<p>Out of curiosity, what are some fairly selective (or more selective) colleges that heavily favor parts of the resume like SAT I, SAT II, GPA, and AP scores more than ECs and stuff? (I realize that top colleges look at all parts of the resume, but I'm wondering which ones are known for placing more emphasis on the numbers.)</p>
<p>in truth, i would guess most schools (even the "holistic" ones) will not even looks at the ECs and stuff without the stats...and from there, top schools use ECs and stuff to help differentiate top students (stat-wise)</p>
<p>^^Correct. At nearly all selective schools the ECs are the frosting. The stats are the cake.</p>
<p>Duke is by far the most stat-driven of the elite schools.
Next up are Dartmouth and Caltech.
Penn is more stat-driven than most, but nothing extreme.</p>
<p>Least stat driven are Columbia, Stanford and surprisingly MIT.</p>
<p>If you have top stats, you will fare well at Penn, Brown, Dartmouth and Duke.</p>
<p>Thanks for the input :)</p>
<p>So does that mean at schools like Duke/Dartmouth/Caltech/Brown/Penn, admissions seems less like a crap shoot (i.e. less random)? Like it's easier to predict whether you'll get in, if you have really high scores and stuff?</p>
<p>But still, SATs are lower down. I think they look at your classes/GPA, and then check out your scores to make sure they kind of "fit" with your HS record.</p>
<p>Anybody know about Amherst (in terms of stats vs. ECs favored)?</p>
<p>Not sure about Amherst.. but it has an SAT average as high as Duke and Stanford.. that must say something. I'd say that Amherst will accept people with high stats and so-so EC's..</p>
<p>hmm but isn't columbia SEAS much more score-based than columbia college?</p>
<p>Amherst is, on the whole, NOT a High Stat favored place. This does not mean that they don't take students with top scores; rather, many students who get into Amherst are the consummate all'rounders, same with Swarthmore, and much less so with Williams.</p>
<p>By high stats, I hope we are talking about the same thing(s). Top 3-4% of the class, 2350+ SAT combined score, 5-6 APs (or more) with scores of 5 and the two SAT IIs of 770+. Those numbers, along with a mediocre EC record of some volunteering and some school club participation could give you a solid shot at:</p>
<p>Rice, Penn, Dartmouth, Brown and Duke.</p>
<p>2350....that's a little high..i was thinking more on the lines of 750+ on each section...and also 750+ on SAT2s</p>
<p>you're fooling yourself if you think you can get into a very selective college based just on good stats. They're very selective because they have a lot of kids to choose from, and they have the luxury of picking those with good stats and good ECs.</p>
<p>that's what we're saying mikemac... basically like somoene lese said earlier... Stats are the Cake and your essays and ECs are the frosting...and no one wants a plain cake.</p>
<p>Exactly...we're just talking about colleges that have a history of admitting students with strong stats and (in several cases) mediocre ECs. </p>
<p>I think the high stat category we're talking could maybe not just mean 2350 and above, but 2300 and above. 2250 (750x3) is good, but it's not one of those elite scores that makes someone a high stat person.</p>
<p>Yeah, I have pretty high stats.</p>
<p>SAT I: 2360
SAT II: 3x800
3 APs junior year (counting on 5s), probably 3 senior year
School always has like 15 or so valedictorians (out of ~500), and I should be one of them.</p>
<p>I'm not entirely lacking in ECs-- I have a couple activities I stuck with every year, and a handful of officer-ships in clubs, and a couple awards and stuff. But I've never done anything AMAZING, or gotten any internships or anything like that.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Duke is by far the most stat-driven of the elite schools.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>That might be the trend but not the general rule. My stats were definitely under par (for duke) on some tests, but my EC's and essays were really good, and I think that's what got me in.</p>
<p>these days, there is no "magic" recipe for "just" the right stats plus "just" the right number and quality of EC's = acceptance letter. You just have to give it a shot, do your very best on your essays, don't expect or hope wildly that you will be accepted, and wait for the decision.</p>
<p>i'm looking to apply to duke ED, but my gpa is shot because i took on more APs then i could handle...would i have a chance ED with a 2310 SAT and a 3.7 unweighted GPA? and 3 800 SAT 2's? gpa, unfortunately, is the weakest part of my app...</p>
<p>i heard duke likes to see a challenging courseload, right?</p>
<p>yea, i think your cool for Duke PAco..</p>