<p>I’ll play devil’s advocate.</p>
<p>You’re forgetting that at HYPSM etc. GPA is the single largest factor taken into consideration when doing admissions. There will be hundreds of other students that not only have the same quality SAT score and extracurricular repertoire, but also maintain a very impressive GPA. </p>
<p>GPA is really one of the only indicators of a student’s future success at college: SAT scores have been shown to have little correlation with anything and extracurriculars certainly will not make up for poor grades in school.</p>
<p>Many colleges I know clearly state that a high GPA can make up for poor SATs, but high SAT scores will not make up for a low GPA. That student’s GPA in college will most likely reflect his or her grades in high school, and a higher GPA will tend to result in better job offerings or an acceptance at a better grad school – really just a early on measure of success – than say the student with so-so GPA, but stellar SAT/ECs. </p>
<p>And, to be dead honest, the ECs mentioned are almost norm for ivy goers and a 3.6, in my mind, might set your child in the bottom half of the first decile, perhaps the top of the second decile? You ask how the candidate could increase his/her chances without changing the GPA, but remind yourself how many times the top tier colleges emphasize the rounded student model.</p>