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Chloe Williams

Mr.Taylor

Honors English l

26 February 2019

The Best Ivy League School For Me

I want to attend a challenging, but rewarding University. I have been considering several

top Ivy League Universities, such as, Columbia, Harvard, Brown, UPenn and Stanford

University. They are all known for their individual prestigious backgrounds, but I believe

Stanford is the one for me. What stands out about Stanford is that it offers a challenging

academic program. The athletic programs compete at the highest level in the country. And its

location and attractions are to die for! These are the reasons that I think Stanford is the perfect fit

for me.

Not too long ago, I became interested in Stanford University. Did you know that Stanford

has an acceptance rate of 5%? “Last year, 2,085 out of 44,073 applicants were admitted, making

Stanford an extremely competitive school to get into with a very low chance of acceptance…,”

according to https://www.collegesimply.com/colleges/california/stanford-university/admission/ .

You must score at least a 1440 on the SAT, a 32 on the ACT, and have a GPA of 4.18 and

above. In comparison, the average SAT score is 1050-1060, a 20.8 on the ACT, and around a 3.5

for GPA. This clearly shows that Stanford is looking for the best of the best to attend! I know

that if I want to get into this university, I have to be on top of all of my academics.

Playing basketball at this level is a big part of my decision. The Stanford women’s

basketball ranks high among all college teams in the country. They compete in the highly
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competitive PAC-12 conference. They have won two NCAA championships (1990 and 1992),

and have appeared in the NCAA tournament numerous times. Stanford is presently ranked

number 7 nationally for women’s basketball (https://gostanford.com/news/

2016/6/29/womens-basketball-history.aspx).

The last and the most exciting reason that I like Stanford is it’s location. It is one of the

largest universities, located on the San Francisco Peninsula in Silicon Valley, near the Santa

Cruz Mountains and the Pacific Ocean in California. It also occupies over 8,000 acres of land.

There are multiple attractions that bring tourists to the beautiful campus. Such as the Hanna

House, Hoover Tower, and so much more. The Hanna House was built by Frank Lloyd Wright.

The designing of the house was based on the use of hexagonal shapes, which caused there to be

no right angles used in the floor plan. He used the honeycomb of a bee to spark this special

design pattern. The Hoover Tower is probably the attraction that is acknowledged the most. It

stands 285 feet tall and overlooks the whole campus. It was made in celebration of the

University’s 50th anniversary. The first few floors are used as a library. And the top floor is an

observation deck where tours take place. I have never been to Stanford’s campus nor have I’ve

been to California. But I do know that I have heard some pretty amazing things about it. In the

near future, I plan to take a trip there to tour Stanford and see some of the exciting attractions in

California. A downfall of the location is that it’s very far away from home. My family and I have

a close bond, so I don’t know if it would work being on opposite sides of the country.

(http://visit.stanford.edu/basics/highlights.html)

I believe that Stanford will challenge me as a student-athlete, and I know that I can

potentially reap many benefits after four plus years there. The challenging academic program
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will ensure that I obtain a good career. Athletically, I can compete for many championships, and

push myself to new limits physically. The attractions and amenities in California may make my

time at Stanford all the more worthwhile. This is why I believe that Stanford is the Ivy League

school of my dream.
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Works Cited

“2018 Costs of Attendance | Stanford University.” ​College Tuition Compare​,

www.collegetuitioncompare.com/edu/243744/stanford-university/tuition/. Accessed 23

February 2018.

Alto, Destination Palo. Getting Around - Destination Palo Alto,

​ ccessed 24 February 2018.

www.destinationpaloalto.com/hoover-tower. A

Apps, LBRE. “About The Hanna House”| Hanna House,

​ ccessed 23 February 2018.

hannahousetours.stanford.edu/index.php?p=about. A

CollegeSimply. “Home.” Napa Valley College Student Demographics,

www.collegesimply.com/colleges/california/stanford-university/admission. ​Accessed 24

February 2018.

“Women's Basketball History.” Stanford University, Stanford University Athletics, 27 Mar.

​ ccessed 24
2018, gostanford.com/news/2016/6/29/womens-basketball-history.aspx. A

February 2018.