<p>The bottom 25% doesn’t need a hook or incredible EC to get in. When you admit an entire class of students all evaluated on the same basis, 25% of them will happen to fall into the bottom 25%, just like 25% will fall into the top 25%. It’s as simple as that. At good schools, the difference in their test scores is really meaningless, as applications are reviewed holistically.The majority of the bottom 25% have very similar qualifications as everyone else. The ones that rely on hooks are more like the bottom 5%.</p>
<p>The better schools only have 5-10% of their class falling into the bottom 25%.</p>