<p>I've always been told over and over again that the transcript the the most important part of the application...but I feel like this is starting to feel inconsistent, even from people who have worked on admissions? A lot of officers on the college tours have emphasized that the grades you have in classes and what kinds of classes are the most important part; Hernandez's books suggest that test scores are more important because they put applicants in a national context...an admissions officer I emailed recently said that the transcript is weighed equally along with all other materials. I mean I know I shouldn't be expecting a concrete or fully reliable answer on cc, but I'd like to hear your thoughts on this?</p>
<p>Look up each college on [CollegeData:</a> College Search, Financial Aid, College Application, College Scholarship, Student Loan, FAFSA Info, Common Application](<a href=“http://www.collegedata.com%5DCollegeData:”>http://www.collegedata.com) . Click on the admissions tab for each school. It will list the relative importance of each aspect of your application to the college’s admissions process.</p>
<p>If you are aiming for super-selective schools, you probably need all of top notch high school grades in a rigorous selection of courses, top notch test scores, and either a very compelling story (e.g. achieving all that from a highly disadvantaged background) or a high level of achievement in some extracurricular, award, or recognition.</p>
<p>Hernandez. Not a fan.
It’s all important, as the adcom emailed you. The first bar is academics, because the school needs to see you have pushed yourself and achieved in ways that suggest you can manage the academic opportunities and challenges at that college. (They don’t guess or care how much you dreamed of the place; they need proofs.) </p>
<p>But, the “rest of the story” is vitally important. That’s what shows them who you are, behind the stats. It is what determines, of all the fine candidates with great rigor and stats, which ones they actually want and need. </p>
<p>I always say, the best way to see what a college wants, is to dig into their web pages. See what sorts of students they tout, who’s doing what that they brag about, what sorts of programs meet your needs and where you can meet theirs. And the breadth and depth of non-academic activities. Of course, look at freshman stats and the CDS. But the check boxes are just an attempt to capture something actually done by U people, with their myriad reactions. They are sometimes not an accurate reflection.</p>
<p>My bad, should have clarified that I was referring to the most selective schools that stereotypical cc kids aim for</p>