<p>^I don’t think you’re understanding this completely. It is correct that one must have other things besides academics to get him/herself into a school like Stanford. However, stating that one shouldn’t focus as much on academics is misleading. Everyone still has to have great stats, but if someone is an Intel Finalist and/or Presidential Scholar etc… in addition to having a 4.0 GPA and a 2400 on the SAT, then he/she will probably be accepted. But if one has a 3.5 GPA and a 1900 on the SAT yet this person’s written a couple of books or won some kind of (inter)national competition etc…, he/she still may not be accepted because of the not-so-stellar academic record. </p>
<p>So, in a sense, you are right in that a big part of getting in is to set yourself apart from the other applicants. However, academics are still a huge factor (so the key is to have great grades and test scores while still separating yourself from the crowd).</p>