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<p>That’s a fair analysis: these schools are looking for signs of self-motivation, and his self-designed and directed community service project was probably as critical or more critical than the self-studied APs. My son received 3 personalized letters, one from the regional rep at Brown who advocated for him in committee and one each from Amherst and Williams as part of the early-write acceptance process. All three letters specifically commented on his dedication to community service and two also mentioned his outside academic commitments. None of them commented on his exceptional stats (36.0 ACT, 240 PSAT, 1 in 400 class rank, etc.).</p>
<p>What can we conclude from this?
- That top grades and top stats are not enough by themselves (he was rejected by MIT, Yale and Princeton)
- That innovative self-directed community service projects appeal to these elite schools (my son’s community service project was still a work in progress and may not been far enough along to impress the other elite schools with his achievement)
- That self-directed academic study outside the usual classroom environment also appeals to these elite schools
- That one needs to establish a complete “package” which includes high class rank, high test scores, leadership in some ECs and a willingness to do something for one’s community (however you define community)</p>
<p>In summary, you need to show that you are smart enough to handle the workload and self-motivated enough to take advantage of all the opportunities the elite schools have to offer (ECs, research opportunities, community service as well as classroom interaction).</p>
<p>So while AP tests are only a small part of the puzzle, NOT taking them after completing the coursework does imply less dedication to academics: wouldn’t most seriously motivated students want to know if they really mastered the material they had just studied?</p>
<p>If you heard the NPR broadcast about Amherst’s admissions process, you’ll know that an application can sometimes hinge on a single poor comment in an essay. It obviously takes very little for one to be moved into the 80-90% reject pile, and not taking the actual AP exams could be seen as enough of a potential red flag to be moved out of consideration during the final rounds.</p>