<p>This doesn't refer to me or any other specific person, but I am just curious- How far can just strong grades and test scores get you?</p>
<p>For example, say student X has a 4.0 UW GPA with a rigorous course load consisting of many APs, 2400 SAT I, and 780-800 on all SAT IIs. If this hypothetical student has minimal ECS (only maybe 1 officer position, not anything significant accomplished in competitions), how far would this person get in the admissions game at top tier colleges?</p>
<p>I am just curious, because even though I realize that to get in, you have to have great stats as well as great ECs and a demonstrated passion, where would just great stats get you. </p>
<p>I am interested to see what all of you think.</p>
<p>Well the particular student would probably go to a good school, but most GREAT schools look for a well rounded person. Generally having no EC’s but insane GPA and test scores just means you were the anti social book nerd in the eyes of colleges. The person probably won’t get into upper ivies, but you have a low shot at lower ivies like Cornell.</p>
<p>They can get you pretty far, (as in, you have a decent chance at top-tier schools like UC Berkeley), but to get into Ivy Leagues, Stanford, MIT, and a few others, you usually need a hook, like URM, good athlete/musician, etc, and even that isn’t usually enough. Still, UC Berkeley’s a great school.</p>
<p>I would have to agree with both of you.
However, do you think such a student would still need to demonstrate as in depth an involvement with extracurriculars, or would just enough ECs to make him/her look like a well-rounded student be enough to push him/her to the next level, given the stats?</p>
<p>Just want to see your opinions on this.</p>
<p>just enough to look like a well rounded student would probably be enough. But for a GREAT chance at upper ivies you need to be above and beyond, and not just have taken then junior year.</p>
<p>I know a few people with those stats with almost no ec’s that got into harvard/mit/yale/princeton. Sure, these ivies advertise how they look at ec’s, recs, and such, but sometimes just strong scores is good enough.</p>
<p>The idea that most 4.0, 2400 Sat students with no ec’s get rejected from all top colleges is ridiculous. </p>
<p>By no ec’s, I do not literally mean none, I just mean those which can be easily bsed and are quickly done such as, but not limited to NHS, key club, j.v teams, and well it varies from school to school I guess. But at my school, like the j.v swimming team has 100 people on it and only 10 people show up to practice.</p>
<p>I have 2360 SAT I, 800x3 (perhaps 800x4 in a week or two) subject tests, ~3.95 GPA, 14 APs (including senior year), and mediocre ECs+recs.</p>
<p>I’ll report back in a year. :D</p>
<p>More helpfully, good chances at Berkeley/UCLA/UVa/etc. in-state (slightly worse OOS) and similarly selective schools, but iffy prospects at more selective schools. This is the conclusion I came to while researching colleges for myself.</p>