Recently i have received a larger than expected number of emails and queries as to what it takes to get into stanford. I am not claiming that i am any sort of authority or any sort of seer - who knows exactly what it takes. But what i do have is the opportunity of being in the company of people who make such decisions and people who got in as a result of those decisions (as I was part of the CS admissions committee at Stanford) and also i have been in a position to be able to influence such decisions. Here is a very short analysis of what it takes to get into a Masters program at Stanford in a numbered format:

* Good Grades at undergrad
* Make that great grades

* A good/great recommendation from someone who matters or is well known
* A publication at a top-tier conference or a journal
* A summer that was well spent and you have something to show for it
* Helps to be from a top-tier university already (though not a necessity)
* As few mistakes as possible in recommendation letters/SOPs/Transcripts
* GREs on the higher side are always and always better than low scores on GREs
* Remember - all GRE sections are important

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