Why Stanford REJECTED me, the "perfect" student

Colleges aren’t looking for over achievers. They are looking for people who are specialized and have actual interests

My guess is that you did so much throughout your time in high school that you really didn't establish an identity for yourself. Stanford wants to know what makes you special, and while your resume is EXTREMELY impressive, I literally can't say anything about who you are other than the fact that you're a total over-achiever.

I just wanted to chime in as a former development officer for Dartmouth College, with inside knowledge of the inner workings of the Admissions process at elite colleges. The truth is that you were clearly a very strong applicant who likely could have succeeded at Stanford. But is just comes down to a numbers game. Very simply, Stanford has only 2,000 or so seats (or fewer if you consider previous admits who defer and carry over from previous cycles) for incoming freshmen and cannot accommodate the 40,000 or so annual applicants. Elite colleges are seeking to assemble just the right class, much like putting together an intricate puzzle. They are laser focused on diversity. From there it's a certain amount of legacy, foreign students and a balance of representation from US regions. They are looking at just the right number of athletes, musicians, scientists, writers, artists, future CEOs, etc. Recent scandals aside, the Admissions process generally is conducted with a high level of integrity. Applications are read and rated multiple times, by different members of the Admissions office. Applicants are assigned a letter grade (A: for admit, P: for possible, R: for reject) and then a fraction, with the top number (on a scale of 1-10) a rating of academics and the bottom number a rating of extracurriculars. All of the possibles get discussed in committee. Your application was likely given a lot of thought and consideration. Admissions officers are looking for students who have not peaked in high school but who seem to be all potential. They are not looking for kids who have achieved a lot because they have had every advantage. The essays do matter. The alumni interviews matter. Recommendations matter. It is not enough to have a lot of AP classes. They need to be the "right" AP classes. Strong test scores are a must, clearly. The goal is to make each class better than the last. Bottom line, most of the exceptional applicants who apply to Stanford probably are qualified to attend. But they simply cannot accept everyone. Some excellent candidates sadly must be turned away. It is possible to do everything right, to work incredibly hard, and still not be able to overcome the odds. I'm sorry that you did not make the cut but I hope you will understand all of the above and not take it personally. I also hope that whatever school you matched with will be a great experience for you, despite this disappointment.

It's amazing how competitive it is to get into these universities, when even you didn't get in. I am reminded of a friend who was rejected from Harvard, and was told that the reason was that she was so well prepared that she didn't need Harvard, and so they would rather have a bigger impact in someone else's life. That's why having your story based around a mission you are on is so important. You want the admissions committee to feel like they are helping you achieve that goal also.

This is crazy. How is a 17 year old supposed to know exactly what they want to do in life much less know who THEY are?

I know it's life, but it feels so discouraging that there are way fewer places in good schools than students deserving these places

Sometimes emotional intelligence can get you farther in life than pure intellect.

My advice to anyone who does not get into their dream school is to not waste any more of your time on that school. You will likely never learn why you were rejected. Move on. There are many other equally great schools. I am retired now and my experience is that success in a career has very little correlation to the school you attended. I have friends that are incredibly wealthy (and happy) who were average students at average schools. The workplace is the great equalizer!

It is good to be too Asian. Be yourself! Why let a school define you? You should define the school.

Forget them, it’s Stanfords loss not yours 😅

Good grief! The things you have to go through to get in to an American university is truly shocking and saddening. I am really glad admissions in the UK (or Ireland) isn't anything like this or I would have gotten an ulcer from the stress by the time I was 16.

To be honest, it’s sad to hear you didn’t get in. Personally, I think the biggest thing was you had SO many achievements that they kind of blurred together. It may have seemed like it was a checklist, and that it was for show. I think they maybe thought there wasn’t enough passion. I wish you got in though. Good luck at Caltech!

I'm an Indian and I wrote a national level exam scored high but still couldn't get into the institution I wanted but now looking back I think everything happened for a reason and the med school I'm now studying in is better suitable to me than my previous dream insti

Amy, it’s sad to see you being rejected by Standford. You should apply to MIT for engineering major so you won’t feel regretted. Don’t let your self down, you are a bright and smart person regardless of being not admitted into the Stanford or not.

That’s the problem with college. Unless you know what you want already (by middle school/freshman year), and your parents know how the college app system works, you’ll be far behind by your junior/senior years of high school.

Colleges meticulously craft their incoming freshmen classes. The decision to accept or reject is made on how good a fit they think you are in the class they are creating. It's hardly about grades or standardized test scores, or about how many extracurricular activities you are able to include on your resume. If you are rejected, it's not personal. It usually just means their class vision, for whatever reason, didn't align with your profile.

My daughter also has lifelong eczema that has impacted her life. She did write a whole essay about the challenge and how it has shaped her desire to pursue biology and her future. She did get into Stanford. From my understanding (and their input during Admit Weekend) they are really looking to learn more about applicants as a person. What motivates you, what are your passions, and how does that help you to serve others. They take a holistic approach to admissions and want to know who you are and I don't think beyond academics (as impressive as they are) that did not come through from what I can tell in this video.

holy crap you literally did everything

I've sat on the admissions committee for my graduate school and know that the process can be quite stochastic and subjective. Admissions is becoming more and more "holistic" which means that it's more about having the story you tell in your essays resonate with your reviewers than any test scores or GPA. Nonetheless, keep up the good work! College is just the beginning if you're serious about your intellectual development and one day, when you get to my age, you'll see that the specific school you go to doesn't really matter all that much. It's more about the reputational tier of the school.

I am about to submit my application to Stanford, along with a bunch of other ivies, and this video has been a massive help (and confidence boost) to me! There's so many posts online about "how I got into [school]", but seeing someone go over the reasons why they DIDN'T get in is super rare. Your profile is absolutely leagues above mine and anyone else in my school's, tbh, and it definitely also helps me sleep at night to know that even the "perfect student" can get rejected. Wishing you best of luck, wherever you go in the future!