I'm a rising sophmore and my dream school is Stanford. I'm wondering what I can do to stand out when I apply?

Answered

To stand out a Stanford, one area that many admissions experts talk about is Intellectual Vitality. Intellectual vitality is a unique category to Stanford. Harvard has something similar call Intellectual Curiosity. Specifically, IV is the following:

Intellectual Vitality

We want to see your commitment, dedication and genuine interest in expanding your intellectual horizons; both in what you write about yourself and in what others write on your behalf. We want to see the kind of curiosity and enthusiasm that will allow you to spark a lively discussion in a freshman seminar and continue the conversation at a dinner table. We want to see the energy and depth of commitment you will bring to your endeavors, whether that means in a research lab, as part of a community organization, during a performance or on an athletic field. We want to see the initiative with which you seek out opportunities and expand your perspective.

What this means is that you have to communicate, express and show evidence that you have a love of learning and are motivated not by grades, stats, peer competition but by the notion of self-discovery to acquire more knowledge for the sake of it.

This is something that is not taught in K-12 Public or Private schools and something that differentiates and exceptional student of learning versus someone that checks off all the right boxes for to sole purpose of getting into Stanford. Those students are the "grinders", the "plodders", the "flexers" that look at Stanford as the brass ring, not the entry door into an academician world of wonder.

Stanford has a supplemental essay for IV. Prompt: Stanford students possess an intellectual vitality. Reflect on an idea or experience that has been important to your intellectual development (250 words).

I hope this clarifies things for you and I wish you all the best.

Essays/Personal statement and to a lesser extent a LoR.

If you take a stereotypical ivy caliber application all writing in the application is great but unique is not all that common. You need AOs to want you to get in and an essay/writing is the best way. They say I want cp to get in bcuz blah blah. And as Stanford if I remember correctly is by comittee you get someone who is on the comitee to advocate for you.

As a related note have a cohesive theme in your application such as involved in community and make that your god. You essentially advertise yourself as x thing/skill and that makes you memorable (you can likely get advocated for as they remember you and can remember their opinion that you can do well as Stanford) and unique (refer back to memorable)

Hope this helps and comment if you need clarification.

I’m not an AO but with the articles I’ve read this seems to be how admissions work at Ivy caliber schools.