<p>Every school uses a different Academic Index to measure your academic performance, but this gives you a general idea of how you do: <a href=“http://www.collegeconfidential.com/academic_index.htm[/url]”>www.collegeconfidential.com/academic_index.htm</a>. </p>
<p>You definitely don’t need a 2400/4.0 to get a 9/9. But some schools do not reserve the top score for 4.0s/2400s. Sometimes you need more. I had the opportunity to talk with a Brown admission officer, and she told me that Brown reserves the 6/6 if you actually win a national or international competition, for example, qualifying in the USAMO will help, assuming that you don’t suck at everything else. </p>
<p>While getting a high rating will definitely boost your chances of admission, being in the mid-range won’t mean that you’ll get automatic rejection, which is why chance threads are indeed very misleading.</p>
<p>On the other hand, Chicago is very unique. I’ve never heard of the point scale at Chicago. They seriously consider your essays as one of THE most important parts of your app, because they somehow believe that through essays they can determine whether you really like learning and, in turn, whether you’ll succeed in college.</p>