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Calling all Stanford Fall 2009 applicants!

1 2 3 4 ... 31

Joined: 11 Jul 2008

Last visit: 13 Jan 2013

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Location: United States

Concentration: Entrepreneurship, Technology

Schools: Haas '15

GMAT 1: 680 Q47 V37 Verified score

GPA: 3.6

WE:Engineering (Computer Hardware)

Schools: Haas '15

GMAT 1: 680 Q47 V37 Verified score

Posts: 211

Kudos: 81

[1]

10 Sep 2008, 09:23

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n0ah9

I'm planning on applying this year and Stanford is by far my top pick.

Best of luck Leo and welcome to the club!

MeddlingKid

Still deciding whether to get an application in.

Yep I'm in the same boat as you, MeddlingKid. My GMAT is 680 and I have a feeling that won't cut it at Stanford. I feel that the rest of my app is pretty strong so I'm debating whether to just go for it in R1 or retake the GMAT and push back to R2. I hear Stanford strongly recommends R1...so I'm kind of stuck between a rock & a hard place

mbagal1

Joined: 28 Dec 2005

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12 Sep 2008, 03:56

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In case someone missed this - Stanford GSB on facebook.

https://www.new.facebook.com/pages/Stanf ... 1701425188

Ntang

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29 Sep 2008, 09:35

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Been fiddling with the GSB website this morning. I'm guessing that putting up the median class profile GMAT score is an attempt to disguise a mean score that's about on par with comparable programs in an effort to make the school look more selective. Anyone with me on this? I mean, I dunno why Stanford, of all places, needs to go to lengths to make itself look more selective, but you never know...

Like the guy above, I'm trying to decide whether to put in an application with my 700. That fee is pretty damned high. I'm visiting next week and will probably decide then.

sonibubu

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Location: Chicago

Concentration: Strategy, Management, Finance

Schools:Chicago Booth 2011

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29 Sep 2008, 12:59

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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. :shock:

Ntang

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29 Sep 2008, 19:03

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sonibubu

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

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.

sng

Joined: 28 May 2006

Last visit: 05 Jun 2009

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Location: New York, NY

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03 Oct 2008, 14:22

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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.

terry12

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Last visit: 18 Jun 2010

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Concentration: Healthcare

Schools:Attending Stanford

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03 Oct 2008, 18:40

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sng

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 :-D

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

sonibubu

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Location: Chicago

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03 Oct 2008, 20:10

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terry12

sng

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 :-D

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.

Ntang

Joined: 09 Sep 2008

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04 Oct 2008, 08:42

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

swbluedevil

Joined: 01 Jun 2006

Last visit: 26 Aug 2018

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Affiliations: Google, Facebook

Location: United States (CA)

Schools: Haas '15 (M) Kellogg '15 (A)

GMAT 1: 750 Q50 V40 Verified score

Schools: Haas '15 (M) Kellogg '15 (A)

GMAT 1: 750 Q50 V40 Verified score

Posts: 207

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04 Oct 2008, 10:32

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

terry12

sng

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 :-D

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

terry12

Current Student

Joined: 23 Jul 2007

Last visit: 18 Jun 2010

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Concentration: Healthcare

Schools:Attending Stanford

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04 Oct 2008, 18:04

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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!

mbagal1

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04 Oct 2008, 18:47

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I should be able to make it for R1.

jigar34

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09 Oct 2008, 10:54

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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.

chineseburned

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09 Oct 2008, 10:55

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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.

kryzak

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Status:Um... what do you want to know?

Location: SF, CA, USA

Concentration: Technology, Entrepreneurship, Digital Media & Entertainment

Schools:UC Berkeley Haas School of Business MBA 2010

GPA: 3.9 - undergrad 3.6 - grad-EE

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09 Oct 2008, 15:13

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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!

terry12

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Concentration: Healthcare

Schools:Attending Stanford

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09 Oct 2008, 15:28

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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.

chineseburned

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09 Oct 2008, 15:31

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terry12

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.

kryzak

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Status:Um... what do you want to know?

Location: SF, CA, USA

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Schools:UC Berkeley Haas School of Business MBA 2010

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09 Oct 2008, 15:55

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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!

kryzak

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Location: SF, CA, USA

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09 Oct 2008, 15:58

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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.

peaceyall

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Concentration: sustainability, social enterprise, design

Schools:Erb Institute: Ross | SNRE

GMAT 1: 760 Q49 V48 Verified score

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10 Oct 2008, 18:25

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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.