Click here to go to the NEW College Discussion Forum

I'm going to be a senior and want to apply to Stanford. Right now I have an SAT I score of 1410. Haven't taken SAT IIs yet, but I will in October. My rank is 1 of 240, and GPA is 4.0 UW. Lots of EC's and community service. So do you think I should retake the SAT I in November for a goal of 1460 or higher, or apply ED? Thanks for any comments.

By Tormima (Tormima) on Wednesday, July 21, 2004 - 12:19 am: Edit

sorry I meant "EA."

By Stanfordrulez (Stanfordrulez) on Wednesday, July 21, 2004 - 02:49 am: Edit

Umm. A score of 1410 is pretty good. I'd suggest that you apply early, especially if Stanford is your first choice.
You may just wanna retake the SAT in any case [in November], in case you get deferred or have to apply to other colleges.

By Tormima (Tormima) on Wednesday, July 21, 2004 - 03:23 am: Edit

Thanks, so if I get deferred does that mean that I am put in with people who apply RD and find out if I'm accepted when they do?

By Hegemonhenenen (Hegemonhenenen) on Wednesday, July 21, 2004 - 02:41 pm: Edit

Yes,
I'd suggest retaking this SAT only once.
Don't forget to try the ACT

By Tormima (Tormima) on Tuesday, August 24, 2004 - 02:37 am: Edit

thanks.
anyone else have any thoughts? would it be better to apply EA with 1410 or apply RD with a 1450+ ?

also what are the chances that I would get deferred with my current stats, because I will probably retake the the SAT even if I do apply early.

By Cooldude (Cooldude) on Tuesday, August 24, 2004 - 09:44 am: Edit

my true opinion would be apply EA with 1410, but since i'm applying EA too, plz apply RD

By Celebrian23 (Celebrian23) on Tuesday, August 24, 2004 - 11:04 am: Edit

apply ea

By Tormima (Tormima) on Tuesday, August 24, 2004 - 05:03 pm: Edit

thanks, any other suggestions?

By Tormima (Tormima) on Sunday, September 12, 2004 - 08:09 pm: Edit

now that i'm pretty sure i'm going to apply early, I was wondering if scoring in the 770-800 range on both the SAT II writing and math 2c would make up for my SAT I score of 1410 being below the average.

By Irock1ce (Irock1ce) on Sunday, September 12, 2004 - 08:14 pm: Edit

tormima - SAT1 is fine. dont worry too much about it. get SAT2s up. Remember, scores dont get you into the door. They get you a ticket to the show. Your grades, personality, and ECs will get you in.

By Tormima (Tormima) on Sunday, September 12, 2004 - 10:07 pm: Edit

Irock1ce - thanks that makes me feel alot better. I guess I'll focus more on studying for the sat IIs and writing my essays.

By Fighterpilot (Fighterpilot) on Tuesday, September 14, 2004 - 06:06 pm: Edit

Don't listen to irock1ce,

A cousin of mine works for addmissions at Stanford. I have gone there a few times and have asked the same question to may people there.

All the answers are the same. EA has a higher %of admissions, people apply but each person is much much more qualified in the EA group.

Most people that are accepted in EA have some huge award or some kind of national level participation.

If you dont have a high sat ( 1500 Plus) and all 700 or 750's on sat2s dont apply EA

U need something huge to get into stanford EA.


U have a good chance at Stanford Reg if u get your SAt1 up a little bit get a 1500.

U should diffently apply regular and not EA.
Ur chance for addmissions in your case would be much much much higher.

Trust me, i hav asked and had long talks with many graders and people for stanford and stanford addmissions.

By Jerew (Jerew) on Tuesday, September 14, 2004 - 06:15 pm: Edit

Would average ECs, 1470 and 720\760\800 SAT II's combined with legacy be more effective than RD? I am still not sure if legacy status requires me to apply SCEA.

By Bmy (Bmy) on Tuesday, September 14, 2004 - 08:18 pm: Edit

The college counselors at the most competitive, local private school tell us that legacy status carries weight at Stanford...especially if you're stats, essay, and EC's are in the competitive zone.

Tormima--1400's kind of low without a solid hook. Where's your school? How competitive is it?

By Jerew (Jerew) on Tuesday, September 14, 2004 - 08:31 pm: Edit

so do I still have to apply SCEA in order for them to consider my legacy status? BTW, my school is OK, (at least a few NMFinalists every year in a class of about 180) but we just don't apply to big schools. Will this hurt me?

By Jerew (Jerew) on Tuesday, September 14, 2004 - 08:31 pm: Edit

so do I still have to apply SCEA in order for them to consider my legacy status? BTW, my school is OK, (at least a few NMFinalists every year in a class of about 180) but we just don't apply to big schools. Will this hurt me?

By Irock1ce (Irock1ce) on Tuesday, September 14, 2004 - 11:29 pm: Edit

fighterpilot - last year, 4 people from my high school were accepted into Stanford EA. NONE of them had your 1500plus SAT1s or won huge awards or national level competitors. They were normal kids who participated in school activities and were just local leaders. Telling me that you have to be amazing to get into Stanford EA and that its easier to get into RD than EA just means your completely blind. If you want to go to that school, APPLY EA. That is common knowledge and i dont care if you talked to god about this.

By Leely888 (Leely888) on Wednesday, September 15, 2004 - 12:26 am: Edit

I would suggest you increase your SAT scores before you apply. The EA application pool is VERY competitive.

By Patient (Patient) on Wednesday, September 15, 2004 - 01:06 am: Edit

Jerew...you will have legacy status regardless of whether you apply EA or RD. However, I have HEARD (don't know for sure) that legacy carries a little more weight if you apply EA. (Legacy meaning parent is an alum, not other relatives)

By Tormima (Tormima) on Wednesday, September 15, 2004 - 02:13 am: Edit

Bmy - i go to a public high school in washington state. i would say it's average to somewhat competitive. as for a hook, i have gone on several church missions trip and am very involved with music (all-state band and lots of other stuff) but i dont really know if that's a hook or not...

now i'm really lost as to whether I should apply EA or RD...i always thought EA was supposed to increase your chances no matter how strong your application

also, is it true that if you get deferred you have less of a chance to get in than an RD candidate?

By Bmy (Bmy) on Wednesday, September 15, 2004 - 11:35 am: Edit

Tormima- Your involvement with music and your church missions show that you care about other people and can sustain interests, but I don't know if they set you apart from other applicants. You are asking all the right questions about RD and EA, but all we can really give you is second-hand information based on local experiences. Can you make an appointment with your school's college counselor to go over the pros and cons of RD vs EA. The counselor should know how your school fares with Stanford admissions and how you compare to others who applied successfully in the past. What do you think?

By Tormima (Tormima) on Wednesday, September 15, 2004 - 06:17 pm: Edit

Thanks Bmy. yeah I'll talk to my college counselor about that. I think that there have only been 3 students who have applied in the past 2 years (all RD), and all were rejected. They were pretty similar candidates to me, except all were girls (don't know if that matters much) and I'm not quite sure how "focused" their EC's were, but apparently Stanford expressed a lot of interest in all of them. Maybe EA would help...?

By Samueladams (Samueladams) on Wednesday, September 15, 2004 - 07:16 pm: Edit

All this reasoning has been terrible. A better SAT score will not be the difference between an EA rejection or an acceptance RD. At best, and this is really stretching it, it will be the difference between a deferral and an acceptance EA. So, apply early, because if you're a good candidate, you're certainly not going to be rejected, maybe, you'll be deferred, and then you should have a better SAT score to show them for RD round, and maybe you'll just be accepted because you're a great candidate. Do you see how it can't hurt you to apply early? If you're rejected early I doubt even a 100 pt improvement would have spared you. They're going to defer anyone they think is a good candidate but doesn't quite stand out, they're not going to be making that decision based on a couple board scores, that would be so stupid. I like the initial analogy, board scores get you a ticket to the show, there are very few VIP tickets, and since a higher SAT score won't get you one, just worry about the app. If a great score would have only moved you from an EA rejection to a deferral, well then unless you save the world in mean time, you'd probably just be rejected RD, it's inconsequential.

By Samueladams (Samueladams) on Wednesday, September 15, 2004 - 07:19 pm: Edit

Plus, take the november SAT and rush the score in, that's what I did, and maybe it'll arrive in time to be considered for you.

By Tormima (Tormima) on Saturday, September 18, 2004 - 11:46 pm: Edit

thanks samueladams. sounds like i will apply EA after all (and retake the SAT1 in November). i'm not sure if I am considered a "strong candidate" or not, but i know that my essay will really show my personality and passion, so hopefully it will make me stand out somewhat, even if my scores are borderline.

also, does anyone know the percentages of applicants deferred, and the percentage of deferred applicants who got admitted RD?

By Nngmm (Nngmm) on Tuesday, September 28, 2004 - 01:46 pm: Edit

What instrument do you play? Send in an audition tape. It does not have to be professionally recorded or anything - just something that can show them, how well you can play. There are forms and instructions on the web site. It can not hurt you, and you do not make a commitment to play, but if someone in the music dept. wants you, it's a huge leg up. (But make sure it gets there on time - the deadline for it is earlier then the rest of the app.)

By Tormima (Tormima) on Tuesday, September 28, 2004 - 07:56 pm: Edit

I play trumpet and piano. I am most likely going to send in recordings on one or both, but the application form says that you are expected to be recognized at the regional, state, national, or international level. I could make a better piano recording than trumpet, but I'm not really "recognized" at the piano (only played in a few local contests and stuff, nothing big). I have gone to all-state band on trumpet though. If I have time, I might make both recordings, but I don't know if it would really help me, when there are going to be "internationally recognized" musicians applying. It couldn't hurt could it?

By Nngmm (Nngmm) on Wednesday, September 29, 2004 - 11:53 am: Edit

It can't hurt you to send an audition. Trumpet is more important for admissions purposes, as they may need a trumpet player in one of the ensembles, and it will move your application from the general pile into the pile of people that someone wants, which can make all the difference.

High SAT II scores do count. I've heard that if your SAT II Writing score is higher than SAT I verbal, they count your writing score instead of verbal, but I'm not sure if it is true.

By Nngmm (Nngmm) on Wednesday, September 29, 2004 - 12:06 pm: Edit

>>i know that my essay will really show my personality and passion

Yeah, make sure it does...