<p>Gretsky: ‘You miss every shot that you don’t take.’</p>
<p>That being said, gpa/rank is probably the most important thing in selective college admissions. And second, it is an extremely rare 18-year-old who write an “excellent essay” that is outstanding enough (adcom reaction, ‘wow, I just gotta have this kid’) to overcome weakness in gpa/rank.</p>