Calling All Stanford Fall 2010 applicants!

R3 Applicant

F/25/3.47/720/5yWE Corporate Finance

Hi Everyone,

I have applied for R3. Although I think that Stanford is perfect for me and that I am exactly what it is looking for, I have a pretty sure feeling that I will not get in. I have to keep telling myself what a long-shot it is for me to get in because I just fill my head with possibilities which will (about 95% likely) be transformed into disappointment.

I'm so glad to have found this forum because finally someone understands why I would put myself through such a grueling process! I'm sure most of us are in similar boats of seeing the goal so close after turning in applications, but knowing the unbelievable odds against us. So, please, excuse the length of this reply! I haven't had contact with other applicants and wish that (through my hours of research on Stanford) I had found this site before R3's deadline.

My essays were to be the strongest component of my app because I just recently graduated w/ a BA in psychology and have little professional experience. My GMAT score is only 620, but my graduating GPA was 3.99. I volunteer often and even created and managed a woman empowerment group for foster girls for 11 weeks. I am multi-cultural and wrote about it in my essay as a basis of discovering what was most important to me.

I spent absolutely ridiculous amounts of time on those essays--especially Essay 1. I have notebooks filled with notes on myself and have written probably 10 different attempts of my first draft of Essays 1 and 2!

I was applying for R2, but I just couldn't get my word count low enough to say everything I wanted to say. I usually have the problem of not writing ENOUGH to fulfill a word requirement. At my simplest core, I am an artist and poet and like to keep things simple and short (obviously, right? haha).

I'm SO glad that I waited to apply for R3 because my essays transformed completely after throwing out my initial plan of touching on each significant event for Essay 1 and plugging in my new one of focusing on one event that many of the others stemmed from.

On April 7th, I still had to cut off some words even though I had worked on the essays like a full time job since January. I had about 1700 words and began reading and chopping and reading and chopping to fit under 1400 words. At last inspection, I had 1399 words and clicked that submit button--shaking!

Here's the good part, where my face turns white:

In anticipation, I accidently found this forum. It is exactly what I was looking for for months! To my HORROR, I read about people's difficulty with the 1800 word limit. HOW could I have made that mistake? How? I could have used 401 more words! Good grief.

I think that my essays turned out well, though not perfect as I had hoped. How do you think the admissions committee will look at my LACK of words? And do you think they will even (truthfully) care because my GMAT score is so low?

I can't believe this!

Even if I didn't get in, I wanted to feel like I gave it my best. It's just a bit frustrating feeling so close to a dream boot camp for influencing a better world, yet knowing I probably have no chance.

Oh well, I think I did give my best other than that. Oh yeah, I am also going to World Expo 2010 in China this June with a college where I am taking pre-MBA classes.

--I'D LOVE TO HEAR YOUR OPINION--

Other than what you think about my word chopping, I have a few more questions (if you've read this far, thank you!):

*Are there any recent college grads here that have applied in any round?
*Send me a message if you'd like to chat about what you've discovered mattered most...(gee I'm sucha nerd!)
*If anyone who was accepted would like to exchange essays, or at least give me a perspective on mine if you want to keep yours private, PLEASE let me know. I'd like to whether I am admitted or not. I would appreciate it immensely!


Thank you ALL, and although you are my competition, congrats to everyone who gets accepted! !!! Use it well!

interviews are going out today or tomorrow and will continue through mid-may

angryinsomiac, you sound like such a great person, keep up the positive attitude, regardless of what stanford says you are a winner in my book!

btw what's up with the name?

wow, that's quick.

Has anyone on the WL heard anything? In one of the WL letters, GSB said they would admit 2-3 people from the WL in April...

Thanks Qaum,

You know just what to say!

As for my name, I don't know... I'm an insomniac and it angers me, I guess? haha. I have a love/hate relationship with the night... just made that up, but sounds 'emo' enough hah.




In regards to the interviews, I assume that Stanford looks at applications in the order that they were submitted... Can anyone confirm this?

Thanks,
Diane

PS
-Are there any other recent grads applying?
-Has anyone else applied for a joint or dual degree? I applied for the MPP, as well.

How do you know about this interview info for round 3?

diane - I applied to the MS Environment & Resources also

just call admissions and listen to the message - ask them if you want

not in order of which they were received, it is kind of random from what i understand

further, you have so much potential, i strongly suggest you to explore your passions for a year or two and get some experience under your belt in the business or NFP world... then enroll in a hardcore gmat study course... get that score up to 700 (or take the GRE)... i believe you will be a compelling candidate for the program assuming you don't get in this time around

Another R3 - M/25/3.1/760/3-4 years WE at Aerospace (Rocket Engines/Engineering)/some decent ECs

Also a reach (due to the GPA mostly) but we'll see. Even as a Berkeley undergrad, Stanford would be pretty awesome.

I too had some issues with the word #'s... and I pretty liberally altered the final word #'s for the various essays (I think I ended up submitting with 600/500/400/300, off the top of my head).

Good luck everyone

if anyone hears from stanford on r3 interviews please post here and let us know! thanks!

I think we've got some time...last year's R3 interview invites didn't start until early May.

Keep in mind, R2 admit weekend is this weekend and R2 reply deadline is 4/29.

Good luck all!

Biggus and Quantjock:

Enjoy admit weekend, but don't forget your mission of putting in a good word for me!! your GSB experience just wont be the same without the trifecta!!

Wow, thank you Qaum! I really feel like I am what Stanford is asking for (but I'm sure that is how most people here feel haha). I am definitely trying to get into the business world, but I'm the type of person who needs to know what I'm talking about before I feel like I can conquer the subject--hence the MBA. It seems backwards to me to follow my passions before I am confidently educated on the matter (my BA is in psychology).

Nonetheless, I am sure you are right! Even though I'm itching to start the race, I wanted to get a good head start through education. If I didn't have an MBA to focus on, I would be focusing more on educated myself to start a business to educate myself on starting a national then international business. Catch-22, indeed.

Are you applying to this round, Qaum? You seem to have been through the MBA application process. Maybe we should continue our conversation through the inbox?

Has anyone in R3 received notification of their application being reviewed? Or does it still say "submitted"?


Thank you,
Diane K.

Mine still says "submitted", but I didn't submit the app until the night before the deadline.