<p>speckeldegg: </p>
<p>I was thinking in terms of academics and how much they trump everything else. After following the A for Admission thread of a couple of weeks ago, I started to think that despite the frequent reports of perfect stats, there are few kids who are truly academic stars (AI 8 and 9s). As I understood that discussion, that type of kid would be admitted at most colleges, even the most selective. </p>
<p>So, in fact, the academic stars are between the superstar with national recognition and the BWRKids with academic indexes of 6 or 7. The superstar who has great stats and who has won an Intel or Westinghouse award would get in everywhere. The academic star would not be assured of acceptance, but would have a pretty good shot at most institutions (including HYPSM). The BWRKids would be in the bubble. Their acceptance probably dependant on the needs of the institution and how well they meet those needs. What Im suggesting is that colleges might be building the vast majority of their class from the pool of BWRKids, where the competition is most fierce and thus the chances of admission a real crapshoot. </p>
<p>I have some anecdotal information to back this up. But, since I cant vouch for the accuracy of the information, this is really, only speculation on my part.</p>