To add onto what you said most of the stuff she did was just "busy work" to make her seem prestigious and not actually mastering something. In addition to that colleges like to see how you overcame struggles as it highlights that you persevered even though it was difficult.
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.
@@wamyy5 Yeah, I’m 25 and I’m an engineering PhD student but I had a crazy hard time. My GPA was 4.13 weighted with AP and I barely did well in school so 3,4, and 5 on those exams. Barely any extracurriculars either. I also didn’t even get into UT Austin the first time. (Didn’t even dare shoot for Ivy’s because I thought I was too dumb.) I switched majors three times. I dropped out of school once. It won’t be a perfectly linear journey BUT you may do better if you focus on your mental health so you’re more prepared for crappy people lol. You should have a support system but they may not always be there so family or high school friends is important too. I’m sure they feel the exact same way about the “achieving perfection” mantra as I can tell you probably surround yourself around hard working students like yourself. Just remember to balance those things and if you get setback, it’s not the end but a teachable moment for a better opportunity in life. It’s the same way with dating too. Everyone will make mistakes and hopefully grow for them. If anything, take away this: you didn’t know how to ride a bike when you were born on day 1 lol. That took time. So will cementing the adult you are now and how you will leave your mark on this world.
@El Mero Mero My friend, life changes on a dime. Especially in your 20’s. I promise you, you won’t be the same person or be absolutely sure what’s next but you’ll be more resilient and accepting of change.
Knowing who they are should not be that hard. They've lived with that person for 17 years. They are as equally qualifed as their competition with respect to what they want to do. Admissions look to see if the school is a match for the student. If the student is not clear on what they will bring to and take away from the school, they may lose a spot to someone who is clear in that respect.
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.
Thank you for saying this. It’s really easy to get bitter and blame other hypothetical people for something out of your control, but this puts admissions in a more realistic light.
She didn't make it past round 1... due to the laser focus on diversity, her application (along with all her years of hard work) was wadded up and tossed immediately into the circular file (trash bin) after seeing "Asian math nerd". She just needed to identify as an African American Man-hating Lesbian with an exaggerated trauma essay and she be in like Flynn with the other accepted "diverse" applicants (despite sloppier grades and poorer test scores).
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.
Ah, I believe there were many reasons she didn’t get in. She is clearly qualified, but her resume like she said is very much “passionless” in the sense there isn’t a strong focus or obvious one at least that implies she is dedicated to a field or change, etc. Second, there are some many people who dedicate their entire youth to accomplishments like hers and more that there simply is not enough space no matter how qualified she is. Big accomplishments is another. Finally, I agree with what you said- I don’t know if that is the case here, but that actually does apply to a lot including jobs! There is such a thing as a overqualified applicant. That’s why sometimes you won’t get the job, not because you weren’t good enough, but because you could do better and excel from the company or whatever you’re applying to that it might be a waste of their time.
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.
I'm planning on incorporating my ADHD into my essay, do you have any tips on talking about a medical condition without exploiting it or making it seem like an attempt for pity?
@@panda52785 as a 74yr retired med tech and dentist, listen up explain 🤔 how you've had to accept and teach others about how this condition has affected your life . Note that as you grow and go forth in your chosen career that there many be times that you may have to accept and alter yourself. Keep it simple 👌,
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.
@@wamyy5 You might encounter our son in MIT after his BSEE undergrad degree from ASU, he is currently a BARRETT, The Honors College student within ASU! He mentioned MIT, Stanford, & Caltech for his Master’s, but, we lean towards MIT or Stanford!
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!
I admire you a lot for how u can balance your study plan and social activities while still at your school. I'm also an international student from Vietnam, and now I'm on my way to applying to colleges in the Us. All things are good but there are also some problems I have to face daily. But honestly, I find your journey so impressive and it left me with many lessons. Thank you so much for this video and hope to see you continue to thrive to become a better person in the future. Wish you the best!
Hi Manh, thanks so much for your kind words! I’m glad I can be a source of inspiration for your own journey. I wish you the best in your college process. Let me know if there’s any particular content I can share that would be helpful to you 😊
but its not even being asian, I go to Columbia there are many asian students and none had perfect GPAs or SATS they just did fun things, their application was more interesting to read
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.
American speaking: You don’t have to do all of that to get into a university. You can still go to a decent university or college with average stats. The stuff Amy did only applies to students who want to get into TOP schools, like Harvard, Stanford, Yale, etc.
I am retired but I have met very impressive students from Stanford to Harvard in my profession. All of my family members are currently attending or have graduated from college. My son currently is earning his PhD at Princeton, my daughter graduated from UC San Diego, my niece is currently earning her medical degree at Stanford and my other niece earned her master's degree at Yale. Your background and resume is very impressive. That said, hearing you recite your many accomplishments reminds me of all the top college football players that are not drafted in the NFL. Not every top football player makes it in the NFL and not every top student get selected to every school. There is no magic formula or reason that explains these results. Some get in and some don't. Luck and fate is as important as your ACT score or GPA. At the end of the day, it won't matter, you and all the outstanding students who want to succeed will no matter what school or profession you enter. Just my two cents as a retired, old guy.
Mannn, honestly, I find your journey way more impressive and inspirational than the Stanford RUclipsrs. Also, Caltech and UCLA in my opinion are "more" impressive hihi. I wish you the best! Looking forward to more videos 🥳
Ahhh thanks so much for your kind words! I hope that I can share more of my journey and learnings to inspire others through RUclips :) Hahaha thank you - at least, Caltech is definitely harder to survive since it's all STEM majors! Thanks again for the support, and feel free to comment what videos you'd like to see! :)
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.
As a person who also got waitlisted and finally rejected from Stanford the same year you applied, I would imagine Stanford probably looks for uniqueness to differentiate any given applicant from the rest of the crowd. There will be thousands of students who are strong in academics, and hundreds of thousands who aren’t. Your on-paper achievements certainly put you close to admission, but I would imagine to cross that finish line, you’d need to tell Stanford your plan, and show how Stanford can help you along with it. From which of my friends got admitted to Stanford and which didn’t, it seemed like those who were passionate about one area of study were the ones who got admitted. I would imagine that Stanford would rather admit a person who has a specific field of study ready to peruse because that is just the academic culture at Stanford. I’m sure you’ll love your time at caltech, and I’m equally sure you would have enjoyed your time at Stanford less. Admissions officers at top schools ultimately check for fit to ensure that the students end up in the place which best suits them. From what I learned of Caltech, it seemed focused on a culture of nerdiness and geeking out over math, science, and technology which seems to fit you perfectly. From what I learned of Stanford, it seemed focused on climbing the corporate hierarchy and goal-driven success. I personally am happy Stanford rejected me because I found myself very happy at the school which fit me best. After all, for every door that closes, another opens.
Stanford University is over rated. Do what you love that make happy everyday is true happiness. Remember “Dust in the winds” at the end of our journey.
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
@@kaptongaming6659 If the meaning of rank is top 50 out of 18 lac aspirants, I think you might wanna reconsider. Because those are the opening and closing ranks of India's top med college.
I genuinely thank you for being thoughtful enough to let others learn from your experiences. Stanford is my dream school as well, and while it is easier said than done, your advice truly encourages me to step back from the college rat-race and be myself.
I’m glad this video is helpful to you! I do want to caveat that I was truly interested in the things I did - it’s just my personality to be very curious and excited to try everything, but that characteristic worked against me. I think you learn that it’s really hard to “win” either way because it’s hard to say whether colleges will like the “yourself” in “be yourself.” But we what we do know is that you need to be memorable / stand out and emphasize the impact you made. For example, I could’ve talked more about how I used my math skills to help other people and create that nonprofit. The conclusion that will help you is this: the college application is something that has to be curated since it’s a few pages of information on a multi-dimensional person where the admissions officer has limited time to spend on reading
I actually like the way you realize the mistake that you made and give your honest and sincere reason that were tragic for when you applied for Stanford. I think that your resume was extremely impressive and love to know how you made it. The video was so informative and have so many lessons for us. Love to have more such videos.❤❤❤❤
Aw yay I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed my video and it was helpful! I explain in this video tips that helped me do so much in school: ruclips.net/video/qT5CBfjEKyE/видео.html
Thanks for posting this. Kudos for the candor and ability to analyze your shortcomings. This is quite hard to do. Keep in ming that you can always go to Stanford as a graduate student. Do the best you can on your undergrad.
Thanks for taking the time to write your comment! I’m very glad I can share my mistakes to help students avoid making the same ones so they get better chances 😊 thanks for the encouragement as well!
I saw your video by accident and watched to the end even though I'm already in college and the topic doesn't totally follow my interests, my point is that you are so talented that Standford can handle your gifts and skills!
I need your time management skills omg Also, I know not getting into Stanford may seem terrible because you worked tremendously hard, but know that no school needs to give you academic validation. You accomplished a lot already. I was one of the top students at my high school and I was really devoted to art and volunteering too (usually related to art and storytelling) and while I got into the schools I wanted to (I didn't apply for ivy though lol) I couldn't attend because of the high prices.
Hi Brie, thanks so much for your kind words and encouragement! I’m sorry that you couldn’t attend the places you wanted to. Hope everything worked out for you in the end though?
@@wamyy5 I'm applying this year and will hopefully get into a university next year! I did some college but it just wasn't mentally stimulating enough tbh. You're doing so well and you really bring my hopes up, so never lose that sparkle lol!
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!
I think the main reason you didn't get in is because of the way you write. The roommate one i imagine some officer finding the "im anything but boring" and having "philosophical conversations" pretentious. And the excema short essay, the first line was kind of pretentious too. i also think it has to do with ur essays and interests not really being unique
Quite possible! Someone might find it pretentious. This is why it's so important to have several essay reviewers from different backgrounds, since writing is so subjective, and you want to decrease any chance of anything not coming across the way you want it to. I think with my current level of maturity, I would have erred on the more careful side in terms of word choice. The roommate essay was also wayyyy too packed, and I'll read it in an upcoming video :)
@@tikdoe7563 Just have enough readers so they can catch things that others might not have. For example, none of my proofreaders (English teachers, counselors) got the sense that anything could sound pretentious.
@@wamyy5 I don't mean to be rude but when I read the part about "I'm quirky" that was a big uh oh. And then u said "you're not boring" which could imply u don't like "boring" people/don't view it rly well Reading your resume didn't feel.... exactly substantial tbh, like it was rly good but it felt like a pumpkin - it's great, it's sturdy and solid, but the inside wasn't really filled (if that makes sense) And I truly meant no offense but your application gave me "tryhard" vibes. I think that could be why they didn't accept you. Like your resume already solidified your excellence as a student and academically, they want to know stuff personal to you. Like don't get me wrong, harry potter and the maze runner are great books. But u can bet that a bunch of people are gonna put that down on their application yk This is just my view since u asked in the video. Hope it helps!
@@RandomPersonzzzGreat points! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Yes, the try-hard thing I tried to convey using the documentary clips where it’s ironic that Stanford actually selects AGAINST students who appear TOO studious with many AP classes, etc. It’s a difficult concept to grasp though since all our lives, we are told to work hard and be the best in school, but when we actually do, it’s not treated as an asset. I tried to stand out from other applicants by trying super hard and adding a resume. Those books were genuine and personal to me, so then it’s also kind of ironic that people ask for those to stand out when other books aren’t truthful.
I’m going to be completely honest, you absolutely could have qualified to enter Stanford. The reason you didn’t I think is less about you and just more about their admission’s process. So much of it is due to luck it is insane. There are people there who got in (and aren’t legacy students) who are dumb and lazy. I mean have you met some Stanford alumni? Not everyone there is this bright entrepreneurial scholar. There are so many people such as yourself that got rejected and ultimately due to no fault of their own. There are only so many open spots its crazy. You are enough and you tried your best and that is what matters. It really is the luck of the draw as much as we don’t want to admit it. Most of our lives are really due to circumstances beyond our control, and that’s okay. It doesn’t mean that we’re not academic enough, or entrepreneurial enough, or anything. Someone has to be rejected, and ultimately you were one of the many. Statistically, this was more likely than you being accepted into Stanford regardless of your strong application. I would not be surprised if having a “strong” application only reduces your chances of rejection by like 5% or less. So now you have an 89% chance of rejection compared to the previous 94%. The odds are still against you. And it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try or just give up; you have every right to be proud to at least try. Some people don’t even attempt to at least apply, and you did. You still did all of the things you listed and had those experiences which taught you a lot. No one can take that away from you. You are a good person and have every reason to be proud of your achievements even if this random group of faceless individuals who decide the fate and futures of random (mostly) high school seniors thought otherwise. Your life is much much much more important than their opinion. You really didn’t do anything wrong or could have done anything different. It really is just dumb luck. Honestly if you created fake profiles with more or less the same information, one of them would have been accepted haha. It’s just fortune. Stanford is not going anywhere any time soon, if you are completely convinced that living in Palo Alto and this school is for you, transferring is a lot easier than the normal application process. But I suspect that you will get into an academic institution that will value you immediately and that (hopefully) will be a better fit for you. You got this! Never doubt yourself or think of yourself as lower than what you truly are, you did nothing wrong. It really is just fate in the end.
Whoa, I'm blown away by your comment. I wish EVERYONE watching this video would read your words! Thank you for taking the time to write this thoughtful and encouraging message! Yes, I know that a lot of chance goes into the process - I just wanted to share some things that I genuinely believe I could have done better that would've increased that chance of getting in. At my current age, I don't blame my past self because it's so hard for a 17-year-old to have the maturity to see everything I analyzed while maintaining high grades and many extracurriculars. I agree with your point about fate as well. That's why I said it was "that fateful day." I'm actually glad I got rejected so my life could be on the path it is now :) Thanks again, and I hope you take care.
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.
I gotta say... you have one HECK of an application right there! I wish I could have accomplished half of ANYTHING you did! Not done watching your video yet, but even though Stanford didn't accept you, everything you included on there is very impressive and I can't wrap my head around how on Earth you had time to do so many extracurricular activities AND have such flawless grades. You're awesome!
I will say your resume is very impressive, way WAY better than mine. I got accepted into Harvard without even submitting my SAT scores or having any distinctions other than being the too student but I still didnt go because of financial aid. You're resume is impressive but I for a lot of these colleges, since a majority of these applicants are top students, it comes down to whether or not you fit in to the school social or emotionally or mentally, and I feel like maybe Stanford didn't felt like they knew who you were as a person outside the world of academia. I'm saying this because my essay was about why I love walgreens and that somehow got me accepted into college. For many admissions, its about presenting yourself more than just an amazing student.
@@whatsonhermindblog123 I second that ^^ Pretty obvious since Harvard offers financial aid to all students who need it "If your family's income is less than $75,000, you'll pay nothing. Families who earn more than $150,000 may still qualify for financial aid. For more than ninety percent of American families, Harvard costs less than a public university. All students receive the same aid regardless of nationality or citizenship." Harvard College *Affordability sec
@@estrelletapolar However, if the person is international, which is very possible judging by their surname, there are families that are not "poor" and don't qualify for financial aid, and if you can get into harvard as an international student chances are your family isn't that poor. But there is a gray zone between being not rich and poor. So it might exceed family budget.
this might be one of the saddest college entrance videos I've ever seen. You can practically see it in the girls eyes that she regrets spending her entire youth dedicating herself to a school that really doesn't give a shit about her and honestly it's depressing that this vid even exists forreal like she's rlly trying to delve into why she didn't get into the most prestigious institution in the world even though there's thousands of insane students just like her who also didn't get in. then you figure out at the end that she just got into the other most prestigious school in the world and yet she still feels the need to self reflect and make this type of video. I can't imagine being so absorbed into this academic bubble that you're at a point where you feel like "you fucked up" just because you weren't admitted to a school where the entrance just comes down to pure luck since so many ultra mega insane students are applying. Im happy that you got into Caltech, but I really hope the process didn't cost you absolutely all of your self esteem and that you maybe surround yourself with less academic people in pasadena just so you can try to escape that self doubt matrix and love yourself more. hope all is well
Great points! The difference between A- and A+ is hours of work but in real life its 0. Not to insult their hard work and dedication but these kind of people are usually shallow and robotic-like and obvious that they do it for external factors and not out of passion. THERE IS NO ONE WHO CAN ENJOY SO MANY THINGS AT ONCE. Its obvious ppl like this do a lot of this stuff for uni applications or for their ego I guess. Thats why theyll come across as shallow as fuck bcs they have no personality except ,,omg another first letter of the alphabet on a piece of paper".
this is harsh but true. She’s only a kid tho and I’m sure everyone in her life has reinforced this idea so it’s hard to blame her. Everything about education in America is totally effed up, I don’t even know where to start lol
@@samu-chan Wow, congrats! This is the stupidest comment I have ever seen. Someone has a dream and works super incredibly hard to pursue their dream. Dream snatched away by unfair system. And that's your comment? Would you say the same to Riley Gaines?
I feel like this is told every year tbh, but people tend to forget that grades aren't everything. And that's really on our school systems prioritizing numbers over actual growth in character, and whether we're applying the skills we've learned.
Hey, just watched the video and I'm super proud of you. Just know that the few people who are saying you are an "over-achiever" are jealous of you because there's no line to decide what is more and what is less in achieving. And yes. Some of us can do so much and have multiple skills. It's just that many of the work and university degrees require a certain niche and what you have to do is, you have to follow a unique route.you are unique and you can't do things that commoners do because you are born extraordinary. Enjoy the journey. It will be hard but keep going. You will have to do multiple jobs in multiple fields and trust me, you will have a magnificent life. All the best ♡
Hi Ama, thanks so much for your kind words. Don’t worry - I am glad I worked hard, because that’s one of the few things we can control! Thanks for your encouragement and take care 😊
I’m only a Freshmen in high school, and always thought I was ahead of the game when it comes to college resumes. I’m in some advanced classes, but when I heard you read off that list, like WHAT I mean WTF? How much dedication and work you put in to school. Holy crap. Hats off to you.
please just find 1-3 passions that you really love. if you truly love them enough and excel in 1-3 things and get good grades like a 4.0. get a good sat/ act above 1450. i am impressed with her resume but she simply is an overachiever
@@hey9603 fr im a freshman in hs as well and ive already given up on going to an ivy league school bc i dont want to put that work into academics. i do have a good gpa of 4.5 as of now, but i want to focus on soccer and i want to go d1 hopefully
@@jayd0n-_- good! it's ur decision and honestly, some ivy league schools arent even that good. Brown and dartmouth are pretty mid ngl. Colleges like uchicago, MIT, stanford are great schools. but dont give up yet. dont make any plans yet. just go with the flow of life. that's what my brother says. he's in yale. he's just a normal kid. all he did was high school tennis, math team stuff, but he had a good gpa and an SAT score. he also wrote good essays.
I'm definitely no expert but I think the reason you didn't get accepted was because it sounded like you were trying to rack up achievements almost, like check off a checklist. The resume seemed almost robotic, like you had such amazing achievements but they were all achievements that you were collecting almost just to put on your college apps. The second reason could be your application didn't really have anything outside of your academic studies. You showed how you go to math competitions and such but you didn't really dive deep into who you were or what you did for fun outside of math. If you had maybe showed a passion outside of schoolwork then you probably would've gotten in
@Brandon Ha I know all that. But all that is just cover so they can discriminate against asians, theres proof for it. They always consistently rate blaks with higher personalities without even meeting them. Its not some conspiracy theory, theres proof.
@Brandon Ha Sports shouldnt matter anyway. So what if you can kick a ball around a field? How does that make you a better worker. And these shee ple fell hook line and sinker for the whole “diveristy is good” mantra and use it to justify also.
Amy ur my new fav youtuber. I was not planning on doing Stanford but after reading why they rejected you, i felt like most of what you hadn't put in your app for Stanford, is actually all here in mine! ill def apply there and see where life unfolds haha thank you!
Simone, thanks so much for taking the time to write this kind comment 😊 I’m glad I could be a positive impact to you! Glad to hear you’re doing amazing things, and good luck 🔥
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!
Probably being Asian plays a big part, but as you said you need a focus or hook. But in all honesty Caltech training will be much better for stem major :)
hi! i’m a senior in high school and i’m looking to apply to stanford this year. thank you for your college advice- all these videos and videos like these are very helpful in seeing how older students navigated the process. im also asian american so i can see sentiments against affirmative action, but i think that telling students that you were rejected because you were asian is a harmful and discouraging narrative to paint. diversity efforts such as these are only in place because certain demographics have more educational resources and opportunities to begin with, and a lot of other students of color don’t even have the time or capacity to commit themselves to schools or ecs because they struggle w systemic racism, school to prison pipeline, low socioeconomic backgrounds. documentaries like that are extremely detrimental bc it undermines the equitable practices that school and work spaces are trying to develop as a result of trying to bridge the opportunity gap.
also im not trying to be mean at all! i just want to point this out bc it’s also def smt i struggled w but i’m hoping that a broader and more considerate perspective can be taken on this topic instead
College is an opportunity and an outcome of a childhood of hard work. People's life of hard work shouldn't be rejected because of their skin color. Think about it that way.
Me sitting here with a 3.5 GPA and a D in calculus last year: All jokes aside this video was very informative, and I’m glad you explained it in the way you did. It is extremely interesting to see the college progress broken down and how colleges look at students.
It is actually these college's fault. in the past, they insisted on students doing a variety of things, nowadays, they changed the tune, be focused on one or two. Who knows what's next? You are incredible, best of luck to you!
Makes sense. Your case is interesting in that it is so very extreme. Most people would never accomplish what you did. Although all these accomplishments are indications of your ability, they also indicate, to say the least, that you've bought heavily into the system, which is ultimately silly. We know that being the best at a test isn't necessarily the same as being the most capable. A really intelligent person would probably not find all that to be worth their time, not that they wont work doing something they think is worth their time.
Totally agree with the point about buying into the system. It’s clear to me after reading MJ DeMarco’s books, but it’s difficult to have that level of maturity and awareness as a high schooler with Asian immigrant parents. Our backgrounds shape us a lot, and I am still trying to break away from the mindset that I need to conform to what society tells us we need to do. But hard work is not wasted and I’m glad I got to go to a good college in the end!
You're absolutely right. And honestly, there is no right answer is there? It's all relative to time, environment and culture. You have the ability to develop multiple perspectives. Being from Scandinavia, I do not have personal experience with the American system. But since your system is/could be so impactful, I like to develop some level of opinion about it. This opinion is speculative, but... Your strategy would have probably done better a few years ago, it's good for a lot of places still. But now it's too obvious, the people have caught onto it, so it's not differentiated. At Stanford, they can't determine your fitness with absolute certainty, but they can make an educated guess. Your application lacked differentiation, distinct identity, an issue which you seem to understand very well. Perhaps that's true. But is this actually a new phenomenon? More fundamentally, and this is just me guessing, it's not about differentiation as much as it is about demonstrating critical thinking. Conformance is to some extent antithetical to that, but not always. It's tricky because conforming to society is not necessarily wrong. It depends on how that system is working in general. But we should decide that for ourselves. One should be able to look at things critically, something you've probably heard a lot, but it's an inescapable fact. Our society takes a lot of talented people and makes them disappear into professional obscurity inside the system, whether that's academia or the corporate world or something else. However, let's say that system is working, people are making great contributions and living fulfilled professional lives, then you might be happy to conform. For the past decades the system has been largely about rewarding excellence, doing things right. But it's not well-suited for processing challenges to its message. You can quasi-challenge what you're taught, but not really - if you want the grades, if you want to go to a good college. At the same time, the effectiveness of the system has gone down, you could also say the incentives for society, students and faculty, have become perverted. Not to say everything is in ruins, but it's less than ideal. Hence, places like Stanford are taking action. I believe Stanford is unique, even at the level of the Ivies, in that they really pride themselves on being critical thinkers. Your experience supports that view - to an extent. Maybe this is just stating the obvious, but it's what comes to my mind. Also, since I got so deep into it, let me just add that being Asian might mean that they just REALLY want to see this from you.
Another reason; maybe there just wasn’t enough space. Top schools eventually have to reject qualified students even if they do believe they are worthy of acceptance. There’s just not enough room to accept everyone that is qualified.
Nah, guarantee that dozens if not hundreds of lower achieving but 'more diverse' students got in. They'll 'fix' it by removing objective testing altogether so they can eliminate the pesky 'achievement' part altogether. After all, if you don't want to know something, don't test for it.
"Not enough space" seems kind of silly to me, the Stanford campus is enormous and they have all the ability to attract and hire additional faculty if they wanted to keep the teacher-student ratio ideal Seems like they just want to keep their student body artificially small for prestige lol
Whoa, you literally did everything. I feel like it’s important to note along side with everyone else’s advice, is that you don’t need the university the university needs you. The school isn’t what makes you who you are, it’s you that does that. It’s you that’s gotten you this far and it will be you that gets you farther!
Hi …. Another great composition… thanks for highlighting the need of Society or community driven ECs,,, I guess I’m gonna direct my ECs towards it. Another amazing thing u shared was that ECs should have started early like grade 10 or 11. Really interested and n ur Stanford essay. Hope u come up with that. Have a great day 👍🏻c if u can make any vid for International students especially South Asians. Thank u
Yes, I’m so glad you took away those important points and can now be more successful in your application process! I’ll definitely share my essays 😊 Regarding international student advice, I don’t have firsthand experience but I’ll see if I can pull together some information, maybe from my friends, later!
Glad it’s helpful! Totally agree because everyone also has different experiences and opportunities available to them, so “how I got in” videos can only help so much
@@wamyy5 do you have any advice for me as I want start a passion project or something that cane help my community but I don't know where to start. I school in the UK btw
wAmy, I think you're right. Asian, 1550 SAT here, nowhere near top (but top 10%)... and I participated in way fewer clubs but my resumes told a very consistent story: I was a good athlete passionate about a specific sport (a very obscure one) and committed to education (tutoring underprivileged children) and got in. I think it's very important to remember admission officers can spend maybe a few minutes on each application (likely sub 1 minute) to convince them you aren't just another generic test taking machine with no personality (sadly how a lot of people stereotype high performing Asians) And when you stack on so many honors, almost all of which have extremely strong correlations with each other (like 5 on AP calc + 4.8 GPA almost guarantees all the other honors), you just confirm the "machine" stereotype. Stanford admits hundreds of "machines" of various colours annually but the "machine" category got guys that literally WON math olympiads. It's a brutal category to try to stand out in.
Totally agree with what you said! I was also trying to emphasize the “machine” sentiment. It’s difficult sometimes to be determined by your background telling you to just work super hard instead of thinking about the end goal and what you really want to portray. You had the better approach :)
I read somewhere that some universities don't accept your application because they know you are too good for them and better schools will select you. That might have been one of the reasons you were not selected for stanford.
That’s quite interesting - I’ve heard that too! But then you run the risk of a hardworking, qualified student not getting accepted anywhere. A couple friends who are smarter than me didn’t even get into T20 schools 🙁
@Evanthecarspotter In Physics? Cal Tech with 17 Nobel Prize winners. Harvard has the most Nobel winners with 161 over all. UC Berkeley has Nobel Laureats in 5 different categories. Stanford has 84 Nobel Winners. But, I'm just bitter because a girl from Stanford dumped me after she discovered I was a Trojan.
By sharing the video you truly like to help others. Not many would have published this kind of video to help others to succeed in their Standford dream. I see passion and empathy in your eyes, you will do best in Cal Tech and achieve greatness in life. You are an American, it's crazy for college to discriminate against Asians American. College admissions should be based on academic merits not race.
Shun, thank you very much for taking the time to write this thoughtful and kind comment. I’m glad that I can help people like you through my journey and mistakes, because I value knowledge-sharing for everyone to get better chances in what they’re pursuing. I’m not sure if the 3rd point was truly a reason but thought it was important for students to be aware of what goes on behind the scenes after I watched the documentary. Thanks for your encouragement, and I wish you the best! 😊
You did so well in highschool. Your grades are amazing. You look sad and stressed in the video. You got into one of the best engineering schools, Caltech, your amazing. With all your extracurricular and activities, did you really have time for yourself because they are alot. Just remember your the best .
Hearing you read everything earlier made me almost confused. You had such an impressive resume but I couldn't pinpoint exactly what you were. At the end all I remembered was that you were a top student and liked math. I think that's what happened with the admissions officers because though very impressive, it was forgettable. I didn't know who you were, a person passionate for stem, a person passionate to help others in health or a person passionate in tech. It was all over the place😅 What I was sure of was that you were an over-achiever.
I've seen many people like you and had close friends who were like you. I always knew that they may not reach that far because of the level of complications they are facing. They're perfect people- start early, have "passions" earlier than anyone else, have accomplished a lot for their age, in general being an overachiever. Even I thought that was the way to excellence, but no. As I realized I was becoming like Patrick Bateman[from the movie: American Psycho] day by day, I now have decided to let go of being perfect, conquering the whole world[getting a high status], follow the rat race. The things I find common in my past "friends" are- turning into robots, failing to rest/enjoy the process, mistaking materialism for passion, being psychotic and/or being sociopaths. To summarize, even in the video and the application you submitted, you were a real life Patrick Bateman. I wish everyone gets rid of this evil, for I don't want anyone to be a Patrick Bateman, its the worst thing you can ever be, in my experience.
You have decent post action analysis. I wanted to become a doctor when I was in high school, and I volunteered at hospitals to try and figure out if I would really like a career in medicine. I believe this helped me get into a 7-year program at a medical school (extremely competitive, only a handful of spots), even while I was waitlisted at my first choice in 4 year universities. Your actions demonstrate sincerity: rather than pack your resume, show the ability to identify goals and move towards them. This is true in school, this is true in work, no matter the career or subject area. Employers and professors want people who can get stuff done, and the more history of getting stuff done one has, the better the candidate's chances. And you mentioned the person who made their own app. Building working prototypes is an excellent example of being able to finish projects. Most people can make ambitious plans, but few can see them through to completion.
Affirmative action is actually SO BS! Im an indian kid, so I fear that MIT might reject me because of that, even thought I consider myself very proeficient in math , physics, and engineering. Honestly my strat is what I am calling the "polymath approach". Im trying to do a bunch of random subjects and be good in them. Hopfeully i'll get in MIT, and your videos will definately help me crack the college game.
@@Ryu-oj9wz yes, but (this is according to my college counselor), it makes it hard for them to put you in "interest buckets". Being an all rounder, or describing yourself as such could be a detriment if you do not go into a focus.
To everyone freaking out. I got into UCI by writing about LEGO. I only took 2 AP's and focused mainly on my passions. I Eagled in Boy Scouts and got all the Merit-badges. I also explored my passion towards medicine by volunteering at UCSD. My best advice is to focus on what you love and be yourself. Writing about something completely different will make you stand out. My GPA was only 3.77 unweighted 4.1 weighted. I've seen people who checklist not get into anywhere while party kids who write about their life stories get into Harvard and UCLA.
which ucsd program did you volunteer for? i was interested in doing a med internship and I'm also trying to get all of the merit badges. how did that go for you? was it difficult?
Ol' Occam's Razor - People make a lot of arguments for why they were/weren't accepted into a school or program, but the most important reasons are often completely unrelated to our resume and skills. Your luck played a huge role in this, Amy. Many other schools would accept you, but for some circumstances (mostly) beyond your control, Stanford overlooked you. The people who review applicants have to look over tens of thousands every year, and although they try their best, they're also flawed human beings and their time is budgeted. Put yourself in their positions and you'll easily see how you can pass up many great students while letting in unqualified students simply due to minor lapses in judgement or even their mood. Luck really can make the difference sometimes, which is why people should always apply to as many places as they can instead of trying to shoot for one specific school or program.
I had a Chinese best friend who faced a similar situation as you decades ago. He was laser-focused on achieving his academic goals, disregarding everything else he considered irrelevant. I advised him that while studies were important, they shouldn't define his entire life. He also felt frustrated because he couldn't seem to please anyone, regardless of his efforts. I suggested that in life, shit isn't rational, and people's beliefs and choices rarely make sense. I encouraged him to relax, reflect on his true identity and desires beyond academia, and avoid being a mere people pleaser who provides others, especially people he doesn't even know, with answers he thinks they want to hear. Honestly, I'm as dumb as a bag of rocks and just improvised a vague response to boost his morale. Surprisingly, it had an extremely positive impact on him.
I know this is a bit late, but I only recently stumbled upon your video. I was also rejected from Stanford. Even though I did not have nearly a strong application as yours, I did everything I could. My interest was in mathematics, and the only impressive things I did were create a math club, join a math circle to write some paper and study advanced topics like abstract algebra/complex analysis, and get 19/25 on the amc as well as 8/15 on the aime. In every other area, I couldn’t match up to Stanford with my 1490 sat no matter how hard I tried. Despite feeling utterly defeated as Stanford was my top choice, everything worked out in the end! Keep up the great work as you will do amazing things no matter where you go. P.S.- keep making these videos. Despite already being in college, a lot of the tips on productivity have helped me improve currently. Also, the college application process stress still scars me, so it’s very cathartic to see others handle it well like you are doing.
The problem is how you express your interests, you said u were in a math club and wrote some papers. What impacts did that make? Did it further increase your interest? If you did write those, then soemtines it comes down to luck like a job, some people resonate with others quicker with a large num of applications it is hard to remember someone
@@tonynguyen8166 that makes sense. I’ll admit that I may not have expressed myself optimally. Writing was always difficult for me. Also, I may have panicked a bit when the process hit me. Stanford has been my top choice from when I was 6 to when I applied and got rejected. And once the process happened, I have been more focused on how to impress them instead of how to express myself. Maybe the words just didn’t come out as as well due to that.
I said your reaction to being rejected at Stanford blaming it on affirmative action is the reason you didn't get accepted. You're clearly not open-minded. You have a sense of entitlement. What makes you think your hard work was harder than anyone else that was admitted?
This this this! Thank you for saying it. I’ve never seen an admitted person say “I beat affirmative action,” but I have seen many rejected people with lackluster applications blame it. The most embarrassing part is that affirmative action does not work in the way they think it does. It makes them that much more pathetic of an applicant.
Hi Amy, I'm 15 this year (in 10th grade) and I'm from Singapore. Last year I visited Stanford and fell in love with the campus; one of the students gave me an informal tour and I really loved it, so I'm aiming to get there someday. I'm currently in one of the top high schools in my country and I'm taking the SATs next month. However, I'll be taking the GCE A-levels (I'm in a 6-year Integrated Programme, which is more locally recognised) instead of taking IB or AP. I'm thinking about going to a school with the IB curriculum instead as the school I'm in has a much heavier focus on academics, and I'd like to be able to dedicate more time to extracurriculars and community service. I also think I'll thrive in the IB system as it has more project-based learning. Unfortunately, the IB schools here are not rated as highly as my current school. I just wanted to get your advice -- if I want to go to Stanford or a school of similar calibre, should I consider switching to an IB system or stay in my current school?
Hi! I’m happy you seek my advice, but unfortunately, I wouldn’t understand your situation as well as you or your school counselor, so I suggest you find someone closer who can advise you. Good luck!
You have a very impressive resume. You have packed a lot of life into a short amount of time. It is Stanford's loss that they did not accept you to attend Standford. Best of luck to you in your life!
You are very special and an original. Don't give up. If anything, I have 3 beautiful American Japanese daughters and I know you are the perfect inspiration and role model for them and others like them. You'll success!
Commenting the thoughts I had before you made your revelation :P. Before I do that, I'd mention that I don't think I'm any way qualified to 'rate' your application in any way (you were *by and far* more distinguished than I ever was in high school). It's just that writing essays for grad school gave me a perspective I didn't have in high school. My $0.02: The achievements were definitely off the charts. I would just narrate the essays/statements differently. You mentioned spending the summer of 2016 learning C++ and analysing data using MATLAB. That is great, but it's more impressive to see what an invidual brought to the table. For instance, things such as "I wrote and tested majority of the code that the simulations relied on on.", "At a point during the project, we were stuck figuring out a way to handle tautomers in the existing framework. While we were about to give up on trying that, I had an intuition about how it could be done. Taking the help of a computer scientist we were collaboring with, I used some unconventional tweaks to rewire the reaction network as it grew. When I explained it in a group meeting, my professor said that it was precisely the solution we needed.'" tell more about what I did than saying "I used a Python package for modelling chemical reactions which has C++ bindings in my internship project". Something analgous can be said about other things, such as why exactly did you want to make math competitions more accessible to all students. I really liked the way you summed up in the second half how it's more important to cohesively show why you're doing things that you're doing, apart from wanting to get into a particular college, and I think it resonates with. P.S. By all means, having that level of maturity (and having mastered the art of writing essays, which I used to be bad at) in high school itself is unusual. Often people get taught to use buzzwords as you called them, but they don't paint the same picture. And in any case, the numbers involved are so large that sometimes it's stochastic as to whether or not you'll get in. I wish this was something better appreciated by the average applicant, as it would both reduce the hype as well as the pressure to get into big name schools. (also, I'm sorry my comment comes up as too strong; I'm not trying to sound that way). ... nonetheless, you went to Caltech though 👀
Wow thanks so much for taking the time to write this AMAZING comment! You made some excellent piping’s that I completely agree with, also given my current level of maturity and experience going through the MBA application process. Don’t apologize for your comment! These words are super helpful to other students as well, because you’re exactly right that when I talked about my summer, I just listed a bunch of things to fill the space and seem like I was doing a lot when a story about a few things would’ve been way more illuminating and impactful
Thanks so much for sharing this. I am obviously not Asian and neither is my youngest daughter who is a high school Senior. I watch these types of videos so whenever my daughter asks questions I can refer back to you guy’s experience/expertise because I graduated from college 31 years ago. Information like this helps me help her since things have changed so much since I graduated/applied. My daughter is on track to graduate with a 4.8 GPA also but her composite ACT score is not what we wanted (she gets test anxiety really badly). However she killed the writing portion which no one cares about. She is a leader in 6 different organizations and her dream school is Brown. Good luck to anyone that reads this!
You got rejected because you put "Detaching from technology" as the most significant challenge society faces. Stanford is one of the top technical schools in the world, and your telling them that they should detach from technology.
You made no errors. Most likely there were 500 applicants from your state with acceptable stats and they could only take 10. Luck of the draw. Focus yourself in college and if you want to be an academic; it is *way* easier to get into Stanford as a grad student. Good luck!
Hey Wamy, You have an incredibly impressive body of work, and you shouldn't feel inadequate in the slightest. It's a hell of a lot more than I ever did. I didn't get accepted into any Ivy league or Ivy-like schools either, although I did end up going to Reed College in Portland (which didn't end well, but that's another story). I promise, I absolutely promise you, that far less talented kids got into Stanford because of their connections. Prestigious colleges are, more or less, all about politics. You deserve the world, and please don't let your college rejections get to you. My advice? After you accept matriculation into whatever college you decide, take a gap year, because otherwise, you might burn out at the pace you're going.
Hi, thanks so much for writing this thoughtful comment. I really appreciate the encouragement! Haha I did not end up taking a gap year, but I would love to do that now. I think there's a stigma around taking time off, and I'd love to see that change so more young people can spend time finding themselves. Take care, and good luck in whatever you're pursuing :)
Sometimes I think simplifying achievements helps. Also make everything link by keeping things consistent. Don't babble to much - when you write an essay it can end up feeling like there are no breaks with the speaking and it can go on and on. I had a colleague who asked me to review a university application profile introduction and I had to tell them that when I was reading it, it felt like it was wrote in a rush (their response how did you pick up on that), I also said less of the I can, I like, me, me,me attitude. What most places are after is how much what you do will influence their exposure and what can you bring to the place.
Great advice! I think that’s why many students don’t enjoy the college essay - it feels weird to write so much about yourself. And exactly, better to write 2 things so the reader remembers them vs 10 and have the reader remember none!
Stanford is a great college. Honestly, I don't know much about it other than the fact that its hard to get into and that its an ivy league institution. There are more places you can go that are better.
I just finished watching the documentary you mentioned. oddly, I felt sad (for some of the students that were featured). thanks for the rec, I enjoyed watching the documentary. 😊
I'm STUNNED! You are probably the smartest student I have seen. I was procrastinating and ran Into this video... I guess RUclips is telling me to go back to MCAT preparations LOL
@@justrandomthoughtslolbye5385 I understand one of their main essays' topic is a letter to your roommate. Apparently they are keen on what type of roommate you will be.
You are a superstar. You should have been admitted. I have a huge problem with admission policies for these types of universities. The truth is, it is often who you know and how much your family has donated to the school. Sad but true. Don't let this discourage you.
I'm from Mexico As a person who always does really well in school, grades, and especially exam scores, I'd like to go to the US and Try the system over there and see how well I'd do, maybe I'd shine even more over there, over here we don't put much attention to achieving students, no advanced classes, no student division by grades or behaviour, so I'd like to know how far I'd get if i had my school life in the US
Stanford admissions, at least when I looked into it some years ago, attempts to "craft" a diverse class from many backgrounds and levels. This leads far from the pure meritocracy that many of us grew up thinking was the norm. Coming from a strongly competitive demographic such as yours, it is important to apply to as many top schools as you can, along with some "safety schools", and roll with the randomness. For me personally, I would choose Cal Tech over Stanford because of its strength in physics-related engineering. If you are dead set on working in Silicon Valley, Cal Tech should serve perfectly well as a background, especially if you took advantage of special offerings that feed so effectively into growth areas such as solid-state.
I was in College in the 1980’s and my GPA was 2.92. I took classes the last few years and my GPA is 3.9 or something. There’s been grade inflation because I didn’t get smarter. It’s like teachers are now afraid to give anything but A’s.
I feel for you. I was an object failure in my first high school with F's and D's, and an A and B student when I moved to my second high school. I don't know what my sister did, but either the first high school's grading system was hacked or my sister did some pranks that didn't go well with the school district. I literally had to move to a different district to be treated better. Either way I was screwed. But remember that most billionaires like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates never graduated college. And Elon Musk came from an unknown college. So it's not the end of the world.
Elon Musk graduated from Princeton Jeff bezos did also from Princeton Bill Gates went to Harvard Steve Jobs also went to Reeds College which is a top school
You are such an accomplished person. Your all-round achievements are just awesome. Stanford missed out on a bright spark. Focus at your age is overrated. With so much capability focus can come anytime later.
Great video. Will try to remember to watch with my kids when they are older. 9:18 I agree and this stood out. It was a long list of disparate things. Also, great insight re entrepreneurial spirit.
Your application was awesome and they should absolutely have let you in! Some universities have stopped selecting the best students in favor of students they happen to like for one reason or another, typically based on trivia that I see as fairly pointless like essay writing, identity, personality and other unmeasurable subjective details. Many seem to be quite clearly discriminating against Asian students (intentionally). I am a mathematics professor who went to Oxford. Your application was stronger than mine, and you're amazing. I wasn't interested in Stanford so I didn't apply there and have no idea whether they would have wanted me. But there is no legitimate basis for rejecting your application. And no, there aren't so many students with applications as strong as yours that they couldn't all go to top schools (of course you did; Caltech is great). Universities could (and should) accept the top students. There is no such thing as an over achiever, there are only people with strong achievements. It is Stanford's loss. One poorly kept secret: The quality of education you get from top schools is generally not any better than you get at other schools, especially at the undergraduate level. You just hand over more tuition money (often to be taught by TA's) and learn a slightly less practical form of what you might have learned at a cheaper institution. Your skills and future should not at all be hampered by not getting into any one particular school (with very few exceptions for specific fields with specific mentors, and then it is the professor rather than the institution that matters). The main value to a name school is that employers will be impressed by the name, but employers don't really pay enough attention (or care enough) to distinguish between schools with particular programs. They think "Stanford, huh, that's a good school," and "Caltech, huh, that's a good school," and so on. For the most part, getting into a good school means you give them more money and get a better name for your application while you mostly teach yourself (just as you would at a poorer school). Schools with similar name recognition usually have about the same value (so there is a strong argument for going to the cheapest one).
It looks like a case of less is more. Unfortunately, you only get one chance at securing a place at the university of your dreams. Still, you got a place at CalTech, one of the world’s best universities.
The system in US is so f’ed up. In Europe we just use grades and test score straight. No essay, nothing. Simple and fair. You deserve much more then Stanford 😍
In China, college entrance is based on the one-shot state-wide standard college entrance exams (it won’t even reference high school grades); people can also get extra points from national level awards. US college admission focuses too much on subjective matters which could be biased.
I think the reason is that they probably thought you were doing in for the sake of getting into a good college. This provided for a red flag where you didn't actually have a strong sense of passion towards one field and rather doing a lot of "irrelevant" things to your engineering major. Overall, going to an 'elite' college is the most overrated thing because if you really want to be successful as you can work hard and achieve great heights anywhere! So on and on, this was probably a big waste of time for you as you don't even remember what some of the activities you did, implying that they were meant to be done just to get into college rather than true personal development. P.S. Stanford STEM program is really good and competitive, so they only accept students who really seem like they are going to make a significant impact.
Thank you, this is very useful information and very reasonable. It's much better for a student to hear it directly from another student than from an older professional.
Colleges aren’t looking for over achievers. They are looking for people who are specialized and have actual interests
@@kennethdavidson6508 Or that
To add onto what you said most of the stuff she did was just "busy work" to make her seem prestigious and not actually mastering something. In addition to that colleges like to see how you overcame struggles as it highlights that you persevered even though it was difficult.
@@TickingEnum showing all the things you did makes it seem like it’s was easy for you, talking about the much needed sleep you didn’t get is better
@@TickingEnum I agree.
Wrong, they are just looking at it from a pathetic diversity and inclusion aspect.
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.
Agree. And they actually mention that’s pretty prevalent in first gen kids in the documentary! Highly recommend
@@wamyy5 what documentary?
@@alricamon425 I would assume the documentary Try Harder! showcased in the video.
@@alricamon425 Try Harder!
I found out that you have to accomplishments that are different from everybody else's. That might be the reason.
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 right! That’s exactly how I’m thinking about it at this current age…
@@wamyy5 Yeah, I’m 25 and I’m an engineering PhD student but I had a crazy hard time. My GPA was 4.13 weighted with AP and I barely did well in school so 3,4, and 5 on those exams. Barely any extracurriculars either. I also didn’t even get into UT Austin the first time. (Didn’t even dare shoot for Ivy’s because I thought I was too dumb.)
I switched majors three times. I dropped out of school once. It won’t be a perfectly linear journey BUT you may do better if you focus on your mental health so you’re more prepared for crappy people lol. You should have a support system but they may not always be there so family or high school friends is important too. I’m sure they feel the exact same way about the “achieving perfection” mantra as I can tell you probably surround yourself around hard working students like yourself.
Just remember to balance those things and if you get setback, it’s not the end but a teachable moment for a better opportunity in life. It’s the same way with dating too. Everyone will make mistakes and hopefully grow for them.
If anything, take away this: you didn’t know how to ride a bike when you were born on day 1 lol. That took time. So will cementing the adult you are now and how you will leave your mark on this world.
@El Mero Mero My friend, life changes on a dime. Especially in your 20’s. I promise you, you won’t be the same person or be absolutely sure what’s next but you’ll be more resilient and accepting of change.
That's what your parents are foe
Knowing who they are should not be that hard. They've lived with that person for 17 years. They are as equally qualifed as their competition with respect to what they want to do. Admissions look to see if the school is a match for the student. If the student is not clear on what they will bring to and take away from the school, they may lose a spot to someone who is clear in that respect.
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.
Thank you for saying this. It’s really easy to get bitter and blame other hypothetical people for something out of your control, but this puts admissions in a more realistic light.
I'd like to know what the admissions officers consider the most If you don't mind ofcourse
@@lovely__dovely528 it was answered in the post “laser focus on diversity “
She didn't make it past round 1... due to the laser focus on diversity, her application (along with all her years of hard work) was wadded up and tossed immediately into the circular file (trash bin) after seeing "Asian math nerd". She just needed to identify as an African American Man-hating Lesbian with an exaggerated trauma essay and she be in like Flynn with the other accepted "diverse" applicants (despite sloppier grades and poorer test scores).
So, to summarize: you are not black and don't 'identify' as anything trendy, so no Stanford for you.
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.
Sounds very much like MBA applications as well!
Ah, I believe there were many reasons she didn’t get in. She is clearly qualified, but her resume like she said is very much “passionless” in the sense there isn’t a strong focus or obvious one at least that implies she is dedicated to a field or change, etc. Second, there are some many people who dedicate their entire youth to accomplishments like hers and more that there simply is not enough space no matter how qualified she is. Big accomplishments is another.
Finally, I agree with what you said- I don’t know if that is the case here, but that actually does apply to a lot including jobs! There is such a thing as a overqualified applicant. That’s why sometimes you won’t get the job, not because you weren’t good enough, but because you could do better and excel from the company or whatever you’re applying to that it might be a waste of their time.
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.
Wait actually? That’s crazy because I’m also writing my essay about my severe eczema and how it impacted me
I'm planning on incorporating my ADHD into my essay, do you have any tips on talking about a medical condition without exploiting it or making it seem like an attempt for pity?
@@panda52785 as a 74yr retired med tech and dentist, listen up explain 🤔 how you've had to accept and teach others about how this condition has affected your life . Note that as you grow and go forth in your chosen career that there many be times that you may have to accept and alter yourself. Keep it simple 👌,
My sister is there for her PhD in biology too. She definitely has her own identity and a true passion since she was little for biology.
My sister is there for her PhD in biology too. She definitely has her own identity and a true passion since she was little for biology.
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.
Thank you Al 😊 I am planning on matriculating to MIT’s MBA soon 😆
@@wamyy5 yes omg mit is way better in my opinion
@@wamyy5 You might encounter our son in MIT after his BSEE undergrad degree from ASU, he is currently a BARRETT, The Honors College student within ASU! He mentioned MIT, Stanford, & Caltech for his Master’s, but, we lean towards MIT or Stanford!
@generic branding name Stanford is playing #1 & #2 top University in the nation between MIT in Engineering!
@@famf6234 who cares. your son will never make as much as a welder who didn't go to college.
I know it's life, but it feels so discouraging that there are way fewer places in good schools than students deserving these places
Don’t worry too much! While the name of the school helps with “clout” and networking opportunities, it’s more about what you do at any school 😊
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!
Warren Buffet famously stated the economics degree he got at a community college was just as good as the ivy league crap he got later
Such a great video with in-depth analysis for the rejection, which makes total sense. You will shine anywhere anyway. Way to go, girl!
Thanks so much for your nice comment :)
I admire you a lot for how u can balance your study plan and social activities while still at your school. I'm also an international student from Vietnam, and now I'm on my way to applying to colleges in the Us. All things are good but there are also some problems I have to face daily. But honestly, I find your journey so impressive and it left me with many lessons. Thank you so much for this video and hope to see you continue to thrive to become a better person in the future. Wish you the best!
Hi Manh, thanks so much for your kind words! I’m glad I can be a source of inspiration for your own journey. I wish you the best in your college process. Let me know if there’s any particular content I can share that would be helpful to you 😊
Awesome video, it takes a lot of confidence to publicly discuss a rejection. Respect!
Hahaha yeah the pain has subsided after 4 years. Thanks for watching!
It is good to be too Asian. Be yourself! Why let a school define you? You should define the school.
That’s a great point! I do think in the end, Caltech was more suitable for me - everything happens for a reason!
@@wamyy5 Got the best fit school is more important.
but its not even being asian, I go to Columbia there are many asian students and none had perfect GPAs or SATS they just did fun things, their application was more interesting to read
Me seeing this thumbnail: There is no “perfect student”.
Me watching the video: *This woman is the perfect student.*
Love your channel!
Hahaha I meant it a little as click-bait and added quotation marks but thank you!
@@wamyy5 is Ap calc bc harder than the AP you have chosen?
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.
These are just the top schools. Most schools are pretty straightforward
American speaking: You don’t have to do all of that to get into a university. You can still go to a decent university or college with average stats. The stuff Amy did only applies to students who want to get into TOP schools, like Harvard, Stanford, Yale, etc.
I am retired but I have met very impressive students from Stanford to Harvard in my profession. All of my family members are currently attending or have graduated from college. My son currently is earning his PhD at Princeton, my daughter graduated from UC San Diego, my niece is currently earning her medical degree at Stanford and my other niece earned her master's degree at Yale. Your background and resume is very impressive. That said, hearing you recite your many accomplishments reminds me of all the top college football players that are not drafted in the NFL. Not every top football player makes it in the NFL and not every top student get selected to every school. There is no magic formula or reason that explains these results. Some get in and some don't. Luck and fate is as important as your ACT score or GPA. At the end of the day, it won't matter, you and all the outstanding students who want to succeed will no matter what school or profession you enter. Just my two cents as a retired, old guy.
holy crap you literally did everything
Yeah big mistake hahaha. Also ironic that I was literally trying to show how much I did by packing in as much info as I could!
@@wamyy5 i go here and let me know tell u this place is not what u think
But get into Stanford 😂
@@matthewvilaysack how so?
Mannn, honestly, I find your journey way more impressive and inspirational than the Stanford RUclipsrs. Also, Caltech and UCLA in my opinion are "more" impressive hihi.
I wish you the best! Looking forward to more videos 🥳
Ahhh thanks so much for your kind words! I hope that I can share more of my journey and learnings to inspire others through RUclips :) Hahaha thank you - at least, Caltech is definitely harder to survive since it's all STEM majors!
Thanks again for the support, and feel free to comment what videos you'd like to see! :)
You’re showing your ignorance. Lol
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.
As a person who also got waitlisted and finally rejected from Stanford the same year you applied, I would imagine Stanford probably looks for uniqueness to differentiate any given applicant from the rest of the crowd. There will be thousands of students who are strong in academics, and hundreds of thousands who aren’t. Your on-paper achievements certainly put you close to admission, but I would imagine to cross that finish line, you’d need to tell Stanford your plan, and show how Stanford can help you along with it. From which of my friends got admitted to Stanford and which didn’t, it seemed like those who were passionate about one area of study were the ones who got admitted. I would imagine that Stanford would rather admit a person who has a specific field of study ready to peruse because that is just the academic culture at Stanford.
I’m sure you’ll love your time at caltech, and I’m equally sure you would have enjoyed your time at Stanford less. Admissions officers at top schools ultimately check for fit to ensure that the students end up in the place which best suits them. From what I learned of Caltech, it seemed focused on a culture of nerdiness and geeking out over math, science, and technology which seems to fit you perfectly. From what I learned of Stanford, it seemed focused on climbing the corporate hierarchy and goal-driven success. I personally am happy Stanford rejected me because I found myself very happy at the school which fit me best. After all, for every door that closes, another opens.
Thanks for your thoughtful comment! Yes, everything happens for a reason and it works out in the end :)
Stanford University is over rated. Do what you love that make happy everyday is true happiness. Remember “Dust in the winds” at the end of our journey.
The fight never ends. Great to see young Asian women speaking up and never giving up. You are not alone.
Thanks for your comment :)
Men make up the minority in college, they should speak up more.
Affirmative Action helps ensure Diversity exists on campus and many people do not have the option of taking ALL AP/HONORS CLASSES.
@@oliviahart531 shouldn't they sort by how much income your parents make instead of race?
Men should also be speaking up, they are the minority in colleges now
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
So glad to hear everything worked out for you! 😊
brother everyone writes NATIONAL EXAM, point is you should get a rank
gg
@@kaptongaming6659 If the meaning of rank is top 50 out of 18 lac aspirants, I think you might wanna reconsider. Because those are the opening and closing ranks of India's top med college.
Which FEDERALLY RECOGNIZED Tribe, or from INDIA? First generation, or do your parents hold degrees
Forget them, it’s Stanfords loss not yours 😅
Hehe thanks for the kind comment
frfr
🧢
Well actually its quite the contrary.
@@DaBlueBird based
I genuinely thank you for being thoughtful enough to let others learn from your experiences. Stanford is my dream school as well, and while it is easier said than done, your advice truly encourages me to step back from the college rat-race and be myself.
I’m glad this video is helpful to you! I do want to caveat that I was truly interested in the things I did - it’s just my personality to be very curious and excited to try everything, but that characteristic worked against me. I think you learn that it’s really hard to “win” either way because it’s hard to say whether colleges will like the “yourself” in “be yourself.” But we what we do know is that you need to be memorable / stand out and emphasize the impact you made. For example, I could’ve talked more about how I used my math skills to help other people and create that nonprofit. The conclusion that will help you is this: the college application is something that has to be curated since it’s a few pages of information on a multi-dimensional person where the admissions officer has limited time to spend on reading
I actually like the way you realize the mistake that you made and give your honest and sincere reason that were tragic for when you applied for Stanford. I think that your resume was extremely impressive and love to know how you made it. The video was so informative and have so many lessons for us. Love to have more such videos.❤❤❤❤
Aw yay I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed my video and it was helpful! I explain in this video tips that helped me do so much in school: ruclips.net/video/qT5CBfjEKyE/видео.html
Thanks for posting this. Kudos for the candor and ability to analyze your shortcomings. This is quite hard to do. Keep in ming that you can always go to Stanford as a graduate student. Do the best you can on your undergrad.
Thanks for taking the time to write your comment! I’m very glad I can share my mistakes to help students avoid making the same ones so they get better chances 😊 thanks for the encouragement as well!
I saw your video by accident and watched to the end even though I'm already in college and the topic doesn't totally follow my interests, my point is that you are so talented that Standford can handle your gifts and skills!
Glad you stumbled upon my video, and so grateful for your kind comment! 😊 Thank you for watching!
I need your time management skills omg
Also, I know not getting into Stanford may seem terrible because you worked tremendously hard, but know that no school needs to give you academic validation. You accomplished a lot already.
I was one of the top students at my high school and I was really devoted to art and volunteering too (usually related to art and storytelling) and while I got into the schools I wanted to (I didn't apply for ivy though lol) I couldn't attend because of the high prices.
Hi Brie, thanks so much for your kind words and encouragement! I’m sorry that you couldn’t attend the places you wanted to. Hope everything worked out for you in the end though?
@@wamyy5 I'm applying this year and will hopefully get into a university next year! I did some college but it just wasn't mentally stimulating enough tbh.
You're doing so well and you really bring my hopes up, so never lose that sparkle lol!
Smart people don't necessarily change the world. You need to show that you want to and that you have already started doing so.
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!
did you get in?
YO
i got an interview w/ stanford but did not get in. pursuing a dual degree in UF now instead
@@gravitationalredshift Proud of you! :)
I think the main reason you didn't get in is because of the way you write. The roommate one i imagine some officer finding the "im anything but boring" and having "philosophical conversations" pretentious. And the excema short essay, the first line was kind of pretentious too. i also think it has to do with ur essays and interests not really being unique
Quite possible! Someone might find it pretentious. This is why it's so important to have several essay reviewers from different backgrounds, since writing is so subjective, and you want to decrease any chance of anything not coming across the way you want it to. I think with my current level of maturity, I would have erred on the more careful side in terms of word choice. The roommate essay was also wayyyy too packed, and I'll read it in an upcoming video :)
@@wamyy5
Wouldn't multiple opinions just confuse you? Since you said these essays are subjective & everyone has their own preferences & tastes?
@@tikdoe7563 Just have enough readers so they can catch things that others might not have. For example, none of my proofreaders (English teachers, counselors) got the sense that anything could sound pretentious.
@@wamyy5 I don't mean to be rude but when I read the part about "I'm quirky" that was a big uh oh. And then u said "you're not boring" which could imply u don't like "boring" people/don't view it rly well
Reading your resume didn't feel.... exactly substantial tbh, like it was rly good but it felt like a pumpkin - it's great, it's sturdy and solid, but the inside wasn't really filled (if that makes sense)
And I truly meant no offense but your application gave me "tryhard" vibes. I think that could be why they didn't accept you. Like your resume already solidified your excellence as a student and academically, they want to know stuff personal to you.
Like don't get me wrong, harry potter and the maze runner are great books. But u can bet that a bunch of people are gonna put that down on their application yk
This is just my view since u asked in the video. Hope it helps!
@@RandomPersonzzzGreat points! Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Yes, the try-hard thing I tried to convey using the documentary clips where it’s ironic that Stanford actually selects AGAINST students who appear TOO studious with many AP classes, etc. It’s a difficult concept to grasp though since all our lives, we are told to work hard and be the best in school, but when we actually do, it’s not treated as an asset. I tried to stand out from other applicants by trying super hard and adding a resume. Those books were genuine and personal to me, so then it’s also kind of ironic that people ask for those to stand out when other books aren’t truthful.
I admire your crazy amount of accomplishments!
Thank you! And thanks for watching :)
I’m going to be completely honest, you absolutely could have qualified to enter Stanford. The reason you didn’t I think is less about you and just more about their admission’s process. So much of it is due to luck it is insane. There are people there who got in (and aren’t legacy students) who are dumb and lazy. I mean have you met some Stanford alumni? Not everyone there is this bright entrepreneurial scholar.
There are so many people such as yourself that got rejected and ultimately due to no fault of their own. There are only so many open spots its crazy. You are enough and you tried your best and that is what matters. It really is the luck of the draw as much as we don’t want to admit it. Most of our lives are really due to circumstances beyond our control, and that’s okay. It doesn’t mean that we’re not academic enough, or entrepreneurial enough, or anything. Someone has to be rejected, and ultimately you were one of the many.
Statistically, this was more likely than you being accepted into Stanford regardless of your strong application. I would not be surprised if having a “strong” application only reduces your chances of rejection by like 5% or less. So now you have an 89% chance of rejection compared to the previous 94%. The odds are still against you. And it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try or just give up; you have every right to be proud to at least try. Some people don’t even attempt to at least apply, and you did.
You still did all of the things you listed and had those experiences which taught you a lot. No one can take that away from you.
You are a good person and have every reason to be proud of your achievements even if this random group of faceless individuals who decide the fate and futures of random (mostly) high school seniors thought otherwise. Your life is much much much more important than their opinion.
You really didn’t do anything wrong or could have done anything different. It really is just dumb luck. Honestly if you created fake profiles with more or less the same information, one of them would have been accepted haha. It’s just fortune.
Stanford is not going anywhere any time soon, if you are completely convinced that living in Palo Alto and this school is for you, transferring is a lot easier than the normal application process. But I suspect that you will get into an academic institution that will value you immediately and that (hopefully) will be a better fit for you. You got this! Never doubt yourself or think of yourself as lower than what you truly are, you did nothing wrong. It really is just fate in the end.
Whoa, I'm blown away by your comment. I wish EVERYONE watching this video would read your words!
Thank you for taking the time to write this thoughtful and encouraging message! Yes, I know that a lot of chance goes into the process - I just wanted to share some things that I genuinely believe I could have done better that would've increased that chance of getting in. At my current age, I don't blame my past self because it's so hard for a 17-year-old to have the maturity to see everything I analyzed while maintaining high grades and many extracurriculars.
I agree with your point about fate as well. That's why I said it was "that fateful day." I'm actually glad I got rejected so my life could be on the path it is now :) Thanks again, and I hope you take care.
You are amazing, inspirational &
RESILENT. Thank you for sharing your stories to help others.❤
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.
I gotta say... you have one HECK of an application right there! I wish I could have accomplished half of ANYTHING you did! Not done watching your video yet, but even though Stanford didn't accept you, everything you included on there is very impressive and I can't wrap my head around how on Earth you had time to do so many extracurricular activities AND have such flawless grades. You're awesome!
Ah thanks so much for your kind words and encouragement! I’m sure you’re doing awesome things. Best of luck and happy holidays!
@@wamyy5 You're so welcome! Thank you very much and happy holidays to you as well!
I will say your resume is very impressive, way WAY better than mine. I got accepted into Harvard without even submitting my SAT scores or having any distinctions other than being the too student but I still didnt go because of financial aid. You're resume is impressive but I for a lot of these colleges, since a majority of these applicants are top students, it comes down to whether or not you fit in to the school social or emotionally or mentally, and I feel like maybe Stanford didn't felt like they knew who you were as a person outside the world of academia. I'm saying this because my essay was about why I love walgreens and that somehow got me accepted into college. For many admissions, its about presenting yourself more than just an amazing student.
troll
@@whatsonhermindblog123 I second that ^^ Pretty obvious since Harvard offers financial aid to all students who need it
"If your family's income is less than $75,000, you'll pay nothing. Families who earn more than $150,000 may still qualify for financial aid. For more than ninety percent of American families, Harvard costs less than a public university. All students receive the same aid regardless of nationality or citizenship." Harvard College *Affordability sec
@@estrelletapolar I know right? When researching top colleges, I was surprised to find out how "cheap" (cheap for a college) they were
BINGO...HAVING A PERSONALITY...your grades do not make you WHO YOU ARE.
@@estrelletapolar However, if the person is international, which is very possible judging by their surname, there are families that are not "poor" and don't qualify for financial aid, and if you can get into harvard as an international student chances are your family isn't that poor. But there is a gray zone between being not rich and poor. So it might exceed family budget.
this might be one of the saddest college entrance videos I've ever seen. You can practically see it in the girls eyes that she regrets spending her entire youth dedicating herself to a school that really doesn't give a shit about her and honestly it's depressing that this vid even exists forreal like she's rlly trying to delve into why she didn't get into the most prestigious institution in the world even though there's thousands of insane students just like her who also didn't get in. then you figure out at the end that she just got into the other most prestigious school in the world and yet she still feels the need to self reflect and make this type of video. I can't imagine being so absorbed into this academic bubble that you're at a point where you feel like "you fucked up" just because you weren't admitted to a school where the entrance just comes down to pure luck since so many ultra mega insane students are applying. Im happy that you got into Caltech, but I really hope the process didn't cost you absolutely all of your self esteem and that you maybe surround yourself with less academic people in pasadena just so you can try to escape that self doubt matrix and love yourself more. hope all is well
Great points! The difference between A- and A+ is hours of work but in real life its 0.
Not to insult their hard work and dedication but these kind of people are usually shallow and robotic-like and obvious that they do it for external factors and not out of passion.
THERE IS NO ONE WHO CAN ENJOY SO MANY THINGS AT ONCE. Its obvious ppl like this do a lot of this stuff for uni applications or for their ego I guess. Thats why theyll come across as shallow as fuck bcs they have no personality except ,,omg another first letter of the alphabet on a piece of paper".
@dotdotdot2 you’re not thinking deep enough
this is harsh but true. She’s only a kid tho and I’m sure everyone in her life has reinforced this idea so it’s hard to blame her. Everything about education in America is totally effed up, I don’t even know where to start lol
she needed the humbling.
@@samu-chan Wow, congrats! This is the stupidest comment I have ever seen. Someone has a dream and works super incredibly hard to pursue their dream. Dream snatched away by unfair system. And that's your comment? Would you say the same to Riley Gaines?
I feel like this is told every year tbh, but people tend to forget that grades aren't everything. And that's really on our school systems prioritizing numbers over actual growth in character, and whether we're applying the skills we've learned.
BIG BIG THANKS TO YOU, this is sure gonna be a great help in my journey through college applications
Yay!! So happy to hear I can help :)
Hey, just watched the video and I'm super proud of you. Just know that the few people who are saying you are an "over-achiever" are jealous of you because there's no line to decide what is more and what is less in achieving.
And yes. Some of us can do so much and have multiple skills. It's just that many of the work and university degrees require a certain niche and what you have to do is, you have to follow a unique route.you are unique and you can't do things that commoners do because you are born extraordinary. Enjoy the journey. It will be hard but keep going. You will have to do multiple jobs in multiple fields and trust me, you will have a magnificent life. All the best ♡
Hi Ama, thanks so much for your kind words. Don’t worry - I am glad I worked hard, because that’s one of the few things we can control! Thanks for your encouragement and take care 😊
I’m only a Freshmen in high school, and always thought I was ahead of the game when it comes to college resumes. I’m in some advanced classes, but when I heard you read off that list, like WHAT
I mean WTF? How much dedication and work you put in to school. Holy crap. Hats off to you.
please just find 1-3 passions that you really love. if you truly love them enough and excel in 1-3 things and get good grades like a 4.0. get a good sat/ act above 1450. i am impressed with her resume but she simply is an overachiever
@@hey9603 fr im a freshman in hs as well and ive already given up on going to an ivy league school bc i dont want to put that work into academics. i do have a good gpa of 4.5 as of now, but i want to focus on soccer and i want to go d1 hopefully
@@jayd0n-_- good! it's ur decision and honestly, some ivy league schools arent even that good. Brown and dartmouth are pretty mid ngl. Colleges like uchicago, MIT, stanford are great schools. but dont give up yet. dont make any plans yet. just go with the flow of life. that's what my brother says. he's in yale. he's just a normal kid. all he did was high school tennis, math team stuff, but he had a good gpa and an SAT score. he also wrote good essays.
@@hey9603 4.0 is unrealistic for most students
Who wants PERFECTION...
@@oliviahart531 it's not perfection. it's called hard work and brainly
I'm definitely no expert but I think the reason you didn't get accepted was because it sounded like you were trying to rack up achievements almost, like check off a checklist. The resume seemed almost robotic, like you had such amazing achievements but they were all achievements that you were collecting almost just to put on your college apps. The second reason could be your application didn't really have anything outside of your academic studies. You showed how you go to math competitions and such but you didn't really dive deep into who you were or what you did for fun outside of math. If you had maybe showed a passion outside of schoolwork then you probably would've gotten in
Why does their personality matter? You want a doctor to mess up your heart surgery and its fine as long as he's friendly?
@Brandon Ha
I know all that. But all that is just cover so they can discriminate against asians, theres proof for it. They always consistently rate blaks with higher personalities without even meeting them.
Its not some conspiracy theory, theres proof.
@Brandon Ha
I dont want a dum blak doctor to fail my heart surgery and kil me. People use all this personality stuff to justify discrimination.
@Brandon Ha
Sports shouldnt matter anyway. So what if you can kick a ball around a field? How does that make you a better worker. And these shee ple fell hook line and sinker for the whole “diveristy is good” mantra and use it to justify also.
@Brandon Ha they discriminate against anyone who is not blak, including wites
Amy ur my new fav youtuber. I was not planning on doing Stanford but after reading why they rejected you, i felt like most of what you hadn't put in your app for Stanford, is actually all here in mine! ill def apply there and see where life unfolds haha thank you!
Simone, thanks so much for taking the time to write this kind comment 😊 I’m glad I could be a positive impact to you! Glad to hear you’re doing amazing things, and good luck 🔥
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!
Sometimes emotional intelligence can get you farther in life than pure intellect.
Probably being Asian plays a big part, but as you said you need a focus or hook. But in all honesty Caltech training will be much better for stem major :)
Yes! There are definitely things I would do better if I could go back in time :) Haha, yeah Caltech kicked my butt!
hi! i’m a senior in high school and i’m looking to apply to stanford this year. thank you for your college advice- all these videos and videos like these are very helpful in seeing how older students navigated the process. im also asian american so i can see sentiments against affirmative action, but i think that telling students that you were rejected because you were asian is a harmful and discouraging narrative to paint. diversity efforts such as these are only in place because certain demographics have more educational resources and opportunities to begin with, and a lot of other students of color don’t even have the time or capacity to commit themselves to schools or ecs because they struggle w systemic racism, school to prison pipeline, low socioeconomic backgrounds. documentaries like that are extremely detrimental bc it undermines the equitable practices that school and work spaces are trying to develop as a result of trying to bridge the opportunity gap.
also im not trying to be mean at all! i just want to point this out bc it’s also def smt i struggled w but i’m hoping that a broader and more considerate perspective can be taken on this topic instead
Agreed, the video is great and informative, but that last bit about affirmative action seems poorly researched 🤷♂
very well said! thank you for saying this
Very well said! It is especially harmful because affirmative action may be gutted next year depending on what the Supreme Court decides
College is an opportunity and an outcome of a childhood of hard work. People's life of hard work shouldn't be rejected because of their skin color. Think about it that way.
Me sitting here with a 3.5 GPA and a D in calculus last year:
All jokes aside this video was very informative, and I’m glad you explained it in the way you did. It is extremely interesting to see the college progress broken down and how colleges look at students.
bro just described me🤣
Thanks so much for watching and for your comment :)
It is actually these college's fault. in the past, they insisted on students doing a variety of things, nowadays, they changed the tune, be focused on one or two. Who knows what's next?
You are incredible, best of luck to you!
Makes sense. Your case is interesting in that it is so very extreme. Most people would never accomplish what you did. Although all these accomplishments are indications of your ability, they also indicate, to say the least, that you've bought heavily into the system, which is ultimately silly. We know that being the best at a test isn't necessarily the same as being the most capable. A really intelligent person would probably not find all that to be worth their time, not that they wont work doing something they think is worth their time.
Totally agree with the point about buying into the system. It’s clear to me after reading MJ DeMarco’s books, but it’s difficult to have that level of maturity and awareness as a high schooler with Asian immigrant parents. Our backgrounds shape us a lot, and I am still trying to break away from the mindset that I need to conform to what society tells us we need to do. But hard work is not wasted and I’m glad I got to go to a good college in the end!
You're absolutely right. And honestly, there is no right answer is there? It's all relative to time, environment and culture. You have the ability to develop multiple perspectives.
Being from Scandinavia, I do not have personal experience with the American system. But since your system is/could be so impactful, I like to develop some level of opinion about it. This opinion is speculative, but...
Your strategy would have probably done better a few years ago, it's good for a lot of places still. But now it's too obvious, the people have caught onto it, so it's not differentiated. At Stanford, they can't determine your fitness with absolute certainty, but they can make an educated guess. Your application lacked differentiation, distinct identity, an issue which you seem to understand very well. Perhaps that's true. But is this actually a new phenomenon? More fundamentally, and this is just me guessing, it's not about differentiation as much as it is about demonstrating critical thinking. Conformance is to some extent antithetical to that, but not always.
It's tricky because conforming to society is not necessarily wrong. It depends on how that system is working in general. But we should decide that for ourselves. One should be able to look at things critically, something you've probably heard a lot, but it's an inescapable fact. Our society takes a lot of talented people and makes them disappear into professional obscurity inside the system, whether that's academia or the corporate world or something else. However, let's say that system is working, people are making great contributions and living fulfilled professional lives, then you might be happy to conform.
For the past decades the system has been largely about rewarding excellence, doing things right. But it's not well-suited for processing challenges to its message. You can quasi-challenge what you're taught, but not really - if you want the grades, if you want to go to a good college. At the same time, the effectiveness of the system has gone down, you could also say the incentives for society, students and faculty, have become perverted. Not to say everything is in ruins, but it's less than ideal. Hence, places like Stanford are taking action. I believe Stanford is unique, even at the level of the Ivies, in that they really pride themselves on being critical thinkers. Your experience supports that view - to an extent. Maybe this is just stating the obvious, but it's what comes to my mind.
Also, since I got so deep into it, let me just add that being Asian might mean that they just REALLY want to see this from you.
Another reason; maybe there just wasn’t enough space. Top schools eventually have to reject qualified students even if they do believe they are worthy of acceptance. There’s just not enough room to accept everyone that is qualified.
Exactly. Just apply for the next cycle if it means that much to you.
Nah, guarantee that dozens if not hundreds of lower achieving but 'more diverse' students got in. They'll 'fix' it by removing objective testing altogether so they can eliminate the pesky 'achievement' part altogether. After all, if you don't want to know something, don't test for it.
"Not enough space" seems kind of silly to me, the Stanford campus is enormous and they have all the ability to attract and hire additional faculty if they wanted to keep the teacher-student ratio ideal
Seems like they just want to keep their student body artificially small for prestige lol
@@jjw3046 They have 2000 seats and 40,000 applicants. They don't have space.
@@jjw3046They have so many student applicants and hiring more teachers is not a simple and easy process or a quick fix-all.
Whoa, you literally did everything. I feel like it’s important to note along side with everyone else’s advice, is that you don’t need the university the university needs you. The school isn’t what makes you who you are, it’s you that does that. It’s you that’s gotten you this far and it will be you that gets you farther!
I appreciate your kind words :) I agree, and all college applicants should keep in mind what you said!
Hi …. Another great composition… thanks for highlighting the need of Society or community driven ECs,,, I guess I’m gonna direct my ECs towards it. Another amazing thing u shared was that ECs should have started early like grade 10 or 11. Really interested and n ur Stanford essay. Hope u come up with that. Have a great day 👍🏻c if u can make any vid for International students especially South Asians. Thank u
Yes, I’m so glad you took away those important points and can now be more successful in your application process! I’ll definitely share my essays 😊 Regarding international student advice, I don’t have firsthand experience but I’ll see if I can pull together some information, maybe from my friends, later!
Thank you so much for making this video. A lot of people make videos about how they got in but sometimes we learn more from someone who didn't get in
Glad it’s helpful! Totally agree because everyone also has different experiences and opportunities available to them, so “how I got in” videos can only help so much
@@wamyy5 do you have any advice for me as I want start a passion project or something that cane help my community but I don't know where to start. I school in the UK btw
wAmy, I think you're right. Asian, 1550 SAT here, nowhere near top (but top 10%)... and I participated in way fewer clubs but my resumes told a very consistent story: I was a good athlete passionate about a specific sport (a very obscure one) and committed to education (tutoring underprivileged children) and got in. I think it's very important to remember admission officers can spend maybe a few minutes on each application (likely sub 1 minute) to convince them you aren't just another generic test taking machine with no personality (sadly how a lot of people stereotype high performing Asians)
And when you stack on so many honors, almost all of which have extremely strong correlations with each other (like 5 on AP calc + 4.8 GPA almost guarantees all the other honors), you just confirm the "machine" stereotype. Stanford admits hundreds of "machines" of various colours annually but the "machine" category got guys that literally WON math olympiads. It's a brutal category to try to stand out in.
Totally agree with what you said! I was also trying to emphasize the “machine” sentiment. It’s difficult sometimes to be determined by your background telling you to just work super hard instead of thinking about the end goal and what you really want to portray. You had the better approach :)
How did you not go insane doing all of this? 😭
Ye fr. I would've cried trying to do all that lol
@@monishshah2456 same
@@monishshah2456 or died
my thoughts exactly
this was a meaningful lesson, no one can be perfect.
I read somewhere that some universities don't accept your application because they know you are too good for them and better schools will select you. That might have been one of the reasons you were not selected for stanford.
That’s quite interesting - I’ve heard that too! But then you run the risk of a hardworking, qualified student not getting accepted anywhere. A couple friends who are smarter than me didn’t even get into T20 schools 🙁
The problem with this is that stanford is the top. Or at least one of the tops so not accepting her because she was too good doesn't make sense.
@Evanthecarspotter In Physics? Cal Tech with 17 Nobel Prize winners. Harvard has the most Nobel winners with 161 over all. UC Berkeley has Nobel Laureats in 5 different categories. Stanford has 84 Nobel Winners. But, I'm just bitter because a girl from Stanford dumped me after she discovered I was a Trojan.
wow
also your editing and small details are so flawless - so seamless
go on!
Thank you!!
Holy shit all 5 for all of your AP classes!!! I was happy that I can get 3 for those classes in the past.
By sharing the video you truly like to help others. Not many would have published this kind of video to help others to succeed in their Standford dream. I see passion and empathy in your eyes, you will do best in Cal Tech and achieve greatness in life. You are an American, it's crazy for college to discriminate against Asians American. College admissions should be based on academic merits not race.
Shun, thank you very much for taking the time to write this thoughtful and kind comment. I’m glad that I can help people like you through my journey and mistakes, because I value knowledge-sharing for everyone to get better chances in what they’re pursuing. I’m not sure if the 3rd point was truly a reason but thought it was important for students to be aware of what goes on behind the scenes after I watched the documentary. Thanks for your encouragement, and I wish you the best! 😊
You did so well in highschool. Your grades are amazing. You look sad and stressed in the video. You got into one of the best engineering schools, Caltech, your amazing. With all your extracurricular and activities, did you really have time for yourself because they are alot. Just remember your the best .
Appreciate it! :)
Hearing you read everything earlier made me almost confused. You had such an impressive resume but I couldn't pinpoint exactly what you were. At the end all I remembered was that you were a top student and liked math. I think that's what happened with the admissions officers because though very impressive, it was forgettable. I didn't know who you were, a person passionate for stem, a person passionate to help others in health or a person passionate in tech. It was all over the place😅 What I was sure of was that you were an over-achiever.
I've seen many people like you and had close friends who were like you. I always knew that they may not reach that far because of the level of complications they are facing. They're perfect people- start early, have "passions" earlier than anyone else, have accomplished a lot for their age, in general being an overachiever. Even I thought that was the way to excellence, but no. As I realized I was becoming like Patrick Bateman[from the movie: American Psycho] day by day, I now have decided to let go of being perfect, conquering the whole world[getting a high status], follow the rat race. The things I find common in my past "friends" are- turning into robots, failing to rest/enjoy the process, mistaking materialism for passion, being psychotic and/or being sociopaths.
To summarize, even in the video and the application you submitted, you were a real life Patrick Bateman. I wish everyone gets rid of this evil, for I don't want anyone to be a Patrick Bateman, its the worst thing you can ever be, in my experience.
You have decent post action analysis. I wanted to become a doctor when I was in high school, and I volunteered at hospitals to try and figure out if I would really like a career in medicine. I believe this helped me get into a 7-year program at a medical school (extremely competitive, only a handful of spots), even while I was waitlisted at my first choice in 4 year universities. Your actions demonstrate sincerity: rather than pack your resume, show the ability to identify goals and move towards them. This is true in school, this is true in work, no matter the career or subject area.
Employers and professors want people who can get stuff done, and the more history of getting stuff done one has, the better the candidate's chances. And you mentioned the person who made their own app. Building working prototypes is an excellent example of being able to finish projects. Most people can make ambitious plans, but few can see them through to completion.
Affirmative action is actually SO BS! Im an indian kid, so I fear that MIT might reject me because of that, even thought I consider myself very proeficient in math , physics, and engineering. Honestly my strat is what I am calling the "polymath approach". Im trying to do a bunch of random subjects and be good in them. Hopfeully i'll get in MIT, and your videos will definately help me crack the college game.
@Iron and Pine i suppose you can apply
"A jack of all trades is a master of non , But still than a master of one"
Perhaps relate?
@@Ryu-oj9wz yes, but (this is according to my college counselor), it makes it hard for them to put you in "interest buckets". Being an all rounder, or describing yourself as such could be a detriment if you do not go into a focus.
To everyone freaking out. I got into UCI by writing about LEGO. I only took 2 AP's and focused mainly on my passions. I Eagled in Boy Scouts and got all the Merit-badges. I also explored my passion towards medicine by volunteering at UCSD. My best advice is to focus on what you love and be yourself. Writing about something completely different will make you stand out. My GPA was only 3.77 unweighted 4.1 weighted. I've seen people who checklist not get into anywhere while party kids who write about their life stories get into Harvard and UCLA.
hahha thats lovely, i wanna be able to find my passion soon
which ucsd program did you volunteer for? i was interested in doing a med internship and I'm also trying to get all of the merit badges. how did that go for you? was it difficult?
she's not gonna read this because it's doesn't fit her black ppl blaming narrative.
Ol' Occam's Razor - People make a lot of arguments for why they were/weren't accepted into a school or program, but the most important reasons are often completely unrelated to our resume and skills. Your luck played a huge role in this, Amy. Many other schools would accept you, but for some circumstances (mostly) beyond your control, Stanford overlooked you. The people who review applicants have to look over tens of thousands every year, and although they try their best, they're also flawed human beings and their time is budgeted. Put yourself in their positions and you'll easily see how you can pass up many great students while letting in unqualified students simply due to minor lapses in judgement or even their mood.
Luck really can make the difference sometimes, which is why people should always apply to as many places as they can instead of trying to shoot for one specific school or program.
I had a Chinese best friend who faced a similar situation as you decades ago. He was laser-focused on achieving his academic goals, disregarding everything else he considered irrelevant. I advised him that while studies were important, they shouldn't define his entire life. He also felt frustrated because he couldn't seem to please anyone, regardless of his efforts. I suggested that in life, shit isn't rational, and people's beliefs and choices rarely make sense. I encouraged him to relax, reflect on his true identity and desires beyond academia, and avoid being a mere people pleaser who provides others, especially people he doesn't even know, with answers he thinks they want to hear. Honestly, I'm as dumb as a bag of rocks and just improvised a vague response to boost his morale. Surprisingly, it had an extremely positive impact on him.
I know this is a bit late, but I only recently stumbled upon your video. I was also rejected from Stanford. Even though I did not have nearly a strong application as yours, I did everything I could. My interest was in mathematics, and the only impressive things I did were create a math club, join a math circle to write some paper and study advanced topics like abstract algebra/complex analysis, and get 19/25 on the amc as well as 8/15 on the aime. In every other area, I couldn’t match up to Stanford with my 1490 sat no matter how hard I tried. Despite feeling utterly defeated as Stanford was my top choice, everything worked out in the end! Keep up the great work as you will do amazing things no matter where you go.
P.S.- keep making these videos. Despite already being in college, a lot of the tips on productivity have helped me improve currently. Also, the college application process stress still scars me, so it’s very cathartic to see others handle it well like you are doing.
The problem is how you express your interests, you said u were in a math club and wrote some papers. What impacts did that make? Did it further increase your interest? If you did write those, then soemtines it comes down to luck like a job, some people resonate with others quicker with a large num of applications it is hard to remember someone
@@tonynguyen8166 that makes sense. I’ll admit that I may not have expressed myself optimally. Writing was always difficult for me. Also, I may have panicked a bit when the process hit me. Stanford has been my top choice from when I was 6 to when I applied and got rejected. And once the process happened, I have been more focused on how to impress them instead of how to express myself. Maybe the words just didn’t come out as as well due to that.
I said your reaction to being rejected at Stanford blaming it on affirmative action is the reason you didn't get accepted. You're clearly not open-minded. You have a sense of entitlement. What makes you think your hard work was harder than anyone else that was admitted?
Great comment. Hopefully, it will cause her to self-reflect.
This this this! Thank you for saying it. I’ve never seen an admitted person say “I beat affirmative action,” but I have seen many rejected people with lackluster applications blame it.
The most embarrassing part is that affirmative action does not work in the way they think it does. It makes them that much more pathetic of an applicant.
Hi Amy, I'm 15 this year (in 10th grade) and I'm from Singapore. Last year I visited Stanford and fell in love with the campus; one of the students gave me an informal tour and I really loved it, so I'm aiming to get there someday. I'm currently in one of the top high schools in my country and I'm taking the SATs next month.
However, I'll be taking the GCE A-levels (I'm in a 6-year Integrated Programme, which is more locally recognised) instead of taking IB or AP. I'm thinking about going to a school with the IB curriculum instead as the school I'm in has a much heavier focus on academics, and I'd like to be able to dedicate more time to extracurriculars and community service. I also think I'll thrive in the IB system as it has more project-based learning. Unfortunately, the IB schools here are not rated as highly as my current school.
I just wanted to get your advice -- if I want to go to Stanford or a school of similar calibre, should I consider switching to an IB system or stay in my current school?
Hi! I’m happy you seek my advice, but unfortunately, I wouldn’t understand your situation as well as you or your school counselor, so I suggest you find someone closer who can advise you. Good luck!
i feel like this is the common problem around the smart kids.. they focus too much on their accomplishments that they forget to show their fun side.
You have a very impressive resume. You have packed a lot of life into a short amount of time. It is Stanford's loss that they did not accept you to attend Standford. Best of luck to you in your life!
Thanks for the kind words and encouragement! Hope you have a great week.
You are very special and an original. Don't give up. If anything, I have 3 beautiful American Japanese daughters and I know you are the perfect inspiration and role model for them and others like them. You'll success!
Commenting the thoughts I had before you made your revelation :P.
Before I do that, I'd mention that I don't think I'm any way qualified to 'rate' your application in any way (you were *by and far* more distinguished than I ever was in high school). It's just that writing essays for grad school gave me a perspective I didn't have in high school.
My $0.02: The achievements were definitely off the charts. I would just narrate the essays/statements differently. You mentioned spending the summer of 2016 learning C++ and analysing data using MATLAB. That is great, but it's more impressive to see what an invidual brought to the table. For instance, things such as
"I wrote and tested majority of the code that the simulations relied on on.",
"At a point during the project, we were stuck figuring out a way to handle tautomers in the existing framework. While we were about to give up on trying that, I had an intuition about how it could be done. Taking the help of a computer scientist we were collaboring with, I used some unconventional tweaks to rewire the reaction network as it grew. When I explained it in a group meeting, my professor said that it was precisely the solution we needed.'"
tell more about what I did than saying "I used a Python package for modelling chemical reactions which has C++ bindings in my internship project".
Something analgous can be said about other things, such as why exactly did you want to make math competitions more accessible to all students. I really liked the way you summed up in the second half how it's more important to cohesively show why you're doing things that you're doing, apart from wanting to get into a particular college, and I think it resonates with.
P.S. By all means, having that level of maturity (and having mastered the art of writing essays, which I used to be bad at) in high school itself is unusual. Often people get taught to use buzzwords as you called them, but they don't paint the same picture. And in any case, the numbers involved are so large that sometimes it's stochastic as to whether or not you'll get in. I wish this was something better appreciated by the average applicant, as it would both reduce the hype as well as the pressure to get into big name schools.
(also, I'm sorry my comment comes up as too strong; I'm not trying to sound that way).
... nonetheless, you went to Caltech though 👀
Wow thanks so much for taking the time to write this AMAZING comment! You made some excellent piping’s that I completely agree with, also given my current level of maturity and experience going through the MBA application process. Don’t apologize for your comment! These words are super helpful to other students as well, because you’re exactly right that when I talked about my summer, I just listed a bunch of things to fill the space and seem like I was doing a lot when a story about a few things would’ve been way more illuminating and impactful
@@wamyy5 thanks Amy! I'm glad it'll be of use :)
Props to you for sharing all this information, and congrats on the MIT Sloan acceptance!
@@aayusharya6899 Thanks so much!! :)
Thanks so much for sharing this. I am obviously not Asian and neither is my youngest daughter who is a high school Senior. I watch these types of videos so whenever my daughter asks questions I can refer back to you guy’s experience/expertise because I graduated from college 31 years ago. Information like this helps me help her since things have changed so much since I graduated/applied. My daughter is on track to graduate with a 4.8 GPA also but her composite ACT score is not what we wanted (she gets test anxiety really badly). However she killed the writing portion which no one cares about. She is a leader in 6 different organizations and her dream school is Brown. Good luck to anyone that reads this!
Def the essays mainly cuz they aren't rly all that unique in terms if style and expressing who you are.
You got rejected because you put "Detaching from technology" as the most significant challenge society faces. Stanford is one of the top technical schools in the world, and your telling them that they should detach from technology.
You are amazing, inspirational &
RESILENT. Thank you for sharing your stories to help others.❤
Things usually work out for the better.....
You made no errors. Most likely there were 500 applicants from your state with acceptable stats and they could only take 10. Luck of the draw. Focus yourself in college and if you want to be an academic; it is *way* easier to get into Stanford as a grad student. Good luck!
Thanks for your comment and encouragement! 😊
Hey Wamy,
You have an incredibly impressive body of work, and you shouldn't feel inadequate in the slightest. It's a hell of a lot more than I ever did. I didn't get accepted into any Ivy league or Ivy-like schools either, although I did end up going to Reed College in Portland (which didn't end well, but that's another story). I promise, I absolutely promise you, that far less talented kids got into Stanford because of their connections. Prestigious colleges are, more or less, all about politics. You deserve the world, and please don't let your college rejections get to you. My advice? After you accept matriculation into whatever college you decide, take a gap year, because otherwise, you might burn out at the pace you're going.
Hi, thanks so much for writing this thoughtful comment. I really appreciate the encouragement! Haha I did not end up taking a gap year, but I would love to do that now. I think there's a stigma around taking time off, and I'd love to see that change so more young people can spend time finding themselves. Take care, and good luck in whatever you're pursuing :)
Sometimes I think simplifying achievements helps. Also make everything link by keeping things consistent. Don't babble to much - when you write an essay it can end up feeling like there are no breaks with the speaking and it can go on and on. I had a colleague who asked me to review a university application profile introduction and I had to tell them that when I was reading it, it felt like it was wrote in a rush (their response how did you pick up on that), I also said less of the I can, I like, me, me,me attitude. What most places are after is how much what you do will influence their exposure and what can you bring to the place.
Great advice! I think that’s why many students don’t enjoy the college essay - it feels weird to write so much about yourself. And exactly, better to write 2 things so the reader remembers them vs 10 and have the reader remember none!
Stanford is a great college. Honestly, I don't know much about it other than the fact that its hard to get into and that its an ivy league institution. There are more places you can go that are better.
I just finished watching the documentary you mentioned. oddly, I felt sad (for some of the students that were featured). thanks for the rec, I enjoyed watching the documentary. 😊
I'm STUNNED! You are probably the smartest student I have seen. I was procrastinating and ran Into this video... I guess RUclips is telling me to go back to MCAT preparations LOL
They value opinion by roommate. If I were your roommate, I would frankly feel intimidated by your resume's sheer number of pages.
Wdym they “value opinion by roommate”?
@@justrandomthoughtslolbye5385 I understand one of their main essays' topic is a letter to your roommate. Apparently they are keen on what type of roommate you will be.
You are a superstar. You should have been admitted. I have a huge problem with admission policies for these types of universities. The truth is, it is often who you know and how much your family has donated to the school. Sad but true. Don't let this discourage you.
I'm from Mexico
As a person who always does really well in school, grades, and especially exam scores, I'd like to go to the US and Try the system over there and see how well I'd do, maybe I'd shine even more over there, over here we don't put much attention to achieving students, no advanced classes, no student division by grades or behaviour, so I'd like to know how far I'd get if i had my school life in the US
Stanford admissions, at least when I looked into it some years ago, attempts to "craft" a diverse class from many backgrounds and levels. This leads far from the pure meritocracy that many of us grew up thinking was the norm. Coming from a strongly competitive demographic such as yours, it is important to apply to as many top schools as you can, along with some "safety schools", and roll with the randomness. For me personally, I would choose Cal Tech over Stanford because of its strength in physics-related engineering. If you are dead set on working in Silicon Valley, Cal Tech should serve perfectly well as a background, especially if you took advantage of special offerings that feed so effectively into growth areas such as solid-state.
Wow, you’re pretty darn incredible! You’ll do amazing at any university! :)
Thank you :) happy Thanksgiving!
I was in College in the 1980’s and my GPA was 2.92. I took classes the last few years and my GPA is 3.9 or something. There’s been grade inflation because I didn’t get smarter. It’s like teachers are now afraid to give anything but A’s.
I feel for you. I was an object failure in my first high school with F's and D's, and an A and B student when I moved to my second high school. I don't know what my sister did, but either the first high school's grading system was hacked or my sister did some pranks that didn't go well with the school district. I literally had to move to a different district to be treated better. Either way I was screwed. But remember that most billionaires like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates never graduated college. And Elon Musk came from an unknown college. So it's not the end of the world.
Ah I'm sorry about what happened! You're right - the school decisions don't define us! Best of luck to you :)
Elon Musk graduated from Princeton Jeff bezos did also from Princeton Bill Gates went to Harvard Steve Jobs also went to Reeds College which is a top school
You are such an accomplished person. Your all-round achievements are just awesome. Stanford missed out on a bright spark. Focus at your age is overrated. With so much capability focus can come anytime later.
Wow I love your last point. Thank you so much for the positive and thoughtful messages.
Great video. Will try to remember to watch with my kids when they are older.
9:18 I agree and this stood out. It was a long list of disparate things.
Also, great insight re entrepreneurial spirit.
Your application was awesome and they should absolutely have let you in! Some universities have stopped selecting the best students in favor of students they happen to like for one reason or another, typically based on trivia that I see as fairly pointless like essay writing, identity, personality and other unmeasurable subjective details. Many seem to be quite clearly discriminating against Asian students (intentionally). I am a mathematics professor who went to Oxford. Your application was stronger than mine, and you're amazing. I wasn't interested in Stanford so I didn't apply there and have no idea whether they would have wanted me. But there is no legitimate basis for rejecting your application. And no, there aren't so many students with applications as strong as yours that they couldn't all go to top schools (of course you did; Caltech is great). Universities could (and should) accept the top students. There is no such thing as an over achiever, there are only people with strong achievements. It is Stanford's loss. One poorly kept secret: The quality of education you get from top schools is generally not any better than you get at other schools, especially at the undergraduate level. You just hand over more tuition money (often to be taught by TA's) and learn a slightly less practical form of what you might have learned at a cheaper institution. Your skills and future should not at all be hampered by not getting into any one particular school (with very few exceptions for specific fields with specific mentors, and then it is the professor rather than the institution that matters). The main value to a name school is that employers will be impressed by the name, but employers don't really pay enough attention (or care enough) to distinguish between schools with particular programs. They think "Stanford, huh, that's a good school," and "Caltech, huh, that's a good school," and so on. For the most part, getting into a good school means you give them more money and get a better name for your application while you mostly teach yourself (just as you would at a poorer school). Schools with similar name recognition usually have about the same value (so there is a strong argument for going to the cheapest one).
It looks like a case of less is more. Unfortunately, you only get one chance at securing a place at the university of your dreams. Still, you got a place at CalTech, one of the world’s best universities.
The system in US is so f’ed up. In Europe we just use grades and test score straight. No essay, nothing. Simple and fair. You deserve much more then Stanford 😍
In China, college entrance is based on the one-shot state-wide standard college entrance exams (it won’t even reference high school grades); people can also get extra points from national level awards. US college admission focuses too much on subjective matters which could be biased.
I think the reason is that they probably thought you were doing in for the sake of getting into a good college. This provided for a red flag where you didn't actually have a strong sense of passion towards one field and rather doing a lot of "irrelevant" things to your engineering major. Overall, going to an 'elite' college is the most overrated thing because if you really want to be successful as you can work hard and achieve great heights anywhere! So on and on, this was probably a big waste of time for you as you don't even remember what some of the activities you did, implying that they were meant to be done just to get into college rather than true personal development.
P.S. Stanford STEM program is really good and competitive, so they only accept students who really seem like they are going to make a significant impact.
Thank you so much for your honesty and transparency. You have just proven that you are not defined by your college acceptance.
Thank you for watching and I really appreciate your comment 😊
Thank you, this is very useful information and very reasonable. It's much better for a student to hear it directly from another student than from an older professional.
So glad to hear I can be helpful :)