Calling all Stanford Fall 2009 applicants!

I don't think they're disguising much. The avg GMAT at Stanford was 721 last year, and it probably went up a bit to the 725 range this year. A median of 730 isn't far off.

In other words, get a 730 or higher otherwise you're in the bottom 50% of GMAT scores.

Oh. Well, that sucks.

Still waffling on whether to put an app in. I'm in the international development/non-profit sector, which is sorta non-traditional, so I'm thinking that might make me a somewhat more competitive applicant (I won't necessarily be considered next to the Indian IT guys), but obviously Stanford is still a stretch.

I attended their info session last night in New York City. What they can offer sounds too good to pass up. I will try this school.

Hooray! I honestly can't tell you how much I love this place. And we need more gmatclub representation

I'm curious... how many people are applying R1?

Any idea how much worse it is to apply R2 vs R1? I'm probably R2 applicant. I've heard Stanford and MIT offer worse chances for R2 applicants.

Also, how does Stanford view low UGPA (high Grad GPA) and high GMAT? I hope they're more forgiving than HBS on GPA.

That's it... I'm in for R1! And I dig these essays.

Terry, are you a first year or second year at Stanford?

Soni- I honestly have no admissions info beyond what's available in the public domain, so I don't know how low GPA/high GMAT is viewed in comparison to high GPA/low GMAT. Last year's GSB admissions blog recommended Round 1 over Round 2, but I don't think there's a great deal of difference between rounds.

SW- First-year

Ntang- That's great, best of luck!

I should be able to make it for R1.

I am applying R1, but I have to get through the 2nd essay question for Chicago application before I get back to and finish Stanford.

I honestly don't think I have a chance but why pass up an opportunity to be part of the application process. I view this as the Olympics where participation is an achievement enough by itself and one can only learn and grow from it. Of course, people have to qualify to get to the Olympics but we also have to do lots of things well like GMAT, GPA, essays, recs, etc to even dare think we can apply to a school like Stanford.

Anyone know how strict they are on the essay word limit? Would it be ok if the total count is exceeded by 10%?
I actually think the word count limit makes tackling essay A easier. Because it's probably the most irrelevant of the essays and one can only leave like 250 words for that one. I don't know about you, but to me it seems easier to answer what matters most in less words, and probably the expectations for the essay won't be as big any more.

just remember, the "what matters most" essay will really help you understand yourself. So even if you don't get in, it's a worthwhile exercise.

One added benefit I just realized, one of our application for a program at Berkeley asks pretty much the same question. Woot!

I wouldn't try to tackle Essay A in 250 words... it's taken pretty seriously. With respect to overall length, I imagine the situation's pretty similar to other schools. Stay as close as possible to the given limit, but 5% over's probably fine. 10% might be pushing it, but that's just my opinion.

I imagine every essay is taken seriously. But how could you take this abstract one more seriously thant the goals essays or the showing leadership essay? I think the focus and word count should be on the latter two.

I have to agree with terry12 here. There is a reason why Essay A (What matters most) *always* had a recommendation for the most pages. Stanford cares MOST about who you truly are, whether you know yourself well, and if you're the right type of person they want to have in their class (and change the world). Goals and leadership are great and all, but with such a small class, high yield, and high amount of applicants, they can fill their class many times over with top candidates. Your only distinction is in Essay A.

Of course, none of us are on the admissions committee nor do we know insights into how they select people, so you are free to allocate only 250 words to the essay if you firmly believes that it's in your best interest. Good luck!

FYI:

Essay Length

Your answers for all of the essay questions cannot exceed 1,800 words. Each of you has your own story to tell, so please allocate the 1,800 words among all of the essays in the way that is most effective for you. We provide some guidelines below as a starting point, but you should feel comfortable to write as much or as little as you like on any essay question, as long as you do not exceed 1,800 words total.

* Essay A 750 words
* Essay B 450 words
* Essay C 300 words each


Essay A: What matters most to you and why?
This question helps us learn about your ideals and values. They set the context for how you see the world. They are your guideposts when you make any decision from what type of job you pursue to what type of culture you will create in leading an organization.

Essay B: What are your career aspirations? How will your education at Stanford help you achieve them?
This question helps us understand your professional dreams and from where your passion comes to achieve them. We also get a glimpse of what skills or knowledge you think you need to develop to reach them.

Essay C: Please answer two of the questions listed below.
1. Tell us about a time when you built or developed a team.
2. Tell us about a time when you felt most effective as a leader.
3. Tell us about a time when you tried to reach a goal or complete a task that was challenging, difficult, or frustrating.
4. Tell us about a time when you went beyond what was defined, established, or expected.

We all have important stories to tell. We want to share moments when we have achieved great things or helped to shape the world around us. Essay C lists four potential questions (or prompts) to help you identify which are the two most important stories you have to tell us. The prompts themselves are not as important as the stories that they bring to the surface.

i'm in, but after going through last year's call for Stanford applicants and seeing 1 success story (for Stanford), it's a bit depressing. oh well. i had a nice visit though and sat in on a great class.