How I Got In #16 || Stats, ECs, Awards, Etc. (Stanford)

Main Ideas / Lessons Conveyed

• Purpose of the video: Haley Lepe shares the academic stats and extracurricular activities that helped her transfer into Stanford.
• Who it’s for: While aimed at transfer students, she says the advice can help any applicant.

Academic strategy

• She didn’t take the SAT/ACT in high school.
• She emphasizes that her community college performance and coursework were especially important for her Stanford transfer application.
• She highlights strong, relevant coursework in computer science and math/science, including:
  • multiple programming courses
  • discrete math
  • data structures
  • architecture/systems
  • AI/ML research through extracurriculars

Extracurricular strategy

• She focuses on activities that show commitment and leadership in computer science, plus connections to research and opportunities beyond her campus.
• She repeatedly leverages transfer-center, honors, club, and research programs to build experience and relationships.

Result she claims

• She attributes her acceptance to the combination of:
  • grades
  • CS-focused coursework
  • leadership/research/presentations
  • work/tutoring

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Detailed Breakdown of Stats and Achievements

1) Background (context)

• Name: Haley Lepe
• Origin: Mexican and Guatemalan; born and raised in Southern California
• High school: Public high school; ~800 students in the graduating class
• High school rank: 44th out of ~800 (described as top ~5%)

2) High school academics (submitted in application)

• GPA: 4.4 (reported as weighted in context)
• Unweighted GPA: 3.88
• Standardized tests: did not take the SAT or ACT
• High-level note: attended a school with many APs and the full IB diploma program (she completed it)

AP exam scores submitted

• AP Biology: 3
• AP World History: Modern: 4
• AP Calculus BC: 2
• AP English Language & Composition: 4
• AP Psychology: 4
• AP Statistics: 3
• AP Human Geography: 2
• AP Computer Science Principles: 3

IB exam scores submitted

• Physics HL: 3
• World Religions SL / SLS: 5
• Mathematics SL: 5
• Computer Science HL: 4
• English Literature HL: 5
• Spanish SL: 6

She notes this may look different from a typical Stanford profile, but argues that transfer applicants may be evaluated with a different review lens.

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3) Community college academics (core part of what she says got her in)

• School: MiraCosta College (Oceanside, CA)

Community college GPA

• 3.93 “when she was applying”
• 3.88 at acceptance (she explains she received a B in the final semester)
• She states community colleges do not use weighted GPA.

MiraCosta course history

Fall 2022 (4 classes)

• Intro to Computer Science 1: A
• Calc 1: A
• Social Psych: A
• Fundamentals of Computer Hardware: B

Spring 2023 (5 classes)

• Discrete Structures: A
• Intro to Computer Science 2: A
• Critical Thinking & Argumentation (Honors): A
• Calc 2: A
• Physics 1: A

Third semester (6 classes)

• Data Structures: A
• Intro to C++ Programming: A
• Intro to Python Programming: A
• Calc 3: A
• Physics 2: A
• World Religions: A

Last semester (5 classes)

• Computer Architecture and Systems: A
• Software Engineering: A
• Differential Equations: A
• Linear Algebra: B
• Physics 3: A

Additional classes (Palomar via Winter intersession, 3-week intensive)

• Intro to Microeconomics: A
• Intro to Film Studies: A

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Extracurriculars and Experiences (Chronological + Impact-Focused)

Computer science–centered leadership + support roles

• Transfer Center intern (first community college semester)

  • Goal: identify why CS students were not completing/obtaining CS associates despite course progress.
  • Activity: one-on-one consultations and interviews; connected 50+ people to transfer center resources.
  • Also got involved with the Computer Science Club (started as a general member).

• Computer Science Club Board (second semester)

  • Role: Resource Lead
  • Helped direct students toward opportunities related to computer science and adjacent fields (e.g., data science).
  • Built connections with the CS department at her college.

• Honors Program

  • Role: Honors Program Ambassador (spring semester)
  • Activities: share honors information, plan events, volunteer at the lounge.
  • Also mentions general membership in Math Club and Data Science Club during this period.

Research pipeline and AI/ML focus

• UC Berkeley Transfer to Excellence Program (summer between first and second year)

  • Program for California community college students in engineering/science-adjacent majors.
  • Work: LLM-related research for 8 weeks
  • Claimed benefit: networking, connections, and experience that supported her application.

• Continued research after the summer

  • Mentorship-based research focused on AI and machine learning
  • Remote; estimated 5–10 hours/week at her own pace.

Club presidency + external opportunity building

• Promoted to President of Computer Science Club
• Organized:
  • Networking events for internship students could apply for
  • Panels to motivate students to pursue external opportunities

“Grant worker” (textbook cost reduction project)

• Purpose: increase enrollment in CS courses by reducing costs—especially textbooks
• Actions:
  • identified and ranked free online textbook options
  • aligned resources with professor criteria for course materials

Conference presentation and recognition

• Presented at a national conference for the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Latinos in Science
• Received:
  • a travel scholarship
  • a research presentation award (she says she was one of four CS presenters to earn that award)

Additional campus departmental support

• Worked as a Computer Science Aid
  • helped with miscellaneous CS department tasks
  • volunteered for Inqunttos (described as a conference for high school students)

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Other Application Components Beyond CS Clubs/Research

• Work experience: worked at Starbucks and Five Guys during her first year

  • Averaged about 25 hours/week while balancing classes.

• Tutoring: hired by her school’s STEM Center

  • Tutored computer science, physics, and calculus.

• Award listed: “Undergraduate poster presentation award” from Socnns (as she states)

  • She connects it to her claim of being among four individuals across the conference who received an award for computer science.

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Overall “Formula” She Implies for Admission (Method-Style Takeaway)

1. Build strong, relevant academic preparation early, especially in community college via a CS/math/science sequence.
2. Take and excel in a structured CS course progression, such as:
   • intro programming → data structures → C++/Python → architecture/systems → software engineering → math/science
3. Join CS-related programs immediately and move into leadership (transfer center → club board → club president).
4. Pursue research opportunities via competitive external programs and mentorship (e.g., Berkeley Transfer to Excellence; AI/ML + LLM exposure).
5. Translate experience into public recognition (conference presentation + awards).
6. Demonstrate responsibility and time management with work and tutoring while maintaining strong grades.
7. Use support systems (transfer center resources, honors program, networking events, grants to reduce barriers for others).

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Speakers / Sources Featured

• Speaker: Haley Lepe (YouTube video creator and subject of the story)