All these arguments about good grades, SAT scores, ECs, etc. really don’t consider alot about: “THE Choice” isn’t totally based on you as a student-let’s say you are a number and the college needs so many of each number from each geographical area-PERIOD-you may have everything the college wants/needs BUT and that’s a big BUT you live where there are 50 other students with the same number-That is what it comes down to-sometimes I wonder if it would have been better to move prior to college application thereby increasing “number” chances-Colleges can only accept so many students from each geographical area-also face it-sex and race play a role-there I said it-two students of different sex and/or race with similar stats/Ec’s, recommendations etc. will fare different at the same school based on sex and race-Tech schools that need females give more $ to females-they know the males are coming and they are trying to entice the females or vice-versa depending on what the school requires for their stats-this is The Choice played by colleges.