<p>I’m sure that the admissions staff often misses many of those students – the admissions process is an art rather than a science, and a very inexact one at that. It also has a built in bias – looking for students who happened to bloom during their high school years. The world is full of late bloomers, of people whose true potential didn’t really start to develop and be apparent until their 20’s or later. </p>
<p>But I think you are on the same page about what Harvard and many colleges are looking for. Academic achievement and ability is only one piece of the puzzle.</p>