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<blockquote> <blockquote> <p>In addition, no matter how often colleges try to explain that perfect SAT's, perfect grades, ever-growing numbers of EC's and AP's, and ever-escalating resume building, are not necessary for admission to elite schools, there will be some number of students and parents who won't believe them. And I think that number is disproportionately represented on this board. <<<</p> </blockquote> </blockquote>
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<p>I think you've nailed it here, but I think that it's probably the majority of students and parents are convinced that the "Perfect Package" is a treshold requirequent. Indeed, there's a huge industry perpetuating that belief: college admissions counsellors, summer programs, SAT prep classes etc. I don't have the figures at my fingertips, but I know for a fact that the growth of this market segment has been astonishingly fast. (My favorite was a pre-college program whose brochure boasted that it's participants had a high ivy admission rate. The best line in the brochure was, "Live your future ahead of schedule.")</p>
<p>The stress that all this creates for kids is enormous and, frankly, scary.</p>