<p>Hey, I’m new to this but I’d like to add my own two cents. Schools like Stanford could obviously fill up an entire class with students with perfect scores and grades. I guarantee that most of these people with perfect scores don’t have the personality to boot. That’s why I think essays and recommendations are just as important as grades and test scores. If written in a persuasive way, essays can compensate for “average” scores/grades. You don’t even have to sound brilliant in your essays, you just have to demonstrate something that is extremely personal to you and how it has affected you/shaped you etc etc. I go to a prep school in the Bay Area (SanFran area) and a Stanford admissions rep came in to talk to us. He said that they want to see how you have done something that affected the community in a positive way. This could be anything that you didn’t just do for yourself, but for those around you. If you have capitalized on this, then I’d say you have a much better chance of gaining admission than do applicants with perfect scores but nothing with which to back them up. Stats-wise, I’d say I’m in the same boat as the rest of y’all, but what my essays and recommendations/EC activities basically say is that I am unique and qualified in different ways. </p>
<p>To be honest, if any school you apply to doesn’t accept you, it’s their loss. I guarantee that you are all deserving of any school, they just can’t really see that by simply reviewing your applications for 5-10 minutes. It takes a lot longer than that to see who a person really is.</p>