<p>infocus,</p>
<p>The committee had 27,000 applicants for the larger merit scholarships. The selection is holistic. Students with 2400 SATs and 4.0 GPAs were not always chosen. It is not all about scores. Last year some of the students selected sent us notes via private message and listed their accomplishments. There are winners who have had to face physical or other challenges and still excelled. Others have written books, started successful businesses or received national honors or awards. Many of these students do not list all their achievements here for the sake of privacy.</p>