Stanford

Stanford University
www.stanford.edu

General
· Overseas study stressed, nearly 1/3 of all students study overseas
· Undergraduate study doesn’t require a declared major until sophomore year
· “breadth and depth” involves various courses with a strong focus
· all classes taught by qualified professors
· TA’s help with sections for review, not teaching
· Campus is at the heart of 8,000 acres of Stanford-owned land
· Departments are more open to outsiders, don’t require separate admissions like a ‘school’
· Housing guaranteed for four years, required freshman year
· Dorm stay requires meal plan

Admissions
· Goal of admissions is to bring in a diverse class
· 19,000 applicants, 2,400 admitted, 1,640 attend
o less than 1/8 accepted, less than 12%
· Application selected based on subjective components, no formula
· Location, lifestyle, influences, experiences are taken into account
· Focus on “individual intellectual vitality”
· Single-choice early action
o Due NOVEMBER 1
o Non-binding
o Only apply early-action to one university!
o Admission will be offered or rejected
· Regular review
o Due DECEMBER 15
o Admission decision, very few waitlisted
§ Waitlisted students rarely gain admission
· Need-blind admission, numerous financial aid programs

Application
· Transcript
o Primary focus of selection
o Sophomore and Junior grades key
o AP classes help
· Essay
o 3 short answer essays
§ 1 paragraph each, answer the question
o 1 page-long essay
§ read question carefully, answer thoughtfully
· Awards/Activities
o Senior year coursework
o Honors, awards
o Research
o Extracurricular
§ Commitment to activities
o Work & volunteer experience
· References
o Guidance counselor reference
§ Coursework, personality, class rank
§ Role of guidance counselor in individual school
o 2 teacher references
§ Junior and Senior year teachers
§ How you work with others
§ How you interact with class
· Testing
o SAT/ACT required, average SAT at least 1400
o SAT II recommended in Writing, Math (preferably IIC) and other
· Fine Arts
o Auditions according to set procedures can add additional strengthening component to application


Overall Impression:

The only possible problem here is admissions: I’m qualified, but that still means I only have roughly one chance in ten of being admitted. The campus is beautiful and the programs look good, the music department offers minors in a lot of fields, including music technology. The marching band “does not encourage traditional marching skills” which is never the sign of a good program, but the other band programs look strong. There are few schools that would beat Stanford for engineering and computer science… I’ll apply and see if I get lucky.