<p>FWIW, a very large portion of the selection process for Jefferson Scholars is extracurricular involvement - they really seem to look for well-rounded scholars. </p>
<p>Again, I think that the University could really benefit from being more liberal with merit aid for top applicants. Throwing a few thousand at top admits would help to attract better students to UVA and would help make it a more attractive school in the long run.</p>