<p>I’m tired of ‘bright.’ Come on, we ALL can’t be bright. 
</p>
<p>Also, ‘thrilled’ irks me. You can’t be thrilled all the time, can you?</p>
<p>“Launched” is not a favorite of mine.</p>
<p>I like your take on “shoe-in” Whistle Pig.</p>
<p>tier 1
safety</p>
<p>Ach7DD nailed it.</p>
<p>“HELP! Low GPA, do I stand a chance?!”</p>
<p><em>Clicks on thread and finds out the guy/gal has a 3.7 or something equally high along with an amazing diverse amount of ECs</em></p>
<p>I’m starting to believe people who start threads like that are just a bunch of damn trolls who are looking for a chance to show off.</p>
<p>^Well, for schools like HYPMS, that GPA may well be enough to keep the applicant from getting in. If you don’t have a hook or some seriously amazing ECs, you’re simply not going to get in nowadays. Of course, that’s true to nearly the same extent for applicants with a 3.8, 3.9, or even 4.0.</p>
<p>@CuriousJDG9513: For most programs, it’s a little harder to get in as a woman than as a man, particularly English/humanities ones. Women only have a real advantage in fields like engineering/computer science. It’s really about underrepresentation, not historical discrimination; that’s why Asians have a tougher time getting in than whites.</p>