<p>For anyone who is reading this thread who has already scored 2400, and is applying to college this year or in the future: The scenario posted by IceQube is not typical for a rejected 2400 scorer, based on my observations in real life and in multiple years of reading CC and following the outcomes. </p>
<p>Going into the admissions process, it is easy to imagine that the rejected 2400 scorers have weak GPA’s, less than rigorous course loads, limited EC’s, and/or teachers who do not particularly like them. Or else they have strong qualifications on paper, but they are robotic, test-obsessed perfectionists who are being driven by their parents.</p>
<p>I believe that this is far from the truth. There are rejected 2400-scorers who have all of the following, in one package: 4.0 UW GPA, enough AP’s to qualify for AP National Scholar, multiple college courses, varsity sports, state-level awards (at least), teachers who really respect them, outstanding interviews, and great personalities (and they are non-Asian). Although I have not read the admissions essays of these students, I doubt that they were complete turn-offs.</p>
<p>I think it is very important for applicants to know, going into the process, that this can happen, through no fault of their own. I suspect that the admissions committees are somewhat more cavalier about rejecting 2400-scorers who have strong overall records, because they assume that the students will surely be admitted to multiple top schools, so their individual decision does not matter too much. This situation was particularly exacerbated at MIT in the Marilee Jones era.</p>
<p>I have argued on other threads that there is a random element in admissions to top schools. I think this element comes into play after the students have crossed the basic hurdles to admission. At that point there are uncontrollable elements in the selection, and I believe that the outcomes are unlikely to be perfectly repeatable, with different admissions committees at the same school, or with the same admissions committee in different years. (And I am not referring to the scenario where the school has already admitted someone who plays the oboe.)</p>
<p>The effect of the probabilistic element is that a small number of 2400 scorers will have, in effect, bad die rolls at several top schools. Yet they are students with great promise, and anyone would be lucky to count them as friends.</p>