<p>tanonev: Try not to let that attitude bleed into your essay. They hate that.</p>
<p>Remember, in the top schools (Ivy + Stanford + MIT + Caltech), top 25% SAT scores were like 1570+...</p>
<p>Too late...I already went through the college application process...I just wanted to be annoying :p</p>
<p>The word is that adcoms look first at difficulty of curriculum, then gpa/rank, and then standardized test scores. After you reach a certain level of academics, it doesn't matter anymore. They then look at EC's, essays, and recommendations. They want "passion" and long-term commitment to one or two EC's rather than a long laundry list of activities. They don't split hairs between a 1550 and an 1600 on the SAT's. Typically about 750 of the 1.2 million people taking the SAT each year get an 1800. About 500 of them will apply to Harvard, and less than 300 of them will be accepted. (Of course, 300 out of 500 is still a lot!) For every applicant accepted, there are at least five almost identical applicants who are denied just because they don't have room. It is common in the guides to see the words: insane, lottery, and crap shoot.</p>
<p>Of course, I have left out the effect of applying ED, URM's, legacies, athletes, international students, development cases, and VIP's.</p>