<p>Everyone applying already has the grades, top ranks, high standardized test scores and bunch of APs or predicted IB scores etc. So if 30,000 kids apply, 12-14,000 are usually deemed capable of making the cut based on the grades/rank/scores. How do you get that list down to 2000-2500 admits? Believe it or not, for top schools your essays, recommendations, and ECs make or break your application. </p>
<p>So once you have a common denominator for grades and scores, they have to look elsewhere to make those decisions since colleges don’t go with the first few hundred kids that meet their grade/rank/score requirements but they are trying to keep a diverse class. So they are looking for passionate kids whose applications show them that they have specific interests, drives and goals and this is corroborated when it sounds suspicious (Tizil gave you examples).</p>
<p>^ True. If you ‘17ers check the common data sets of the colleges you are applying to, then you’ll see a section which details the colleges’ priorities regarding various admissions criteria. For most of the data sets I’ve seen, including that of Berkeley, the essay is marked as “very important”, which is the most emphatic option. ECs are equally important.</p>
<p>Also, I’ll take this opportunity to be candid and tell you what I feel about ECs. Keep in mind that you don’t need to do 10 different things. Neither do you need to do something extremely strenuous and conspicuous. Just stick with whatever you decide to do. I’d rather have someone show perseverance and hard work than shallow versatility. Also, I’ll repeat what I’ve said before, and that is part of the sentiment of texaspg’s post: Colleges don’t want well-rounded students, they want a well-rounded student body.</p>
<p>However, I doubt this will help anyone whos applying this year since it is already so close to the application period. Maybe your younger siblings and future '18ers.</p>
<p>Ok. So I just came across this guy who had good grades, so-so scores late 2000 and 690 Math2 and got into Pton.
But he was veryyyyyy passionate about his sport. He was in top
3 players of India though, but he showed his determination and passion.
Hope this helps the ivy-dreamers with ok-ok scores</p>
<p>I won’t be giving the act in October because the date falls smack in the middle of my half yearlys.
Oh well,
Must be content with whatever i have or aim for nov test date.anyone know which colleges accept Nov sat for EA?</p>
<p>xNorth22: I believe all Ivy League schools do, very sorry.</p>
<p>I think its high time we stopped fretting over what counts and what does not, let us make the best out of our applications and look like ourselves. Concentrate on your English and essays, and more than anything, ENJOY the last year of your High School!!</p>
<p>Eeek.
So il probably givey subject on Oct 6th, but if I want to retake sat its on Nov 3rd, which is the day after my half yearlys end= no time for any sort of prep.</p>
<p>North, I’m not sure either. I really like UChic but then again I like a looot of schools. I need to bring my list down to around 12-13 and right now I’m somewhere around 17-18 and I don’t feel like removing any of them :p</p>
<p>anvesh, some people do apply to all of them but I think they’re in the minority. If you don’t particularly like some of them, don’t apply just because they’re ivy.</p>
<p>I might EA to Stanford. But I’m very undecided. I’ll definitely not ED anyplace; If I do get in, I’ll forever be plagued by all the what ifs. I honestly need to make up my final college list and decide on my EA college. I feel so unsettled. :(</p>
<p>For me, it will depend on my ACT and SAT II scores, if I can pull of some real nice stuff, then I will ED to a college slight less selective than Princeton.
Btw, do you people satisfy the following ‘recommended’ requirements? Especially the one doing Indian boards?(These are for Princeton btw)</p>
<p>[ul]
[li] four years of English (including continued practice in writing)</p>[/li]
<p>[li] four years of mathematics (including calculus for students interested in engineering)</p>[/li]
<p>[li] four years of one foreign language</p>[/li]
<p>[li] at least two years of laboratory science (including physics and chemistry for students interested in engineering)</p>[/li]
<p>[li] at least two years of history</p>[/li]
<p>[/ul]</p>
