Does Stanford look at extracurricular activities?

Learning about your extracurricular activities and nonacademic interests helps us understand your potential contributions to the Stanford community. Students often assume our primary concern is the number of activities in which a student participates. These are as important as any other extracurricular activity.

What kind of students go to Stanford?

Stanford students are driven and ambitious, but also highly engaged with the world around them and deeply concerned about making an impact. They are high-achievers but also some of the most driven to give back to the places they came from and the people that allowed them to find their success.

Which extracurricular activities look best for Harvard?

What Extracurricular Activities Does Harvard Look for? There are no particularly “best extracurricular activities for ivy league applications”. It could be anything from creative writing to swimming to theatrics to cooking to cinematography, as long as it shows some exceptional talent.

What extracurriculars do Ivy leagues look for?

Let’s start with leadership activities.

• Leadership Activities.
• Good: Community service or volunteer work.
• Good: Travel.
• Better: Model United Nations.
• Better: Sports leadership.
• Best: Political activism.
• Best: Starting a club.
• Scholarship Activities.

What is the most impressive extracurricular?

Best Extracurriculars for College

• Leadership Activities. Leadership activities are some of the most important ones to put on your college application.
• Internships.
• Athletic Participation.
• Work Experience.
• Academic Teams and Clubs.
• Creative Pursuits.
• Technological Skills.
• Political Activism.

How important are extracurriculars at Stanford University?

Extracurricular activities are a common way for applicants to separate themselves from the field, but not all extracurriculars are created equal. Stanford considers talent/ability “very important” when making admissions decisions and extracurricular activities are an excellent way to demonstrate them.

How many students does Stanford accept each year?

With 3.7 million high school seniors a year, this is about 37,000 students—many times larger than the roughly 2,300 students Stanford accepts each year. Consequently, top colleges such as Stanford need to look beyond academic scores to distinguish between these equally high-achieving students.

Why is it so hard to get into Stanford University?

The first reason is basic numbers: there are simply too many students with stellar academics. The average ACT score for a Stanford student is 33; thus, Stanford considers this score (or higher) stellar. Yet a 33 still puts about 1\% of the high school population above you.

Why do top colleges like Stanford look beyond academic scores?

Consequently, top colleges such as Stanford need to look beyond academic scores to distinguish between these equally high-achieving students. The second reason is the understanding that many top colleges, including Stanford, are looking for students who can have a significant and positive impact on the world.