome, but you need to have a few other options. I'd suggest applying to other schools. If you're in great financial need, you can apply for free, so DO IT. Take the best financial package you can get.
posted by k8t at 9:20 PM on September 5

I work in college counseling and have helped a lot of kids get into Stanford (my sister went there, too), and there's no special formula. You're a great candidate, but your rec letters & essays need to jump off the page.

One thing I've noticed is that Stanford tends to take "flagged" kids in the Early round and doesn't put many of the kids who don't get in early on the wait list. I've counseled some applicants to apply Regular Decision instead, for that reason. This is purely anecdotal, of course.

Are you from Alaska? And part Native American? Not quite a flag, but close. And with those stats, you should be a great candidate--the admissions committee usually jumps at the chance to grab people like you when they don't have to sacrifice achievement to do so. Feel free to PM me if you want more info...I really do a lot of work in this field.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 9:37 PM on September 5

I was a very good high school student from a small Missouri town back in 1997, excellent grades (although not even top of my class), lots of extracurricular activities, and a somewhat unique background with my family's business.

My mom made me apply to Stanford. There was no way I was getting in, it was the way out there reach school, I was most likely going to Northwestern or Wake Forest, and as a backup University of Missouri. All great schools.

I wrote a personal essay that didn't have a lot of conflict to it, but I put in my own spin to try to make it stand out. I wrote and rewrote and picked over each word. If I looked back at it now, I'd most likely laugh, but it was good for me at the time. I got letters from teachers who loved me, and their praise was glowing.

We had a family friend in the advertising world who wrote an extra letter of recommendation for me. I was told it wouldn't be taken into real consideration, but deep down I think it certainly had some pull.

Because I was just astonished when I pulled into our driveway one afternoon to find my family sitting on the front step with a large envelope from Stanford. That was the key, too big to just be a "Thanks but no thanks" letter.

I still don't know what got me in, honestly. I joked that I filled their "white boy from the Midwest" quota. Stanford was a perfect fit for me, and I never felt overwhelmed like I feared I would. Completely changed my planned direction of education, I went from literally taking a class intended to knock out all the math and science requirements in one year for "non-technical" majors, to almost minoring in Computer Science and taking a heavy interest in a technical field.

All that being said, get some backup schools in place. I met several people out in California who had everything riding on getting into Stanford, including one young woman who didn't even apply to the excellent (and rival) Cal because she was so determined. There were amazing people all over the place who weren't accepted to Stanford. There isn't a magic formula to say someone is or isn't "X" material. And as wonderful as Stanford is, it isn't worth getting yourself into mountains of debt when there are other great schools that may give you a much better financial package.
posted by shinynewnick at 9:46 PM on September 5

Demonstrate how passionate you are about something (e.g., writing, as you say) AND how Stanford in particular will help you develop that passion into a career. This may help distinguish you from the rest of the valedictorians and show that you're really serious about Stanford-- not only because it's *Staaaanford* but because it meets your specific talents and needs.
posted by dino might at 9:52 PM on September 5

I'm a grad student at Stanford, so no direct experience with their ugrad admissions, but from the many ugrads I know, they're not all some kind of quirky standouts (though the most awesome are, like a best friend of mine who got expelled from her catholic high school for organizing a gay prom). And I don't think being a quirky standout is something you can really fake.
posted by paultopia at 11:23 PM on September 5

And I don't think being a quirky standout is something you can really fake.

This is true. But even if you're not a quirky standout, you can still show who you are in your essays (and Stanford's "roommate" essay is one most students swing and miss on, ouch). You have the numbers. Now you need to make sure you're a person in the eyes of the admissions committee. You do that with your essays. They mean everything & must live up to the expectations you've established with your academic accomplishments.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 11:28 PM on September 5

Frankly, if you're an enrolled tribal member with stats like those you can expect admission to most elite colleges, Stanford included. Heck, they'll be falling over themselves to recruit you. I am engaged in recruiting Native students for an elite college, so I'm not talking out my ass.

By the way, a very famous and brilliant Native Alaskan earned her Ed.D. at Stanford. Her name is Edna Ahgeak Maclean.
posted by fourcheesemac at 4:53 AM on September 6

Frankly, if you're an enrolled tribal member with stats like those you can expect admission to most elite colleges, Stanford included. Heck, they'll be falling over themselves to recruit you. I am engaged in recruiting Native students for an elite college, so I'm not talking out my ass.

Yeah, this is pretty much true. I recently graduated from an 'elite college' with a Native American girl who chose to walk in traditional dress instead of a cap and gown; photos of her are now in use in practically all of our promotional materials. They are really super proud about having had a Native American graduate from our school.

I can't speak for Stanford specifically, but in my experience most schools have some kind of special program for prospective students who are minorities and/or extremely financially disadvantaged, such as special open houses, extra mentoring from current students and even sometimes admissions officers. If you haven't already, definitely reach out to Stanford to say "Hey, I'm really interested in your school."
posted by telegraph at 6:23 AM on September 6

Gotham: I realize that I shouldn't be so stressed or so focused on Stanford, but, for reasons beyond my control, it's my only real option, so I need to get in.

Despite everything in your favour, being an ideal candidate on paper, and doing everything perfectly, you need to understand that it may not happen and have a back-up plan. I say this because there are only X number of places in an incoming class, and admissions directors often have to make choices within a pool of equally qualified or desirable candidates to fill that class.

While it would be nice to imagine that these choices are always made with some predictable tool, they are not. I know of an Ivy where, when faced with 200 candidates for 12 remaining positions, the applications were chucked down a staircase. Whoever made it to the landing was in; anyone stuck on the stairs was out. I know of lotteries and of coin tosses, too.

What I'm trying to illustrate here is that it isn't all down to you. Some of it really is nothing but luck. You need to plan for both outcomes. So, if you can explain the circumstances beyond your control to us, maybe we can help you with that.
posted by DarlingBri at 6:38 AM on September 6

Gotham, if you are in fact an enrolled member of a tribe in Alaska, and you'd like more personalized advice, I'd be happy to chat with you in private. Just drop me an email. As someone who works in Native Alaska and teaches at an ivy league school, I may be able to assist in your quest.

I too wonder what could possibly be so unique about Stanford. Even just being from Alaska will get you a serious hard look at Harvard or Princeton or Columbia (or Dartmouth or Cornell, both of which have substantial Native student numbers and major Native Studies programs) etc. Being Native Alaskan should get you a solid financial aid/scholarship package at nearly any elite school with your (otherwise strong) profile.

I would also consider broadening the possibilities here. U Alaska has significant resources for Native Alaskans, both financial and social, at both Anchorage and Fairbanks. U Arizona as well. The U Cal system, while in financial trouble right now, has excellent resources for Native students at Berkeley and UCSB and UCLA, if you're set on California. Why not have some options? You're young!
posted by fourcheesemac at 7:02 AM on September 6

fourcheesemac: Even just being from Alaska will get you a serious hard look at...

Worth noting for the purposes of this conversation: Gotham appears to be of Native Alaskan heritage (to what extent we don't know; ditto registered or registered, all of which makes a difference) but he seems to live in the Bay Area. So the "geographic diversity" angle that would make an admissions professional love Alaska isn't going to happen here, and in fact density of applicants from CA and SF in particular may be more of a demerit than a credit.

But Gotham, one thing I would do is make sure you are enrolled in the appropriate tribe if you are eligible.
posted by DarlingBri at 7:16 AM on September 6

Beyond applying to Stanford I would also look into applying to other top-tier universities besides just this particular one. The admissions process to a lot of the "elite" schools can be, as DarlingBri said, unfairly random or pretty close to it. Stanford's process, frankly, is similar to the "Big Three" and perhaps with all other schools that hold a fairly competitive acceptance rate.

What did you mean by Stanford being your "only real option", though -- did you mean you had to stay in California? If so there's the Claremont Colleges to look at, especially Pomona and Claremont McKenna if you're more liberal arts minded and Harvey Mudd if you're going to tackle the sciences in the future.

> I recently graduated from an 'elite college' with a Native American girl who chose to walk in traditional dress instead of a cap and gown

Would this be a certain Pioneer Valley school with a silent letter? (The New England small colleges may also be a good place to spend the next four years in.) I recently had to go through the admissions process, so if you need another person to talk to in far less "technical" matters re: college, I'm always here.
posted by zer0render at 8:10 AM on September 6

Not directly answering your question, but I'd also like to point out that, if all else fails, transfer is always an option in a year - as long as you have some of those backup schools available. Despite having the traditional strong-well-rounded-etc-etc application, I was wait-listed early at Stanford and then rejected but still got into another highly regarded school. However, my heart was set, so I applied to transfer (to Stanford and only to Stanford) during freshman year while continuing to work my ass off where I temporarily ended up. Everyone lived happily ever after. Transfer admission rates are typically even lower than incoming freshman rates, but the pool is also smaller, so keep in mind that's a possibility if Stanford remains your "only real option" even if you experience that brutal small envelope the first time around.
posted by Mrmuhnrmuh at 8:26 AM on September 6