Thanksgiving Break -- To Portland, OR -- Via The Cascade Mountain Range -- Mt Shasta -- November 23, 2025

Olivia's visit. Olivia and friend(s) drove up to Portland, OR, from Palo Alto, CA, to visit Judah and Levi.

 Cascades.

 

Mt Shasta in the background.

Olivia in the white jacket. 

Fact-Checking Stories On Acceptance Rates At The Elite Schools -- November 23, 2025

Google Gemini prompt: 

Stanford suggests it is loosening its acceptance standards because the pool of students is getting smaller? Is there a source for that statement? 

Google Gemini reply:

There is

no evidence to suggest that Stanford is loosening its acceptance standards because the pool of students is getting smaller; in fact, its admissions process remains extremely selective. The number of applicants has generally increased over the years, though there was a slight decline in a recent cycle. 

Key points regarding Stanford's admissions:

• High Selectivity: 
• Stanford consistently maintains one of the lowest acceptance rates in the U.S., with recent data showing rates as low as 3.68% for the Class of 2026. Olivia is in the class of 2029 (?).
• Application Numbers:  
• The number of applications has generally surged dramatically over the past few decades, indicating rising interest and not a shrinking pool of students.
• Recent Trends: 
•  For the Class of 2027, the number of applicants (53,733) actually declined slightly from the previous year's record high (56,378) -- Class of 2026, but the acceptance rate still only increased marginally to 3.91%.
• Policy Shift on Reporting: 
• Since 2018, Stanford no longer publicizes real-time application numbers or early admission statistics during the admissions cycle itself to de-emphasize the perceived importance of low admit rates and the "hyper-competitiveness" surrounding them. 
• The data is still reported annually to the federal government later.
• Reinstatement of Test Scores: 
• Contrary to loosening standards, Stanford has recently decided to reinstate the standardized test requirement for applicants, indicating a continued emphasis on traditional academic metrics. 

The notion of a shrinking national pool of college-bound students is a general trend that affects many non-elite universities, causing some to ease their admissions processes, but it has not had that effect on highly selective institutions like Stanford.