It’s not about “majority of” grades. For a top private college, with its competitive pool, it matters very much that you have the best grades throughout and most especially, all those related to your possible major. For stem wannabes, it means all hs math and science.
“A Harvard admissions officer once told me that they simply check your stats to see if you’re prepared to do the work and if so you move onto the next round and they evaluate your ec’s, recs, and essays to differentiate among candidates and everyone who makes it to the second round is on the same playing field.”
That’s not the whole story. After first cut, they still review your grades and stats. When they make final admit decisions, they’re cherry picking. And they don’t just “simply check your stats.” They look at the transcript, see your choices and the grades.
Nope, it’s not easy.