Our team asked a former Stanford University admissions officer for some helpful college advice for high school students during their college application process. Read below for insider knowledge from a college expert!

What does Stanford University look for in an applicant?

 Harvard University has always had an extremely competitive acceptance rate and it is only getting more competitive. Some controversy has recently been uncovered regarding Harvard admissions and a potential bias against Asian Americans due to low personality scores.

I mustered my courage and took one last look at my family as they waved their goodbyes before turning around and walking towards the departure gate. With every step that I took, thoughts came gushing through. Am I ready to leave behind the people I adore, the places I frequented and had become so fond of, and the delicious, exotic cuisine to travel halfway across the globe just to attend college?

My name is Emma and I’m currently a first-year student at UC Berkeley studying Business Administration and Economics. Before I was a Cal Bear, I was a high school student from a suburban town named Sammamish in Washington state.

As an applicant, if you had applied to schools in the Ivy League, February is usually when these schools will have their alumni reach out to you for an interview. These Ivy League Alumni Interviews may seem of marginal value to an applicant, but they’re actually extremely useful. 

Upon one’s first visit to Stanford University, it can feel a bit like paradise. Not only does Stanford’s reputation for outstanding academics precede itself, but the university’s sunshine and palm trees give it an appeal unique from its equally elite Ivy League counterparts.

 At U.C. Berkeley, you may see a screen that takes up the size of the wall. It displays images of people around the world walking, sleeping, laughing, and living ordinary lives. 

Harvard University is addressing a crisis: how do we get food for the hungry? How can we best make sure people's needs are met while doing it in a healthy and sustainable way?

I remember as a senior, college applications loomed large around this time of year. And I had barely cracked the UC essays. I sat in my living room, staring at the questions, hoping the essays would just write themselves.