How to Get into Stanford University

Applying to colleges can be frustrating, and that frustration intensifies when you are applying to your dream school. For many people, the dream school is Stanford University, recognized as one of the top universities in the world. With over 35,000 applicants a year and only a little over 2,000 people accepted, there is no doubt that Stanford University is one of the most difficult colleges to get into. I was accepted, and I will do my best to make sure that your application has a fighting chance as well.

First of all, you must realize that there is no magic formula that allows you to be automatically accepted. Often times, the valedictorian of a school will be rejected while in the same school someone else receives a nice acceptance letter from their dream school. The truth is, no one is 100 percent guaranteed acceptance, but obviously having great statistics helps a lot.

So what are great statistics? Well for starters, your SAT scores and GPA, on a 5.0 scale, are crucial to your acceptance. For Stanford, you definitely want an SAT score of at least 2100 and a GPA over 4.7. Minorities, this includes you as well, affirmative action is illegal in California and it is important for you to have comparable statistics as well if you want to be accepted. However, don’t feel distressed if your statistics are not quite as good as the ones I listed, I know exceptions of allethnicities. That is because contrary to popular belief, SAT scores aren’t everything. In fact, SAT scores and GPA alone will not even come close to getting you accepted, so for those of you wondering why you didn’t get in, it isn’t because you were Asian or White, it was most likely because you were so closed minded. If you have ever said something idiotic such as: “He only got in because he was black,” you are probably starting to realize why you didn’t get in, whoever you were talking about is probably a lot smarter than you are, after all they got into your dream school and you didn’t. SAT scores and GPA won’t get you accepted automatically, but what they will do is get the application reader’s attention.

Once the reader has determined that your statistics are satisfactory, they will now want to see if you will fit into the big picture at Stanford. They want to see who you are as a person so they can find out if they even want you on their campus. Why else do you think they have you write all of those long essays? This part is infinitely more critical to your acceptance than any other section. You want to spend months stewing over your essay, and have a definite message that you want to convey. Finding the right message is essential, but it’s also the easiest part. You know what kind of person they want, it’s the kind of person who everyone wants to be around: smart, compassionate, friendly, strong moral character, and unique. How do you convey all of that in one essay? That is the hard part. Only you know enough about yourself to accomplish this, all I can tell you is take the essay seriously. Also, have multiple people proofread your essay, preferably not your classmates as plagiarism may come into play. You should make your essay a priority in your life for a few months, and don’t take it lightly. You should write and rewrite it several times before the final copy is submitted.

Lastly, the application is reviewed for well roundedness. Stanford wants to see intellectual vitality, meaning they want you to be involved in a plethora of activities while still performing at the highest level in academics. Everything you do outside of the normal school routine can only strengthen your application as long as a high GPA is maintained. Do sports, clubs, lead community service projects, start your own organization dedicated to your hobby. Whatever you do just put a lot of time into it and it will make your application stand out like a gemstone. That is all the advice I can offer,
Good luck.