<p>Rank these aspects of the college app (at prestigious universities such as the Ivies, UChi, etc) in order of importance in your opinion, 1 being crucial to admission, and 11 being very minor.</p>
<ul>
<li>GPA</li>
<li>Course Rigor/AP scores</li>
<li>Standardized Test Scores</li>
<li>Devotion to ECs</li>
<li>Leadership in ECs</li>
<li>Volunteer/Work Experience</li>
<li>Essays</li>
<li>Major Awards</li>
<li>Teacher Recs</li>
<li>Interview</li>
<li>Hook (legacy, URM, $, etc)</li>
</ul>
<p>I'm sure a lot of prospective college applicants wonder about this often and would like to hear opinions and ideas, thanks!</p>
<ul>
<li>GPA - > Most Important</li>
<li>Course Rigor/AP scores -> Kinda… but important for top tiers</li>
<li>Standardized Test Scores -> Second to GPA</li>
<li>Devotion to ECs ->This is vague, service hours in hospital often means nothing… not important, in most aspects.</li>
<li>Leadership in ECs -> 2~3 Leadership in important position (not some anime club) is good</li>
<li>Volunteer/Work Experience -> nah, work experience is far less attractive then entreprenuership, and volunteer… vague</li>
<li>Essays -> very important.</li>
<li>Major Awards -> Intel finalist, Science Olympiad, blahblahblah…important, but not most</li>
<li>Teacher Recs -> More important than vauge ECs, but not that important</li>
<li>Interview-> NOt important.</li>
<li>Hook (legacy, URM, $, etc)</li>
</ul>
<p>1- GPA: #1 factor. varies depending on what you are
3- Course Rigor/AP scores: important to top 20 colleges
2- Standardized Test Scores: super important. how high depends on what you are
5- Devotion to ECs: its more about how long than how much. you want to have at least 5
7- Leadership in ECs: matters if its top 25 colleges
9- Volunteer/Work Experience: volunteering is very important to top 20. more about how long than how many. should be at least 1 activity for at least 2 years
4- Essays: this can make the difference between acceptance & denial when it comes down to 2 diff apps
6- Major Awards: it makes you standout. should have al least 5 (minimum local level, preferably state and higher)<br>
8- Teacher Recs: make them love you. matters more to top 20.
10- Interview: not really matter unless it’s the ivies
depends - Hook (legacy, URM, $, etc): the more prestigious the college, the more it matters. if it’s any of the ivies, it becomes #5</p>
<p>I agree with both of you! I will also post my own thoughts:</p>
<p>1) GPA + Course Rigor (its better to have a ~3.8 with a challenging schedule rather than a 4.0 with ‘easy A’ courses)
2) Essays
3) Major Awards
4) Devotion to ECs
5) Leadership in ECs
6) Standardized Test Scores (in the sense that if you are apply to selective schools your scores and solid already)
7) Hook (for Ivys, etc)
8) Volunteer + Work
9) Teacher Recs
10) Interviews (unless it went absolutely amazing, then it could boost your chances)</p>