YOU, TOO, CAN GET ADMITTED TO STANFORD

  First a few newsworthy items:

• Emmanuel Macron beat Marine Le Pen by 16 percentage points.

• 
  Biden had 4.5% more votes than Trump in 2020.  
• Mind you, the electoral votes determine who becomes president.

• If Biden had 45,000 fewer total votes in the right proportion in Arizona, Georgia and Wisconsin, Trump would today be president.  This is a percentage of only 0.05%.
• Similarly, if Trump in 2016 had 78,000 fewer votes in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, Hillary Clinton would have won the presidency.  A percentage difference of only 0.06%.
• 
  While you sometimes need to appreciate the context of what politicians and their aides say, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reported after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv that Russia is failing.

So on to my topic of the day, read this Quora entry to give you some hope about applying to and getting admitted into Stanford University:

Ivy Lee

Studied Bachelor of Science in Microbiology at Stanford University(Graduated 2022)4y

What is it like to get accepted into Stanford as an undergrad?

I got admitted into the REA Class of 2022 cycle. I actually forgot that decisions day was on December 15th until my friend asked me if I got admitted 2 days later on the 17th at lunch. Stanford was never something I considered to be in my realm. I was an average student, I didn’t have the best grades, I didn’t participate much in school, and I have the shittiest work ethic.

I shrugged my shoulders and didn’t respond. I knew that I was going to be rejected and didn’t have to check.When I got home from school, I began to feel increasingly curious about my admittance status.“What if,” I thought. “Just what if?” I was sitting at the dinner table, shovelling spoonfuls of rice into my mouth until I decided that now was the right time to check my student portal. I found this waiting or me (excuse the scribbles, I’m going by my preferred name on here and don’t want to reveal my legal name and my identity).

I broke down immediately. I fell from my chair and laid on the ground sobbing as I called my dad. He called off work early. I then texted everyone who was close to me; my boyfriend, my cousin (who attends Stanford currently), and my closest friends. They were all very proud of me and I was stoked to be going to a top university.

My family and I celebrated by going to a Neapolitan pizzeria by my home. Nonetheless, it was a very meaningful night for me.

EDIT: wow! Thanks so much for 300 upvotes. 

EDIT #2: Thanks so much for 666 upvotes (LOL)!! I didn’t think my story would be that entertaining considering I just laid on the ground and sobbed on the phone for 20 minutes with rice stuck to the front of my shirt. Thank you!!

Surely Ivy must have had something more to offer than what she iterated.  Perhaps she is just a phenomenal writer.  But the pure joy is something all of us should experience at least once in our life, and for most, this will happen in  some other way.

Then I stumbled on this update, and you learn that she was not "average."  She was certainly well-rounded, the reason I got in.   She then added some tips on how the acceptance process works, and how even she failed to cover some needs.

What were some of the major factors that help people get into Stanford? What are some tips for the admissions process?

This question previously had details. They are now in a comment.

Ivy Lee

, studied Bachelor of Science in Microbiology at Stanford University (2022)

Updated Jul 3, 2018

Every student is different and I think that’s what Stanford looks for. Diversity. You can’t have 1000 pre-med students who come from top private schools and you can’t have 1000 student athletes who are majoring in kinesiology.

My application was simple. My grades were rather quite poor in comparison to other applicants (a 3.5ish GPA I believe) and my two teacher references were average. I didn’t know my school’s faculty very well so I imagined my letters to be quite generic. My last optional letter was better and was from an old mentor but it wasn’t the best one, in my opinion. I also had a 1590 on my SAT.

My extracurriculars was where I shined. I’m an internationally ranked pianist, I’ve started up and sold 1 company, I’ve done award winning scientific research, and am an athletic recruit for Stanford. Now although all of these extracurriculars differ from one another, I emphasized the fact that I was well rounded in my essays. I think it was enough for the admissions officer to groan, “Okay, we get it. You’re well-rounded.”

The Stanford-specific essays were my favourite. I especially enjoyed writing the Dear Future Roommate one. I actually wrote about the Shrek movies and called him “dashing.” If anyone wants to read it, feel free to send me a message**** (EDIT: I am no longer sharing my essay). I’m very proud of it and it shows that a little humour always helps :)

I hope I answered your question in regards to how I got into Stanford. This was my personal experience and it’s not the same for everyone.

So what are some tips for the admissions process?

Well, prior to the whole admissions thing, befriend your teachers. Their reference letters are important and you’re relying on them to put in a good word for you. If I could change one thing about my application, it would be that.

Focus mainly on the essays especially the common app. Yes, your interview is important but not as important as your written work. Learn how to write. One student actually published their successful Stanford essays. You can read them here.

There’s not much you can do during the admissions process as everything occurs prior. Remember, not getting into Stanford isn’t the end of the world. In fact, less than 5% of applicants get accepted including some of the most diligent students in the world.

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