Stanford is now one of the hardest universities to gain access to in the world, second only, in the United States, to Harvard in acceptance rate. So, don’t beat yourself up if you were rejected Restrictive Early Action. We know it’s hard not to, but really — Stanford is a reach for everyone. The overall acceptance rate is now less than 4%. This is wild. Imagine being in a gym with 99 other people waiting on the sidelines, and only four of you all will get to play in the game. When visualized, these odds are insane. That doesn’t mean a rejection from Stanford doesn’t hurt, though, especially if it’s a school that you’ve been dreaming of for a while. When you’re ambitious enough to apply to Stanford, you’re also typically confident enough to believe you will…or, at least, will maybe…get in. But you didn’t, so now what?
Well, the good news is that you’re still that same awesome, intelligent, driven, and intellectually curious student who applied to Stanford a few months ago. Now, you may even have some additional leadership roles and accolades to add onto your application! In this post, we’re going to break down what you need to know to turn a disappointing decision from Stanford into an exceptionally successful regular decision (or EDII!) application round. So, make a cup of tea, settle into a comfy chair, and take a deep breath. We’ve got you.
It's going to be ok. Seriously. We even have a package named that.
Step 1: It’s Not a Crisis
It may feel right now, when the decision is fresh and the wound is raw, like this is a crisis. It isn’t one. We repeat: This is not a crisis. You are completely in your right to be frustrated and disappointed, but all is not lost. You can still get into an exceptional university, have an amazing college experience, and go on to a fabulous future. The biggest thing in your way right now, though, is you. More specifically, your mental health. If you start freaking out right now or second guessing everything or only seeing doom and gloom, it’s the equivalent of throwing in the towel. Don’t do that.
DO pat yourself on that back. While the outcome isn’t what you wanted, you applied to Stanford, which means that you’ve pulled together an impressive application. That’s awesome, and it will serve as a great starting point for the next stage of the college application journey. The passion and hard work that built your Stanford application are the same things that will get you into a dream school if you stay the course.
Take time to be upset, and then it’s time to get back to work.
Step 2: Reevaluate Your College List
The college application process benefits from strategy. When a student is applying to a dream school early, it’s easy for them to neglect the strategy part. You may have had a one-school list, and we understand the desire to have that singular focus. Distractions might, well, be distracting. But we actually never recommend this route. It is always better to prepare for all the potential eventualities. It is always better to have a well-balanced college list.
If you did have a college list before applying to Stanford that you felt was well-balanced, the good news is that it still may be. While we advise getting expert advice to ensure you’re on the right path, simply being rejected from Stanford doesn’t mean that your list is totally wrong. Stanford has such a low acceptance rate, and is so competitive, that a rejection REA doesn’t by itself mean that your list needs to go in the trash.
Don’t assume your list is okay, though. Even if you already have one, try to look at it with fresh eyes to rebuild for a successful second round of applications.
All college lists need to have three types of schools: the Reaches (like Stanford), the Targets, and the Foundations, or Safeties. The Safeties truly are the foundation of any college list, and a college list without realistic safeties is not a strong college. The key word here is realistic. As a student who decided to apply to Stanford REA, you know how to shoot for the moon. For the 3-4 safeties on your list, though, you need to stay closer to the ground. Safeties should, though, still be schools that will fulfill your academic goals, while offering the culture, location, and size that you’re looking for. Most importantly, all this is paired with a much higher acceptance rate.
Your targets will be schools that you are a strong match for academically, and perhaps have an advantage at, such as being an in-state student for a state university. You should have 3-4 of these as well. The reaches? Well, you know the reach game. They’re the schools that you are shooting for the stars with, but remember to stay in the same galaxy. If you shoot too far (maybe Stanford fell into this?) you’re bound to fall short.
As you compile (or reconsider) your college list, remember to stay open. Just because a school isn’t a brand name or somewhere your friends are applying doesn’t mean it couldn’t be a perfect fit for you. You should also seriously consider an EDII option that is somewhere between a target and a reach.
Step 3: Essay Time
You’ve already written a lot of essays, and you probably didn’t think you’d need to use them again. Good news: you were right. Bad news: you have a lot of writing to do.
It’s not that stronger essays would have necessarily gotten you into Stanford. With such a low acceptance rate, that isn’t really knowable. But it’s also possible that they could have.
Let’s start with the main Common App essay.
Your main essay probably needs a rewrite. That may sound painful, but hear us out. We’re not arguing that your essay was bad. We can’t know that because we haven’t seen it. But we also know that outstanding essays can be gamechangers. If you have the grades and the scores to be a strong Stanford applicant, the essays could have truly made the difference to push you over the edge. But they didn’t, so now let’s make them something that can be the difference-maker for your application the next time around.
Start by reading our guide to the Common App Essay Guide 2024-2025, and identifying your most powerful story. Next, take a look at essays that have worked to see all the different ways that you can tell a story. There isn’t one way to do a common app essay, just like how there is no single ‘perfect’ application. The most important thing is to tell your story, your way.
Next, it’s time for supplements. Supplements can get really overwhelming, especially in the regular decision round. Some schools only have one, and that’s easy to try to rush through. Others have a dozen or more, and those start to feel like a slog. Whether there is one supplement or many, though, each needs to be treated with care. Even if it is a single word, be thoughtful. We have college-specific supplement guides for dozens of schools that will help you on your way.
Step Four: Ask for Help
Our guides, resources, and examples are written to help you do strong work, but doing your best work often requires some help. Many of the members of our team are professional writers, and every time we turn in a piece for a magazine or publication, we get feedback from editors to help us do our best work. That doesn’t mean it’s not our writing — it’s guidance to help us do our best work. So, we apply the same logic to the college admissions process. The idea that a young teenager should be able to do impeccable work without help is, to be honest, absurd. If professional writers benefit from an editor, so do college applicants!
Our “It’s Going to be Okay" package is specifically for students like you who are exceptional, but whose application could use some polish.
We help top students get into their dream schools. Email us to learn more.