The 5 main parts of an application are grades, test scores, LoRs, essays and ECs. Is there any floor to the applicants either with or without a hook that a top college will just not entertain the application anymore?
There is no one answers that covers every single situation. There are plenty of colleges outside the top tier where the most important (and in fact, only) components are grades and SAT scores.
Even for top colleges that practice holistic admissions, those 2 are, IMO, the first things the AO will focus on.
Here is another opinion:
http://college.usatoday.com/2011/10/06/ranking-the-top-5-components-of-the-college-application/
For one’s target colleges, google their Common Data Set and look at section C7 to see what each considers as important.
While an application will still be “considered,” for top-tier colleges, one should assume that if the GPA and/or test scores are on the very low end of the college’s data and one is not hooked, that the odds of an acceptance, while not zero, are very very slim.
Note for the OP: I am allowing this thread as a valid general question, so please do not turn it into a question about you as you have a thread about your specific situation:
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/2087947-do-i-have-a-chance-of-getting-into-top-schools-with-a-3-6-uw.html#latest
I think most of the top colleges will give the greatest weight to school record, both in terms of grades and rigor of courses since that represents 3+ years of work. From Yale’s website,
"Academic Ability
Yale is above all an academic institution. This means academic strength is our first consideration in evaluating any candidate. The single most important document in your application is your high school transcript, which tells us a great deal about your academic drive and performance over time…"
I also suspect with the huge number of app’s that many of these colleges have to sort through, there is some threshold, whether test score, gpa or a combination of both, something like the AI, that lands candidates quickly in the reject pile absent some significant hook.
Among moderately selective colleges, academic criteria (grades/rank/rigor and test scores) are the most important (sometimes only) criteria for admission.
Among super selective colleges, enough applicants are up against the top of the academic criteria that extracurriculars, essays, etc. become much more important. However, those applicants not up against the top of the academic criteria have little chance because they fall short of so many others on the academic criteria.
Google Common Data Set and look at section C. It shows what general weight each element of your application gets in admissions.
Agree with checking the common data set.
Anecdotally, a number of admissions officers I’ve heard speak say the transcript (to include GPA and course rigor) is the most important part of the application. However, with holistic admissions every aspect of the application is meaningful.
As @skieurope has noted, you have asked twice if you can get into a top tier college with a “poor” part of an application and that answer has not changed. The chances of getting into a top college with a 3.6 GPA remain very low. That will not change no matter how may times or in how many forms you ask the same question. http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/what-my-chances/2087947-do-i-have-a-chance-of-getting-into-top-schools-with-a-3-6-uw.html#latest
@DynamicAero: I think that there is another major part of every application to most selective colleges & universities = course rigor. Did the applicant take the hardest (most challenging) curriculum & courses offered by that high school ?
Most important is the transcript. Within the category of the transcript, for top schools I think course rigor is the most important, then grades. Of course, for these schools, course rigor and grades must both be stellar. But great course rigor where a student challenges herself with a slightly lower – but still outstanding – GPA (say 3.8) is better than a 4.0 and a less-than-rigorous course selection (assuming your school offers more rigor).
Here is the issue, it’s not that grades/scores aren’t the most important things, it’s just that it’s hard to “stand out” among all the other 4.0/34+ applicants. There really are a lot of them. Without something truly outstanding in your application there are only small differences when it comes down to those admitted and those rejected. Those differences can easily be ECs or essays or in some cases a LOR.
^ I agree. I look at it as a bit of a two-tier process:
- The grades (and curricular rigor) and test scores need to meet the threshold to assure adcoms that the applicant will be able to handle the level of courses. If an applicant doesn't meet this threshold, it's a very tough sell. But it's also pretty much impossible to separate applicants based on these factors alone, especially given school and curriculum heterogeneity, grade inflation, tutoring, test prep, superscoring, etc.
- ECs, essays and LORs provide a much greater basis for separating out applicants. But they won't make up for major deficiencies in grades and scores.
Please remember the CDS isn’t policed and each college can interpret categories as they see fit.
I agree academics are first, after all, these are academic institutions. BUT, in the end, every single bit matters. You can be stats-perfect and blow the app, one way or another, even small ways.
It’s difficult and rare to have some ECs that overcome an academic mismatch.