How do I get into Stanford as an undergraduate? originally appeared on Quora, the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus.

How do I get into Stanford as an undergraduate?

A stellar, well-rounded academic record. It’s no secret that Stanford is an academically rigorous institution. When Stanford admits an applicant, they want to be certain that that student can handle the academic workload. When applying to Stanford, undergraduates aren’t required to declare a major. When I applied (Fall 2011), I had to list a couple of majors I was interested in. What I found upon arriving to Stanford was that most people at Stanford had the academic background to handle most any major. One of my best friends from freshman year was a self proclaimed “fuzzy” (non-technical person), and was set on majoring on English or American Studies. She hated math and science with a passion. One night she casually off-hand mentioned that she had taken AP Physics and AP Calculus in high school. She had, of course, hated them, but also done very well.

Good standardized test scores. Goes with above — good overall academic record. You can see more info about Stanford’s admitted student profiles here: Our Selection Process. Scores don’t by any means have to be perfect, or near perfect, but again here Stanford is looking to ensure academic strength.

Extra-curricular passions. Stanford also looks to ensure that you are passionate about things outside of your classes. One thing that makes Stanford so special is that students do a lot. Oftentimes too much. Stanford is looking for people not only to enrich their classrooms, but to enrich their clubs, organizations, sports teams, etc, etc. A lot of what makes Stanford Stanford is the general student life.

Solid application. When I applied to colleges, Stanford by far had the most intensive Common App supplement. If I recall correctly I had to write 3 additional essays and answer a handful more “short answer” questions. While I don’t know this officially, I would imagine that if an applicant “slacked off” or turned in an unpolished supplement, it would not help the case that they can handle the academic rigor of Stanford. Additionally, a lot of people apply to Stanford. Some because they really want to go there, and others because they know it’s a good school and they should apply. As a result, it’s important to express why Stanford and not some other excellent school.

Luck. When I toured Stanford, they mentioned that they get enough qualified applicants to fill 3 qualified freshmen classes. Making sure you are in the 1/3 of qualified applicants that gets selected requires some luck. There are some things that can help increase your odds. This is where things like legacy, notable family, world champion of X, or awesome athletic ability comes into play — but in my experience pretty much everyone at Stanford was also very smart, passionate, and motivated, even if they had some extra “luck” in getting selected.

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