For Stanford, I had the wonderful opportunity to interview Cesar, who provided amazing and very specific tips and advice that may potentially help you with your academic process! I learned so much from his responses and recommend you check them out! Thank you so much Cesar!
What extracurriculars did you join during your high school years? Did you win any awards?
"during hs, i did 7 clubs and 2 sports:
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chem club
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key club
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math team
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chorus
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xc
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pbis mentors
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world culture club
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south asian cultural club
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archery
and i didn’t really do them in my freshman but after that i did start to get involved. i had no leadership positions but i was an active member and tried to help out in whatever way i could! the only award i won was boys cross country most improved in my junior year."
How would you describe the common application process?
"i didn’t really apply to most of my schools through the common app because i did the questbridge national college match but the college app in general was definitely a transition because i had to start basing my answers off my personal life and opinions so it felt a bit different; however it challenged me to think creatively ! it was a struggle at first but after filling out a few applications you begin to get the hang of it as many schools ask very similar questions and u can use previous supplements as a reference."
If you feel comfortable, what was the range of your stats on school? What inspired you to work hard and strive to get into Stanford?
"i had a 1450 sat score and a numeric weighted gpa of a 100.46 (idk my uw bc my school doesn’t provide that) i took 7 aps, one college class and a lot of honors classes and i got straight A’s really. what inspired me mainly is my parents bc they had their own problems in terms of maintaining the household and i didn’t wanna put the burden on them of having to motivate me to do my schoolwork and they gave up sm for me to have the education i did so i made sure i took advantage of the educational opportunities that came to me. stanford was really never in the picture just bc it’s far from home and bc it’s crazy competitive but i’m happy w the results :)"
What is one thing you wished you would’ve done more research before applying to college?
"before applying to college i wished i would’ve been more aware of the scholarship opportunities that were available and the different opportunities that they offered. i wish i researched a lot of college sooner and how quick the college process is and how important it is to time manage."