<p>I have strong SAT scores, a good essay and generally do well on interviews, but my grades took a dive 1st semester junior year, so I'm looking to apply to small, US News Top-50 LACs that put the most emphasis on SATs and essays. </p>
<p>I had read, at one point, a chart in a magazine of which factors different schools weight more (i.e. some schools put more emphasis on SAT scores and less on essays). The chart had rankings between 1 and 5 for each factor (I think they got the numbers from admissions officials.) </p>
<p>What I was wondering is whether anyone else has seen such a chart, or knows where I could obtain similar information.</p>
<p>You could find it on collegeboard where they divide parts of the application into the groups such as Very important, important, considered, etc.</p>
<p>The information you seek is part of the common data set, section C. You can find the CDS for many colleges on the college website by using the website "search" function. Also, there's a sticky here on CC for CDS websites, but a lot of the information isn't valid anymore. I'm not aware of a chart listing a number of colleges in this regard, but one would certainly be handy. One top ranked LAC which might fit your interests is Claremont McKenna. I don't know about the rest.</p>
<p>You won't find any top-50 LACs (probably not even top-100) that consider SATs and essays more than GPA. While essays may make up for bad SATs, it will be unusual for them to make up for bad grades.</p>
<p>Actually, at Claremont McKenna, "Class Rank" and "Academic GPA" are listed as merely "considered" - the third of four categories. "Rigor of secondary school record" and "standardized test scores" are listed as "very important" - the top category. I'm not entirely sure (a) what that means; and (b) if I really believe it; but while it's true that grades are king almost everywhere, CMC is a top 20 LAC which appears to be sending the message that they look at things a little differently than the rest of the crowd.</p>
<p>Bear in mind that it also matters why your grades took a dive. If you just slacked off, you'll find less sympathy than if you were seriously ill, had some kind of family or personal situation, etc. Even if your grades took a serious blow for one semester, a valid reason will often temper the effect (especially among LACs, which will generally take the time to read and actually consider your situation).</p>
<p>This is true. Also, at the same time, everybody is human and everybody makes mistakes; nobody is perfect. If you have a chronic problem, you get sympathy points. If you fell in a ditch but got yourself back together again, it shows you can overcome obstacles, even if you yourself put them there. If you were a C student for one semester but were and continue to be an A student, I imagine most colleges will consider you an A student at your A potential. Apply where you would as if your boo-boo wasn't there, and if you're concerned about it, put together a list heavy on low matches and safeties.</p>
<p>D and I have been reading every book we can find on the college admissions process and everything we have read says that yes.....GPA and class rank are important but NOT equal to the weight or attention given to a students SAT, EC's, or Essay. This is because most schools tend to have their own method of computing GPA's and class rank so it would be like comparing apples to oranges. The things they can clearly judge are the students SAT scores, EC's, essay, and recommendation letters. They also look for an upward trend in grades instead of just an extremely high GPA or class rank. The quality in their SAT scores, upward trend in grades, and EC's that show passion and not just quantity, tell them if the student is likely to be successful at that particular college and this is what makes the student a strong applicant. Is this person worth admitting and taking a chance on based on the things that are hard to manipulate and tweak in favor of the student?</p>
<p>I think CMC does look at things differently from other LACs. But you didn't give us any specifics so a "dive" seems relative. But I agree with Student615, why did they take this dive. LACs look at the entire person more than universities. You have an advantage there. So sell yourself. I am unsure how much CMC weighs the interview... but they do help.</p>
<p>I think GPA/difficulty of course load/rank/ are more important because it represents 4 years of effort, while you can have a bad SAT day or AP day for that matter. So I tend to agree with post #4 and #5. But every school is slightly different that is why it's a good idea to apply to more schools if you don't have perfect stats/GPA.</p>