Say a student has a 35 ACT and ok but really not great grades, but this is because they are too busy working for NASA to get their homework done most days. What is their college admission like?
Can a huge internship at somewhere insane like doing research at CERN or writing for the White House or the Times get a student into an elite college regardless of grades? I feel like some students are past high school and are already onto bigger things and lose focus at school. If you have 36 on the ACT and 12 patents and worked for CERN and have your own company, but a gpa of say, 3.1-3.5, clearly you are remarkably intelligent but are too busy for less… mundane things. Do colleges see through this or are they too concerned with GPA in this instance?
Colleges will say: then stay with NASA/CERN – you’re too good for us too.
Pfft…
I don’t want to jump to conclusions but it sounds like you might be a little upset that some colleges didn’t accept you, despite having great test scores and EC’s, but “subpar” grades. You came here looking for reassurance or something of the type, but the truth is- grades will alwaaaayyss be the most important factor of your application and won’t ever be “outshined” by anything else. Furthermore, a student would never land an internship at NASA or CERN with low grades, so even a scenario like that is unlikely. And in the case of their grades declining during their internship, well, they’d most likely be kicked out of the program.
No decisions yet but internship was granted on research that was deemed innovative enough to outshine grades of a distracted student, and was not kicked out of program for subpar grades. Of course grades most important hence this post. I know grades most important that is why I am concerned, not looking for reassurance just clarification/opinion. Will have to see.