<p>^ I think colleges over-emphasize how much they values grades/curriculum. If you think about what adcoms are really doing, they are trying to find the people that will be most succesful in the future. I don’t think whether Ms. K gave them an A in ninth-grade Math will be as meaningful as an SAT score or essay.</p>
<p>An example: an un-hooked, white-male friend of mine got into Columbia Engineering with a near perfect SAT score (1600/1600, 2300+), great recs because he’s brilliant, what I assume were very good essays, and a slacker’s 3.3 GPA.</p>