Antioch Community High School senior Christine Liu was accepted into Stanford University on a full-ride scholarship; Liu was shocked when she received the news because Stanford is a highly selective school with an acceptance rate of 4%. Her first choice major was economics and her second choice major was communications, she has not heard which program she has been accepted into yet as Stanford does not have students declare their majors.
“It definitely feels unreal and, like a dream come true to get a full ride to one of the most prestigious universities in the world, especially after working very hard for the past few years,” Liu said.
Liu has been highly involved in extracurricular activities offered through the school and outside of the school. For example, Liu has been the chief officer of an international reading club that helps Chinese students understand English novels. She also founded ACHS’s Asian and Pacific Islander club; which focuses on diversity in the school. Liu is also a participant in the school’s chess team all four years of high school. She has also tutored low-income Chinese students internationally. Additionally, Liu is a member of the art club at ACHS. Liu is also a National Honors Society officer, adding to her long list of achievements, Liu also participated in an internship over the summer.
“As a first-generation college student, this accomplishment is definitely huge for my family and me,” Liu said. “When I first opened my match decision, I was in shock because I never expected to get into Stanford.”
Previously, Liu barely even considered Stanford as a potential option, but she applied to colleges through a company called Questbridge, which allows students to pick up to 15 schools. Liu ended up applying to seven schools and had around two weeks to complete 22 supplemental essays. Through the Questbridge program, students can only get matched with the schools they rank as their top choices. Liu had Stanford ranked at number five. In the end, Liu chose Stanford as her top choice due to their strong economic program and heavy focus on diversity.
Liu notes that Stanford was not her top choice. Despite being eternally grateful and beyond ecstatic, Liu’s dream was to attend Northwestern University, which she was ultimately rejected from.
The Questbridge process was nerve-wracking for Liu as she worried that she would not get in anywhere because when she applied through the application she was not able to apply early decision to any out-of-state schools. However, Liu’s counselor, Kelly McCracken, believed she could do it. Liu wholeheartedly believes that it was McCracken’s confidence in Liu’s ability that helped her stay calm during the prolonged waiting period. Another contributor to Liu’s acceptance was her transparency in her essays.
“In all my essays [there were three major ones], I made sure to talk about a different part of me,” Liu said. “Notably, in my Stanford roommate essay, I talked about my habit of sleeping in and eating fried chicken, which may seem crazy and not serious at all, but that’s the point! I believe the admission officers were able to put together an image of a real, authentic person through my essays, not just someone with good grades.”
Overall, Liu’s story shows that hard work can pay off and that achieving things that seem impossible can happen.
