My notes from meeting with Stanford admissions:
– kids only submit applications with input from counselor
– parents should stay out of it; counselors are key
– supplemental questions- they are meant to be a snapshot- follow directions, don’t write a thesis
– interview- parents should not be present when the kid presents him/herself
– 2-3 long term activities outside of high school
– 9th grade not looked at- too much change in a kids life
– 10, 11, 12 looked at very strongly
– mostly A’s, some B’s for highly competitive top schools
– It’s not the school they attended, it’s what they did with what was available at the school. Many Private schools offer a lot of choices so they should have taken advantage. A small school may offer little, but if the student was involved in it all, it shows they took advantage of everything offered.
– SAT’s 1400+ for top schools
– legacy- some influence, but expected to decline due to sheer numbers of graduates
– if you have a choice, pick a school with great college counselors. Does the counselor have any relationships with colleges that you might consider?