<p>I notice in College Board's "The College Application Essay" that the admission officers will take a while reading an applicant's essay first. However, I also found information somewhere else that they will primarily depend on your numerical info; if your test scores and GPAs aren't well enough, they directly reject you before they even read the essays. Which of these is true? Thanks for answering! :)</p>
<p>At first, they eliminate all applicants whose test scores and grades are too low to qualify. They represent about a fifth of the overall number, I think. Depends on the college. </p>
<p>Then they read the entire files, including essays, rec letters etc.</p>
<p>It really depends on the school. Public universities are more likely to eliminate you based on numbers alone, LACs and selective private universities most commonly use a “holistic” admissions approach and are more likely to take the time to look at your essays/ECs and not rule you out because of numbers alone.</p>