Grades vs EC's

Applying to College
1

<p>This question is in the context of HYPS schools.</p>

<p>Of course we all know that high school transcript and grades are the most important part of an application. However, my question, I guess, is specifically regarding whether or not colleges will acknowledge or appreciate slight differences in numerical grades -- say between an A+ and an A.</p>

<p>At my school, GPA is weighted with 98 - 100 being the highest GPA value, 95-97 a lower GPA value, 90-94 even lower than that. AP classes are weighted more than honors, which are weighted more than standard classes. As a result, in order to rank well here, one must basically stack themselves full of AP classes (having 6-7 AP classes a year is pretty normal here) and try to earn as many 98-100's as possible. I have been one of those people. The difference between earning a 96 and a 98 in so many classes requires an inordinate amount of work that I personally don't feel is accurately represented in the 2 point difference. I've dedicated hours and hours to earning those 98's whereas a few of my friends merely settled for 95's and some even lower A's with much less effort.</p>

<p>Those same people who settled for the A's and A-'s also tend to have better EC's than I do (more time dedicated, more achievements, slightly more unique). I suppose they balanced their time between EC's and grades. It's not like I was uninvolved, but I feel like I could have done more (getting a job, researching, etc.) if I didn't spend so much time trying to earn those 98's.</p>

<p>So my question is whether or not I wasted my effort in terms of college admissions at HYPS. All else being equal, will colleges prefer someone who has a transcript of 98's with decent EC's to someone with a transcript of 95's or 96's with even better EC's? How much distinction do they place on different A's?</p>

<p>Yes, I realize this might be too late for me, but this information could help my younger sibling who is just entering high school. I appreciate any input!</p>

2

<p>How was your SAT? At schools of that calibur, I think that EC’s make a HUGE difference in admissions/rejections. That’s why you hear about 2400’s getting rejected here and there. EC’s make you a person rather than a value.</p>

3

<p>All of our SAT’s are 2300+. Yes, I realize EC’s matter, but the question is whether or not those few points on the transcript was worth the opportunity cost of losing time dedicated to EC’s.</p>

4

<p>Yes, rank is critical, the vast majority of the unhooked at these schools are the val or sal of the high school class. This is true even at the mid tier ivies.</p>

<p>But at HYPS, you need stand out ECs too. Top grades and scores will do well without the stand out ECs below there.</p>

5

<p>hmom5, if that’s the case, what’s the difference between, say, rank 5 and rank 7? Is it significant in terms of HYPS considerations?</p>

6

<p>No, it falls off considerably after 2.</p>

7

<p>So, then, logically it’d make more sense for rank 7 to focus less on having a stellar transcript than it would for him to dedicate more time to his EC’s in order to stand out. As in, his time could go into either making better grades to possibly become the new rank 5 or his time could go into his EC’s. If the difference between ranks after 2 is low, then EC’s would matter more than grades at that point, right?</p>

8

<p>Yes…</p>