<p>Just wondering if anyone knows of any. My Google searches haven't been particularly successful. I'm basically looking for colleges that would value outstanding essays, recommendations, awards and extracurricular activities (in other words, the individual), over the nitty-gritties of a transcript. Oh, and test scores are pretty much Ivy-caliber.</p>
<p>Gracias :]</p>
<p>Tufts. They kinda figure they’re a backup for all the ivies so they use the essay to weed out those who dont care. Aka Tufts Syndrome</p>
<p>Duke. Guttentag talked for 20 minutes about how even if you’ve got a 4.0 and 2400 sat, he still admires those who have like 10 amazing EC’s.</p>
<p>The transcript is the most important part of any college application. You will not find any college which totally devalues the transcript. There are, however, schools which seem more inclined to take a chance on students who may have a weakness in their application if everything else is good.</p>
<ol>
<li>How bad is the GPA?</li>
<li>Upward trend, downward trend, flatline?</li>
</ol>
<p>An LAC. The adcoms take considerable time, meaning 30-40 minutes, to absorb the qualities of each applicant. Compare with larger elite schools who spend less than half that time undertanding an applicant.</p>
<p>-UChic. They like kids with stellar scores and essays, but I’ve seen them take lower-GPA kids.</p>
<p>-LACs. Their class sizes are so small that they have to look way beyond GPA as a measure of what a kid can contribute to a class. If you have a really defined identity (ie “the humanitarian,” “the writer,” etc), that is likely more valuable at a LAC than a huge university.</p>
<p>Princeton, Harvard and Yale</p>
<p>These schools could easily have mostly 4.0’s and 800’s, but look way beyond grades and SAT’s to review applicants.</p>
<p>^ Haha, are you kidding me?</p>
<p>It’s true that HYP weigh the intangible factors very highly, but you need to have great grades and SATs to get to that point.</p>
<p>The LAC suggestion is good, although it depends on the selectivity of the LAC. Someone with a 3.1 UW is probably not getting into AWS unhooked. And as to Chicago, only time will tell what direction its admissions office takes; it’s already starting to look more conventional.</p>
<p>
A Chicago admissions officer once noted on CC that by far the most important parts of a Chicago application were the rigor of one’s courseload and how well one did with it. </p>
<p>
This. The transcript will ALWAYS come first. Fluff like essays and extracurriculars can be a tipping factor if you’re a mediocre applicant, but they will not add +1 to your GPA. </p>
<p>Look at it from an admissions officer’s perspective. Which is more indicative - the work you’ve done for four years or the essay you wrote in one afternoon?</p>
<p>With great test scores and good “soft factors,” you’re best off checking out the colleges right below the elites. Brandeis, Rochester, USC, Wake Forest, and others come to mind.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>It’s not actually bad, it’s a 3.7ish unweighted. I just have a few flaws on my transcript that automatically put me out of the running for HYP. Downward trend, then upward. The GPA isn’t the problem, the particulars of the transcript are: mostly A’s, scattering of B’s, and a couple of uh-ohs.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I don’t know about that. The work I’ve done for four years includes extracurricular activities that mean a lot to me and national awards, not just grades. =/</p>
<p>The LAC suggestion is awesome. Thank you.</p>
<p>Hmm. If they’re C’s it’s not that bad. If they’re D’s or F’s you might be in trouble, although not CC-level trouble or anything. I do think the LACs might be your best bet. You might also try universities in the US News 30-60 range–and if your ECs are as good as they sound maybe a couple T20 schools/Chicago for reaches. One never knows.</p>
<p>Make sure to show lots of interest in LACs, and visit if possible. Have you looked at the Colleges That Change Lives?</p>
<p>This is the reason I didn’t apply to UChicago, Wake Forest, Duke, or Tufts. They put too much weight on essays :)</p>
<p>Yes, and I’ve absolutely fallen in love with Hampshire College. Unfortunately, that’s the only CTCL that looks appealing to me right now, but I’ll keep looking. :]</p>
<p>Thanks for the help!</p>