Stanford Report, March 31, 2004

Stanford offers admission to 2,424 for the Class of 2008

The Office of Undergraduate Admission announced Monday that 2,424 students for the Class of 2008 have been admitted. Letters are being mailed today to 1,621 admitted students who applied through the Regular Review process. Follow-up letters have been sent to another 803 students previously offered admission under Stanford's Single-Choice Early Action program. All admitted students have until May 1 to decide whether to accept the offers.

The strength of the applicant pool increased again this year, continuing a trend that has extended over the past several years. Only 12.6 percent of all applicants were offered admission, with the number of total applications rising to 19,169.

"By all traditional measures this has been a remarkable year at Stanford," said Dean of Admission and Financial Aid Robin Mamlet. "But the true mark of why this class is so phenomenal lies with the absolutely incredible students. Their achievements are amazing and their aspirations inspiring. They are dreamers and builders, risk-takers and problem solvers, scholars and humanitarians. These gifted students have not only the academic tools to succeed here but also diverse experiences to share with our community, curiosity to create tomorrow's knowledge in our labs and libraries, and passion to embrace whatever challenges and adventures they encounter."

Intellectual vitality, an energy for and love of learning, and academic achievement remain the most important criteria for admission. Over 90 percent of the admitted applicants for whom class rankings were reported were ranked within the top 10 percent of their high school class and nearly 80 percent have a grade point average of 4.0 or higher.

However, Mamlet noted that once again the most successful applicants were those who realize their impressive SAT scores or GPAs alone cannot define them. "These are students who find their greatest joy through both a high level of excellence and excitement. They have implemented recycling programs for their schools, won poetry slams, led anti-tobacco efforts in their communities and worked to foster peace and understanding in such global hot spots as the Middle East, Afghanistan and Cyprus. Our inventors have developed groundbreaking software in face recognition and have designed tools to increase online security. One student created her own written and spoken language, while another works as one of 80 worldwide maintainers of the Linux operating system. Several students have produced award-winning documentaries and one hosted her own show on Jamaican television. One admit has a patent for his innovative pen design, while another has discovered how to construct microchips using a molecular pencil. Clearly, these students already exhibit the initiative, entrepreneurial spirit and curiosity that have come to define the Stanford community."

The university will officially welcome these new admits and their families during Admit Weekend, April 22-24. Admitted freshmen have been invited to visit the Stanford campus at that time to explore the university's unique opportunities and unrivaled resources and to meet their future classmates. SR

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