<p>“what school do you go to and what do you major in? Is your major considered one of the more difficult ones at your school? Plus, is your school notorious for grade inflation? How many classes do you take a semester, and what are your significant non-academic activities, if any? Where would you consider yourself percentile-wise in your school in terms of academic intelligence (not necessarily reflected in grades)?”</p>
<p>I had approximately a 3.9, which put me in the top 5% of GPAs at my school. I majored in psychology, which isn’t a hard major, but something I loved and cared about. I tried to take a balance of tougher and easier courses each semester; I did not just coast. I was extremely devoted to my extracurricular activities, especially theater and music, which were more important to me than academics, and I spent probably equal time on activities and homework (probably 15 hours a week each, 20+ during busy periods). I took the standard course load every semester. I would definitely NOT put myself in the top 5% of my class in terms of intelligence…top 25% at best.</p>
<p>The most important factor for me was that I never sacrificed points in any class without a good reason. I went through four years in college without ever turning in an assignment late, and never asking for an extension except for 1 week when my grandmother died. Unless I had an important conflict (my singing group = important), I never missed class. I just tried to do my best on each assignment without sacrificing the rest of my life.</p>