<p>Samonuh- you stun me. This is not the attitude I have seen in your other posts. It’s one thing to be a little frantic, at this point- and quite another to need asterisks.</p>
<p>3.8 IS competitive for Ivies. I believe T mistakenly wrote 3.8 instead of Samonuh’s 3.6. IME, 3.6 will not “get summarily tossed aside.” </p>
<p>The issue is not that an Ivy gets 25-30,000 apps and fills it’s bucket with the first best or only the best. How do you think they judge “best?” There are easy hs and tough hs- schools with inflated grades and with deflated. Some kids take a few challenging classes and others max out. All that affects gpa. All that is one part of holistic. Throw in the ECs, essays and LoRs and you get a better picture.</p>
<p>And, the institution’s needs matter a great deal. This is far more than diversity.</p>
<p>But, could we say it’s “harder” for a 3.6? Well, yes- more has to be proven in the app. But, I believe every kid out there should pay great attention to what the app shows about him. I have seen too many tippy-top performers who screwed their apps with laziness, a poor essay, lackluster descriptions of ECs, etc. Or, my personal headache inducer: the “Why Us?” essay that perfectly describes another university.</p>
<p>If it were so easy to lose based on, say, a 3.6 gpa alone, what would U’s do with the brilliant STEM kids who get B’s in language? Or, the amazing IR/poly sci kid who couldn’t master physics? Adcoms inspect the transcript.</p>