Stanford REA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stanford wants to admit students who will change the world - more creative or unusual, if not an athlete.

Yes, sure. We don't need a ChatGPT bot statement like that.

It’s literally what their AOs have said. You can choose to ignore them, but they have made it fairly clear that perfect/near perfect SATs, Olympiad medals, and robotics do not really move the needle. A student with such a profile is wasting their ED/REA opportunity with Stanford.

My kid was rejected REA from Stanford a couple of years ago. 1600/4.0.

Rd — accepted to MIT and Harvard.

We are in Massachusetts so we are pretty sure it was yield protection. They knew my kid would be accepted by MIT or Harvard and would go there. Yield matters for rankings. Stanford brags they reject the perfect kids …. Because they know the perfect SAT/GPA are going to have choices and are not going to yield as it’s not ED.

So I really want to encourage those whose kids were rejected this year to tell your kids to not give up hope. Apply to the Ivies and/or MIT. Good luck!

I don't think Stanford is yield protecting. These days people want to go to Stanford more than Harvard or MIT.

disagree... my kids have/had zero interest in stanford

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The world needs more Stanford-educated blacksmiths.

You're not wrong. The VC douchebags that Stanford produces these days aren't exactly making the world a better place. The ability to make a good horseshoe would be a better skill set than the parasites that Stanford is producing these days. And I say that as someone with three generations that went to Stanford. It is not what it once was.

How about Elizabeth Holmes? Another world-changer!!!

she never graduated

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stanford wants to admit students who will change the world - more creative or unusual, if not an athlete.

Yes, sure. We don't need a ChatGPT bot statement like that.

It’s literally what their AOs have said. You can choose to ignore them, but they have made it fairly clear that perfect/near perfect SATs, Olympiad medals, and robotics do not really move the needle. A student with such a profile is wasting their ED/REA opportunity with Stanford.

My kid was rejected REA from Stanford a couple of years ago. 1600/4.0.

Rd — accepted to MIT and Harvard.

We are in Massachusetts so we are pretty sure it was yield protection. They knew my kid would be accepted by MIT or Harvard and would go there. Yield matters for rankings. Stanford brags they reject the perfect kids …. Because they know the perfect SAT/GPA are going to have choices and are not going to yield as it’s not ED.

So I really want to encourage those whose kids were rejected this year to tell your kids to not give up hope. Apply to the Ivies and/or MIT. Good luck!

All the 1600/4.0 kids’ parents thank you.

🙄

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The world needs more Stanford-educated blacksmiths.

Princeton can use a guy like Joel.

[Anonymous]

DC 1 was accepted REA a few years ago
DC 2 with much stronger stats was deferred REA this cycle. They are quite disappointed and not sure what to think re: competitiveness for peer schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Rejected. 1590, Math Olympiad awards, on a top ranked robotics team. Literally don't know what more they could've wanted.

Start a business that makes going to college seem like a waste of time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Rejected. 1590, Math Olympiad awards, on a top ranked robotics team. Literally don't know what more they could've wanted.

Start a business that makes going to college seem like a waste of time.

every robotics team member we know was deferred or denied REA. I feel like AO are sick of that narrative.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Someone got in from DC’s school who has several patents pertaining to insects and has developed a novel mosquito repellent and is an amateur blacksmith etc etc. It’s kind of ridiculous.

I really don’t see why this person should be at an elite school for just being weird. Like these aren’t interesting or impressive ECs to me, just strange ones

Hello?!? They want innovators and big thinkers. Not kids who have been programmed to get perfect test scores. This isn't hard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Someone got in from DC’s school who has several patents pertaining to insects and has developed a novel mosquito repellent and is an amateur blacksmith etc etc. It’s kind of ridiculous.

I really don’t see why this person should be at an elite school for just being weird. Like these aren’t interesting or impressive ECs to me, just strange ones

Hello?!? They want innovators and big thinkers. Not kids who have been programmed to get perfect test scores. This isn't hard.

kid programmed to get perfect test scores >>>> kid programed to appear weird

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Someone got in from DC’s school who has several patents pertaining to insects and has developed a novel mosquito repellent and is an amateur blacksmith etc etc. It’s kind of ridiculous.

I really don’t see why this person should be at an elite school for just being weird. Like these aren’t interesting or impressive ECs to me, just strange ones

Hello?!? They want innovators and big thinkers. Not kids who have been programmed to get perfect test scores. This isn't hard.

Nothing says innovation like insects

[Anonymous]

Someone a few years back got into Stanford at DC's high school for selling socks made out of a certain type of material and then donated the proceeds to covid patients. Then, they wrote their supplements with a theme of fast fashion and how it's killing the planet or something. Since then, I've understood that Stanford just likes weirdos.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Someone got in from DC’s school who has several patents pertaining to insects and has developed a novel mosquito repellent and is an amateur blacksmith etc etc. It’s kind of ridiculous.

I really don’t see why this person should be at an elite school for just being weird. Like these aren’t interesting or impressive ECs to me, just strange ones

Hello?!? They want innovators and big thinkers. Not kids who have been programmed to get perfect test scores. This isn't hard.

What about kids, like mine, who just get perfect scores, but aren’t programmed? It does happen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Someone got in from DC’s school who has several patents pertaining to insects and has developed a novel mosquito repellent and is an amateur blacksmith etc etc. It’s kind of ridiculous.

I really don’t see why this person should be at an elite school for just being weird. Like these aren’t interesting or impressive ECs to me, just strange ones

Hello?!? They want innovators and big thinkers. Not kids who have been programmed to get perfect test scores. This isn't hard.

Those mediocre people are innovators, big thinkers? Tell me something else that is less ridiculous!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Someone got in from DC’s school who has several patents pertaining to insects and has developed a novel mosquito repellent and is an amateur blacksmith etc etc. It’s kind of ridiculous.

Sounds super contrived to me. The 'unique' interests, passion projects, etc. almost seem comical and trite. Rarely genuine. Do admissions people really believe it or see through this stuff? I know a kid who, at the recommendation of a private counselor, spent years cultivating a niche environmental science topic with 'published research' for their college profile. The counselor created the plan and they were coached on the entire process. - but it worked because they are now at Duke! Just makes me skeptical when I hear things like this...

Sorry your kid was rejected.

No skin in this game...just reacting to the trends. Finding it both entertaining and ridiculous

The alternative is to pick based on standardized test scores like the rest of the world. But that would be horrible so we end up valuing the ability to row a boat in college admissions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ivies no longer want all these stupid math competitions. They don’t want quizbowl. They don’t want Olympiad. Be different.

My kid got into an ivy with something similar to the blacksmith extracurricular. Obviously had the grades and the scores to meet the baseline.

You guys are all missing the point.
See the forest through the trees.

Can you share how your kid got into their extracurricular? How did they stumble on it? Did you encourage it? Did you know early on that it would help with college applications?

Started in middle school on own. DC was self-driven in somewhat weird niche interests (that most ppl thought were a bit bizarre back then tbh). We let DC do it - went out of our way to find summer opportunities, especially once it was clear this was a real enduring interest. But did not ever imagine it would help with college apps. More of a hobby then?

By high school, DC was an expert in this sub-field (and related genres). Just let your kid be who they are. If they have an interest (even if bizarre) nurture it. DC attended a private HS.

My 2 cents:
Don't make them do math competitions or be on the robotics team if they don't love it. My DC did do a few in-school clubs (including MUN) which helped them become a great speaker and thinker on their feet - however never won ANY MUN awards. Founded one (very small and niche) club at their school. And was a TA for a class in a science field. And then all of the rest of the ECs (other than being a member of sports teams - member not captain) were OUTSIDE of school. Things DC developed independently. As parents, we weren't involved at all. It was only the summer before the senior year that we tried to figure out how to write these things down for the EC list and you start to which ones are interrelated and a natural theme emerging.

And my kid had NO honors or awards other than employee of the month for a PT job..... (not an honor at all but DC put it there because it involved him creating something at the employer to improve efficiency).

I really don't think you can manufacture it - but you do have to give kids the space and grace to just be themselves.

Especially if bizarre