NationStates Jolt Archive

Ok I want to go here so badly!! Take a look at my credentials and tell me how well is my chance of getting in (I'm only a freshman though) with these credentials:


Honors student w/3.9+ GPA

Key Club - logged 41 hours (minimum of 20), chairpersoned a few events

Community Outreach - Like KC only run on a more local basis

School Newspaper - I'm a Staff Reporter (7 total articles for the monthly paper this year), and I am like the only freshman who voluntarily comes to help w/copyreading and layout

Plays Tennis - played on JV team

Been playing piano for 5+ years


For the Future:

Joining the Red Cross, getting certified in CPR, Lifeguard

Hold office in KC, Community Outreach

Editorship on newspaper, also going for edtior-in-chiefship senior yr

Joining winter track instead of Tennis (the experience on da team wasnt as great as I hoped it to be)

Joining maybe one or two other clubs at my school

Possibly picking up the guitar

Getting a job at the bike store in my town

Taking some form of martial arts in a year or two

There aren't enough people interested in college admissions here.

I suggest you go to collegeconfidential.com or princetonreview.com

Ok I want to go here so badly!! Take a look at my credentials and tell me how well is my chance of getting in (I'm only a freshman though) with these credentials:


Honors student w/3.9+ GPA

Key Club - logged 41 hours (minimum of 20), chairpersoned a few events

Community Outreach - Like KC only run on a more local basis

School Newspaper - I'm a Staff Reporter (7 total articles for the monthly paper this year), and I am like the only freshman who voluntarily comes to help w/copyreading and layout

Plays Tennis - played on JV team

Been playing piano for 5+ years


For the Future:

Joining the Red Cross, getting certified in CPR, Lifeguard

Hold office in KC, Community Outreach

Editorship on newspaper, also going for edtior-in-chiefship senior yr

Joining winter track instead of Tennis (the experience on da team wasnt as great as I hoped it to be)

Joining maybe one or two other clubs at my school

Possibly picking up the guitar

Getting a job at the bike store in my town

Taking some form of martial arts in a year or twoI dunno, that seems like a pretty good resume. What are you looking at studying?

Two important questions--what are your SAT scores and can your parents afford it? Stanford is expensive as hell, let me tell you. It's certainly worth it, though.

How much is Stanford? I applied to colleges this year but hadnt checked on Stanford. Im going to Rensselaer and its $43k next year.

Two important questions--what are your SAT scores and can your parents afford it? Stanford is expensive as hell, let me tell you. It's certainly worth it, though.

I haven't taken an SAT for college yet. however last year I got the chance to take it in 8th grade and it wouldn't count. 530 verbal, 540 math = 1070. But they're re-vamping it to be out of 2400 points, so my score could be anything now . . .

Two important questions--what are your SAT scores and can your parents afford it? Stanford is expensive as hell, let me tell you. It's certainly worth it, though.

I haven't taken an SAT for college yet. however last year I got the chance to take it in 8th grade and it wouldn't count. 530 verbal, 540 math = 1070. But they're re-vamping it to be out of 2400 points, so my score could be anything now . . .

A 1070 isnt good enough, though youll probably score higher as a junior when you take it for real.

How much is Stanford? I applied to colleges this year but hadnt checked on Stanford. Im going to Rensselaer and its $43k next year.That's probably close--I'm there on a fellowship, so they're paying me, not the other way around, but that also means I don't have any real idea what a year runs. I know that it would normally cost me $2,000 a quarter--not semester--for a single graduate level class. You can extrapolate from there, and then add in for books, health insurance, etc.

Everything looks good (except that you will need a higher SAT.) I would be careful about spreading yourself too thin with the activities. A long list of activities may generally be better than a short list, but what really matters is how much time and energy you put into them.

Also, be aware that getting into the elite colleges is a bit of a crapshoot. There are a lot of kids applying with incredible credentials (and of course some of the spaces are informally reserved for legacy applicants, rich kids with parent donors, athletic scholarship winners, diversity applicants, kids who play an instrument needed in the school orchestra, etc.) Don't pin all your hopes on one school, although you should make clear in your application that Stanford is your #1 choice. Doing early admission, if Stanford allows it, can help.

And remember, if you don't get in the first time, you can try to transfer.