by Steven Tagle
What Does Stanford Look for in Applicants?
Stanford University is one of the most prestigious and fiercely selective universities in the United States, with an acceptance rate of under 4%. One former admissions officer revealed that during the initial sorting, with occasional exceptions, applications with “more than two Bs, SAT section scores below 700, a disciplinary infraction, or unremarkable extracurriculars” were relegated to the noncompetitive pile.
According to Stanford’s undergraduate admission website, the school practices holistic admission, focusing on academic excellence, intellectual vitality, and personal context. In this post, I will help you read between the lines, going through my own application and breaking down what specific criteria mean for students applying to Stanford.
I was accepted into Stanford’s Class of 2007 as an early-decision admit. By looking back at my application with an admissions consultant’s eyes and studying the profiles of students who accessed their admission files through FERPA (the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act), I’ve developed a strong sense of what Stanford’s readers are looking for as they sift through more than 50,000 applications each year.
Here’s what it takes to get into Stanford.
Context
Stanford’s admissions office notes that it “take[s] into account your background, educational pathway, and work and family responsibilities” when evaluating your application. This includes whether you come from a diverse background, are economically disadvantaged, or would be the first in your family to attend college. Additional context is provided by the profile of your high school (including the size of your graduating class and the percentage of its students that go to a four-year college) and by letters of recommendation from teachers and counselors. This gives Stanford’s admissions readers a sense of the opportunities that would be available you in their school and community.
High School Rigor and Testing
This element is described on Stanford’s site as the “primary criterion” for admission to the school and is based mostly on your transcript and reported test scores. Students can score high in this area by maxing out their high school curriculum with AP and Honors courses, and gain a score bump by taking community college courses or learning independently while in high school. Readers use the acronym MD to indicate that the applicant has completed the most demanding coursework, and high grades are expected. SAT, ACT, SATII, and AP scores are also evaluated.
I had a 4.68 weighted (4.00 unweighted) GPA and ranked 20th in my graduating class of 719 students. I scored 1500 on the SAT. I earned 4s and 5s on my AP exams and 800s on the Writing and U.S. History SATIIs. My transcript included college-level calculus coursework and summer school coursework at Stanford and Harvard.
Intellectual Vitality
Self-presentation (or SP in Stanford admissions speak) evaluates characteristics such as personal growth, the distance a student has traveled from freshman to senior year, whether they’re a force for good in their community, the impact they have had on others, and their charm, humor, determination, leadership, and other such qualities.
Intellectual vitality (or IV in Stanford admissions speak) is a quality that plays a significant role in Stanford readers’ written assessments of student applications. Stanford describes it as “your commitment, dedication, and genuine interest in expanding your intellectual horizons.” IV is evidence of “a truly thinking mind”: a student’s ability to demonstrate an innate curiosity, a joy in learning for its own sake, and an authentic desire to pursue their intellectual passions, in and out of the classroom.
Stanford’s readers seek SPIV in both your personal essays and your letters of recommendation from teachers and counselors. They want to see that you’re passionate about a specific topic or subject, that you’ve taken the initiative to seek out new knowledge, and that your SPIV is verified by accomplishments such as publications, presentations, projects, and awards. In other words, they take into account both what you say and what you do, and how this connects to what you want to study at Stanford. Therefore, it’s important that the major you propose in your application aligns with your interests and achievements.
Extracurriculars
Extracurriculars are where you demonstrate your SPIV in action. Stanford wants to see evidence of your commitment and dedication to a particular passion through leadership positions; the founding of clubs, organizations, or start-ups; and impactful accomplishments. As the admissions office states, “An exceptional depth of experience in one or two activities may demonstrate your passion more than minimal participation in five or six clubs.” What are you genuinely interested in? How have you gone above and beyond to pursue a goal or dream? This is why it’s important to narrow the scope of your extracurricular activities in your sophomore year and focus your energy on pursuits related to your core interests and abilities. Your nonacademic interests also give admissions readers a sense of how you might contribute to the Stanford community.
In my application, I was able to support my passion for writing and proposed major in English literature or communications with leadership positions in multiple extracurriculars (editor in chief and co-president of the school literary magazine, campus editor of the school newspaper) and accomplishments (speech and debate trophies, winning poetry awards, and writing stories and plays in Stanford and Harvard’s summer writing programs).
Essays
Your personal essay, short-answer question, and short essay responses should add depth to your application, each highlighting different aspects of your personality and demonstrating character traits such as thoughtfulness and humor. They can also provide context for your unique circumstances, offer a glimpse into your emotional life, draw parallels with books you’ve read, and mention Stanford professors you’re interested in working with. Reflecting on your accomplishments and experiences is also key to boosting your SP.
The essays are also used to gauge your IV. For example, the short essay prompt “The Stanford community is deeply curious and driven to learn in and out of the classroom. Reflect on an idea or experience that makes you genuinely excited about learning” explicitly addresses IV. A version of this prompt has been around at least since I applied in 2003. In my essay, I drew a connection between a chemistry concept and the fragile bonds that temporarily bring people together, including a stanza from a poem I wrote about the subject. I think that explaining my excitement at this creative connection across disciplines, in addition to showing how I got inspiration for my writing, helped to boost my IV score.
My main personal essay addressed a falling out I had with a close friend and how it motivated me to break out of my comfort zone and overcome my introversion. I think the essay provided a glimpse into the social and emotional challenges I faced in high school and how I overcame them – something that was not present anywhere else in my application and contributed to a positive SP evaluation.
Optional Interview
The optional interview, if available in your region, is another way that you can show Stanford more of who you are as a person, beyond your application statistics. Interviewers again rank a student’s IV, character, and SP, as well as their depth and commitment to their passions through their extracurriculars and accomplishments. As in your essays, it’s important to be yourself and to respond authentically.
When interviewing, it can be helpful to offer a memorable anecdote that’s not included in your written application. Sometimes such anecdotes can make it into your admissions file and help persuade the adcom. Interviewers might also be attentive to your long-term goals.
A Stanford graduate and the recipient of prestigious fellowships from the Fulbright Program and the Institute of Current World Affairs, as well as a Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans, Steven Tagle has taught and mentored students for 20 years. As a published writer, journalist, and former speechwriter for the U.S. ambassador to Greece, he knows how to draw out applicants’ unique stories and craft compelling personal statements that help their applications stand out from the pack. Click here to get in touch.
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