<p>going off Rtgrove123’s comment, what do you guys think are the most important factors in the admissions process? I would think that teacher recs are #1, then grades/scores, then essays, then EC</p>
<p>how are teacher recs number 1? i always figured theyd be one of the lowest. every applicant is gonna pick teachers who like them. most teachers will write good things about them. i’d say:</p>
<p>grades/scores, essays, EC, teacher rec</p>
<p>When I went to a Yale information session, they said it was this order of importance:</p>
<p>Transcript, ecs or essays (can’t remember which), recs, scores. Yes, scores are the lowest. The essay is VERY important to any college: it’s the only part of the application which relays your own voice.</p>
<p>I wrote about my upbringing and background, which is quite cosmopolitan: (Japanese/Chinese/Korean parentage, born in Japan, grew up in US, then was invited to study piano - full scholarship in Austria and Germany) and how experiences during that time shaped who I am. Common App essay was about a teacher who fundamentally influenced my identity.</p>
<p>As for the importance of stuff in applications, I guess I’m a special case since I graduated early and only have 2 1/4 years of grades on my transcripts…ah well.</p>
<p>david yko-- wow. so how old are you?! you’ve got a ridiculous shot at wherever you want to go to school!</p>
<p>I wrote about my favorite song and its influence on me.</p>
<p>Awww which song? :)</p>
<p>And I think its grades/scores>ECs>essays>recommendation letters</p>
<p>Big Country by Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. (I didn’t read the whole thread) Based, on XoKiwiKisses response I’m guessing there’s opinions on importance of application materials. I would say transcript>essays/scores>ECs/letters of recommendations>whatever else there is</p>
<p>Grades, ECs, essays, recs + scores.
Recs = who sent them, when comparing two applicants. </p>
<p>I am saying this because you can almost tell by the caliber of people here.
Nobody talks about grades because there is no use. This is not Harvard.</p>
<p>I wrote on how my experience with drinking/blackouts contrasted with hollywood portroyals of them. Kinda wish I hadn’t after the halloween party.</p>
<p>Based on Yale’s information and other top school information sessions:
Transcript/Grades> Recommendations > Essays > Scores</p>
<p>I recycled a scholarship essay I wrote for a different school.
Hopefully it’s pretty good =] I didn’t apply SCEA though</p>
<p>URM/recuit>grades>scores>ECs>Essays>Recs>geography</p>