<p>Donemom:</p>
<p>My understanding is that, for graduate school (not med school about which I know less), there really is no limit on what an applicant may submit. In fact, admissions committees for certain departments will look askance at applications that do not include a writing sample. For the cv, however, it is not so much the courses taken that count, but the research or work experience. So, when applying to some departments, someone who has spent time in a foreign country will probably have an edge over someone who did stellar work in courses but does not have the same experience living in a different culture. Someone with a range of languages also would have an advantage. Recommendations, statements of purpose, all these count for a lot. The statement of purpose is more important than the college application essay because it maps out the applicant's program for the next few years and permits committees to see if there is a fit between the applicant and the department's resources, if the applicant has researched the faculty's interests or just applied at random because of the school's name. In some cases, grades as such may be somewhat less important. And of course, we need to take into account the individual idiosyncracies of the people who make up admissions committees.</p>