Yeah, but did he apply to Stanford? - Printable Version
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Yeah, but did he apply to Stanford? - Bruce Wang - 04-01-2014
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/03/31/ivy-league-admissions-college-university/7119531/
This young man got accepted by every Ivy League school. An impressive feat, but did he apply to the school more selective than the Ivys?
If you haven't seen the news, the acceptance rate hit another record low: 5.07%.
Re: Yeah, but did he apply to Stanford? - Nan3cy - 04-01-2014
That 5.07% is a truly terrifying number. Lots of unhappy alums whose kids don't get the happy email... And more reason for all of us to ponder the eternal question of "Would I get in today? And why???"Â ???
Re: Yeah, but did he apply to Stanford? - Bruce Wang - 04-01-2014
(04-01-2014, 01:11 PM)Nan3cy link Wrote:And more reason for all of us to ponder the eternal question of "Would I get in today? And why???"Â ???
As a former member of the waiting list for the Loma Prieta class, I never ponder this question because I know the answer with near metaphysical certitude.
No question on this topic...except maybe one - Redrum - 04-01-2014
Reject?...OR...Reject with extreme prejudice, Apocalypse Now style?Â
So much more personal than just a disappointing email.
Re: Yeah, but did he apply to Stanford? - Leftcoast - 04-01-2014
I know several of those unhappy alums.Â
To cite one, we lost a good fan the other day. My ex roommate's son was a big fan from the first day he could toddle up the steps of the old stadium or walk to a loge seat at Maples. Both of his parents were grads as well as many uncles, aunts and family friends and he learned Stanford fandom from them. He knew every player by number and could cite their stats by middle school. If I saw a great play made by #28 he was the one I'd ask to get his name (yeah, I can't keep them all in my head). He wore Stanford gear on every football Friday and it was a rare social media week that didn't include some mention of Stanford sports or Stanford arts (he also spent time in the performing arts departments). He was more nervous than any of my friends before the recent Oregon games and more excited with our recent wins. A good student from a good school who also played in a local orchestra but in these tough admittance days his whole family was holding their breath when he applied.Â
He announced his admittance status by changing all his profile pictures to Michigan gear and skipping Stanford Basketball games for the first time in recent memory. For the time being he's sworn off all things Stanford.  He will have lots of other good college choices so his prospects remain rosy but remember ....
That 5% figure represents a lot of broken hearts for a lot of good kids who love Stanford. I'm not celebrating.
Re: Yeah, but did he apply to Stanford? - Farm93 - 04-01-2014
(04-01-2014, 02:23 PM)Leftcoast link Wrote:That 5% figure represents a lot of broken hearts for a lot of good kids who love Stanford. I'm not celebrating.Remember when families could walk up to Stanford Stadium on game day and hold a family reunion in any number of GA sections?
Remember when Castro Street in Mountain View was run down with ample street side parking?
A University should hope to be popular, and if popular then there will be no way to admit everyone. Good, deserving kids will not get admitted, but that was true for Stanford when the admit rate was 15%.
Stanford is at 5%, the Ivies averaged ~9%. Today even USC has an admit rate that would rival Stanford's in the mid-80s. If Stanford still had a 20% admit rate that would likely be a problem if other schools were down at 5-10%. There are lots of good schools, someone that feels it is their right to attend a particular school is not in touch with the reality of college admissions.
If feel bad for the 95% of Stanford applicants that did not get the admit news they wanted, but that should not prevent the 5% from celebrating their good fortune. Some school has to be the most selective, and I am happy and proud that Stanford has that title for 2014.
The other 95% will survive and I am confident most will find their way to excellent schools. It is not as if the choice was Stanford University or beauty school (not that there is anything wrong with beauty school, but the musical Grease came to mind.)
Re: Yeah, but did he apply to Stanford? - Farm93 - 04-01-2014
(04-01-2014, 03:37 PM)garvin link Wrote:I don't disagree with anything anybody said in this thread. But I'll add one thing: About 10 or 12 years ago, I had a nightmare in which I opened my letter from the Admissions Office to find a rejection. I woke up wanting to vomit, as I did every time the dream recurred over the next few months. I'm sure a shrink would tell me that my sense of self is waaaaaaaaay too wrapped up in where I went to school. But there it is.Ugh! Don't need to add THAT nightmare to my list. Thankfully the day I got my letter remains so vivid and delightful that I doubt I would believe that particular storyline in any of my dreams.
I have no idea why the dreams started, nor why they stopped. But they gave me a painful sympathy for those who want to go to Stanford and are rejected.
Re: Yeah, but did he apply to Stanford? - Mick - 04-01-2014
(04-01-2014, 02:23 PM)Leftcoast link Wrote:I know several of those unhappy alums.Â
To cite one, we lost a good fan the other day. My ex roommate's son was a big fan from the first day he could toddle up the steps of the old stadium or walk to a loge seat at Maples. Both of his parents were grads as well as many uncles, aunts and family friends and he learned Stanford fandom from them. He knew every player by number and could cite their stats by middle school. If I saw a great play made by #28 he was the one I'd ask to get his name (yeah, I can't keep them all in my head). He wore Stanford gear on every football Friday and it was a rare social media week that didn't include some mention of Stanford sports or Stanford arts (he also spent time in the performing arts departments). He was more nervous than any of my friends before the recent Oregon games and more excited with our recent wins. A good student from a good school who also played in a local orchestra but in these tough admittance days his whole family was holding their breath when he applied.Â
He announced his admittance status by changing all his profile pictures to Michigan gear and skipping Stanford Basketball games for the first time in recent memory. For the time being he's sworn off all things Stanford.  He will have lots of other good college choices so his prospects remain rosy but remember ....
That 5% figure represents a lot of broken hearts for a lot of good kids who love Stanford. I'm not celebrating.
Having been one of the unexceptional 95%, I know how he feels. He'll get over it.
Re: Yeah, but did he apply to Stanford? - 82lsju - 04-01-2014
I wonder why he applied to all 8. My impression of the 8 schools is that they are not all that similar and I'd think that you'd weed out a few based on what you were looking for in a college.
On lower admit rates and his feat of being admitted to all 8 of the Ivys, he applied to at least 8 universities, maybe more. Back in the stone age when I applied to college and had to type each application I applied to 3. From watching my friends kids apply to college I'd say the norm today is probably the 8 (or more) of this fellow rather than the ~3 of my day. Based on this anecdotal evidence the admit rate should be less half of what it was in the late 1970s.
That's accurate - Mick - 04-01-2014
I applied to two in 1980, Stanford and Santa Clara. I was about to apply to the UC system, but my dad reminded me that hey, it was $50, so I'd have to pay for it. Dad (who never went to a four year college) was not wild about the entire UC system based upon his feelings about Cal.Â
My older son (2008) started apps to six colleges, my younger son (2012) started apps to eight schools; same as older kid plus Stanford and G'Town. Both got in early admit, so both finished just the UCs and Princeton. Most of their friends did eight; the school's counselors tended to frown on more than eight without good reason. They typically encouraged two reach schools, two safety schools and four within-range schools.
Re: Yeah, but did he apply to Stanford? - SUBuddha - 04-01-2014
I know I would not get in now, even with the 4 generations of family there. I applied to 4 schools: 1) The Air Force Academy (the only place i could have played football) and got beat out by 10 points on the math SAT by a kid in my area. 2) USC, got in and was offered a partial academic ride there. Boulder, which was my safety school, offered in state tuition as an academic scholarship, and then my reach was Stanford, only because my parents demanded it. I never dreamed I would get in, when I got the letter with Dean Jean's signature (still have it) I jumped up and down. I think my pops may have even cried that day.
I would love for my kids to be able to go to Stanford, but it is really not an immediate concern as they are only 3 and 5. I have, however, applied for a few positions over the last 3 years in the hopes that if I am working there they may have a better chance of being accepted.
Re: Yeah, but did he apply to Stanford? - GoodGrief - 04-01-2014
(04-01-2014, 04:24 PM)Publius link Wrote:so the coward that I was (still am) sucker-kicked the skinhead in the balls and ran away.
woohoo! Asian Power!!! (we're tactical about when we take our revenge!)
Re: Yeah, but did he apply to Stanford? - JeffInCorvallis - 04-01-2014
(04-01-2014, 05:23 PM)SUBuddha link Wrote:I would love for my kids to be able to go to Stanford, but it is really not an immediate concern as they are only 3 and 5. I have, however, applied for a few positions over the last 3 years in the hopes that if I am working there they may have a better chance of being accepted.
I don't get this last bit at all. Even if you are working for Stanford, is it really going to improve your kids' chances?
I'm resigned to the fact that my kids chances of getting accepted are vanishingly small, not because they're not smart, great kids, but they don't have anything that really distinguishes them. Ah, but we still have a few years to go.
Re: Yeah, but did he apply to Stanford? - Brannerite - 04-01-2014
Is The CARDboard an anonymous source for the Washington Post?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/04/01/but-did-he-apply-to-stanford/
Re: Yeah, but did he apply to Stanford? - Farm93 - 04-01-2014
(04-01-2014, 05:23 PM)SUBuddha link Wrote:I would love for my kids to be able to go to Stanford, but it is really not an immediate concern as they are only 3 and 5. I have, however, applied for a few positions over the last 3 years in the hopes that if I am working there they may have a better chance of being accepted.It used to be best to be from North Dakota. However, given all of the oil money in that state right now, it might be better to have your kids attend high school in South Dakota. I would think the only benefit of working at Stanford, or any other university, would be the access to the grants that many schools give the kids of their staffers to attend 4 year colleges.Â
Re: Yeah, but did he apply to Stanford? - DC - 04-01-2014
(04-01-2014, 03:37 PM)garvin link Wrote:I don't disagree with anything anybody said in this thread. But I'll add one thing: About 10 or 12 years ago, I had a nightmare in which I opened my letter from the Admissions Office to find a rejection. I woke up wanting to vomit, as I did every time the dream recurred over the next few months. I'm sure a shrink would tell me that my sense of self is waaaaaaaaay too wrapped up in where I went to school. But there it is.
I have no idea why the dreams started, nor why they stopped. But they gave me a painful sympathy for those who want to go to Stanford and are rejected.
As an adult long after graduation, I had recurring nightmares about it being the 8th or 9th week of the quarter. Finals were coming up imminently, but I hadn't done the reading, I hadn't written the papers, I hadn't done the homework, and in some courses I hadn't even attended class for weeks - so I didn't even know what I had missed or how far behind I was. ??? Thankfully, I always woke up before I had to solve that dilemma. :P
I have an idea why the dreams started ;), but thankfully those awful dreams stopped many years ago. ;D
Re: Yeah, but did he apply to Stanford? - 2 for 2028 - 04-01-2014
(04-01-2014, 08:31 PM)DC link Wrote:[quote author=garvin link=topic=9773.msg86968#msg86968 date=1396391875]
I don't disagree with anything anybody said in this thread. But I'll add one thing: About 10 or 12 years ago, I had a nightmare in which I opened my letter from the Admissions Office to find a rejection. I woke up wanting to vomit, as I did every time the dream recurred over the next few months. I'm sure a shrink would tell me that my sense of self is waaaaaaaaay too wrapped up in where I went to school. But there it is.
I have no idea why the dreams started, nor why they stopped. But they gave me a painful sympathy for those who want to go to Stanford and are rejected.
As an adult long after graduation, I had recurring nightmares about it being the 8th or 9th week of the quarter. Finals were coming up imminently, but I hadn't done the reading, I hadn't written the papers, I hadn't done the homework, and in some courses I hadn't even attended class for weeks - so I didn't even know what I had missed or how far behind I was. ??? Thankfully, I always woke up before I had to solve that dilemma. :P
I have an idea why the dreams started ;), but thankfully those awful dreams stopped many years ago. ;D
[/quote]
Just turned 40 and I still have these (and have had them for years). Mine usually manifest themselves as me waking up in something resembling my senior year bed, mid-semester, thinking that there was a midterm that day and realizing that I hadn't even looked at the syllabus for that class, let alone gone. I don't even know where on campus this class takes place. These always come when there is added work stress in my life. Good news is that I haven't had them for a while.Â
Re: Yeah, but did he apply to Stanford? - jacketree - 04-01-2014
I think these stats are so skewed by the huge applicant pools out there that results from the cut 'n paste Common Application process are virtually meaningless. Other than a sandstone campus (some admittedly faux) with red tile roofs (probably most of these are real and spectacular just like Teri Hatcher) a mere five miles from the climate deemed best by government test draws a boatload of applicants. And they don't take many. But there are more applicants because applying is easier than ever. So yes, Stanford is more selective, but it is mostly a function of the denominator. I think anyway.
In 1980 I applied to three schools (University of Colorado, Colorado School of Mines, and Georgia Tech) and had offers of admission from all three before Christmas.
In 2008 my daughter applied to three schools (University of Portland, Sonoma State, and U of Southern Oregon) and had the same experience. She was very unusual for her class, and had a not-so-mild panic attack the following spring when all of her friends who had applied to a dozen schools started hearing back from them and my daughter realized that she only looked at three, and aaaah....... Relax honey.
In 2011 my son applied to thirteen schools, a baker's dozen from around the country, because the applications were all free (that's one way for a university to increase its 'selectivity' without doing a damn thing else), he was gaming NROTC a little bit. and it all made for a nice long road trip to visit a zillion schools in the eastern humid zone (EHZ) that summer. Ultimately he was offered scholarships at 11 of those schools and we found out that it is easier to get in at Annapolis than Cal, although conventional wisdom and all the indices say otherwise. But the letter don't lie as they say.
Face it, a few of us would get in now; a lot of us wouldn't. Just like the 40,000 applicants this year. I'd love some inside scoop. I bet it involves more than a little.....
Re: Yeah, but did he apply to Stanford? - Farm93 - 04-01-2014
(04-01-2014, 04:24 PM)Publius link Wrote:[quote author=garvin link=topic=9773.msg86968#msg86968 date=1396391875]Any of these recurring nightmares involve only getting accepted by Kal? I lived that one for a few months. Of course that was still better than the living nightmare that was Dayton, Ohio.
About 10 or 12 years ago, I had a nightmare in which I opened my letter from the Admissions Office to find a rejection.
[/quote]
Why would getting accepted to UCB be a nightmare? I would guess many Stanford alums were accepted by UCB. I would also guess that most have either forgotten all about that acceptance experience or have fond memories of getting an acceptance letter from UCB.
Re: Yeah, but did he apply to Stanford? - terry - 04-01-2014
(04-01-2014, 04:40 PM)82lsju link Wrote:I wonder why he applied to all 8. My impression of the 8 schools is that they are not all that similar and I'd think that you'd weed out a few based on what you were looking for in a college.
That's a good point. Seems like the kid cared more about the credentials than finding the best fit.