<p>What makes you say that?</p>
<p>It will just make it seem as though you are making your friend, who is quite a sub-par applicant from what you have told us, seem like he is better than he really is. I cannot see this going over well with the admissions office.</p>
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<p>Short answer: Yes.</p>
<p>Additionally, there are plenty of “geniuses” who also work diligently. Your friend will be competing against them as well.</p>
<p>My letter is about how he is more intelligent than his GPA shows. If he is already a sub-par applicant, why would this not go over well. If the admission has a shred of intelligence themselves, they will understand that transcripts are not always reflections of intelligence. I’m not saying they will believe me, but they hopefully would not assume that the entire letter is a lie because his application isn’t amazing.</p>
<p>Besides, they can’t change “declined” to “super declined”. Can I really detract from his application at this point?</p>
<p>Colleges do, and should value hard-work over intelligence(beyond a certain point).
Why does your friend deserve to go to this college? Because he has a great IQ and chose to do nothing with it?
He has not even helped his own self with his amazing IQ how will he use it along with the college education to improve the world?
It’s nice to see that you care that intelligence gets rewarded, but imagine a hypothetical scenario where he gets accepted and you get rejected. Even though you did the hard work and he did not. It’s not pretty is it? </p>
<p>No one is entitled to anything. If you write and send this letter, you will come-off as someone who thinks that people should be entitled to things in life based on their IQ. Such na</p>
<p>Yes, that makes a lot of sense. Though I don’t think my letter implies he is entitled to anything. It just talks about his intelligence. I didn’t write a letter attempting to reform their admissions process. I mean, it sounds like a really well written letter of recommendation, from someone who knows him very well. Nothing more.</p>
<p>Again, he has certainly “helped himself” with his IQ. There is just more to “helping yourself” than making perfect grades.</p>
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<p>Yes, but if he is capable of easily earning perfect or near-perfect grades as you seem to be implying, he is underachieving by not doing so. Making perfect grades might not be the best way for him to help himself, but until he learns to take advantage of his abilities, he will be hurting himself.</p>
<p>You are right. Transcripts don’t correlate exactly with intelligence. This is why the schools don’t base admission decisions on IQ tests. </p>
<p>Unfortunately the smart but less motivated people have a big disadvantage because colleges want to see motivation and drive that you will succeed, not that you are just smart. They want to see that you use your intelligence. </p>
<p>I hope your friend is able to reach his potential somewhere such as community college or another easier to get into college and then once he shows his abilities he will be able to transfer.</p>
<p>There are a lot of people who are “smarter than their GPA shows”, and many who would lay claim to that. </p>
<p>There are the extenuating circumstances, where a kid must work afterschool to support his mother with leukemia and his sister or some similar story of adversity overcome (to a degree).</p>
<p>There are the lazy people and rebels, who don’t get good grades because its their way of fighting the system which they perceive as flawed, or because they’re honest and lazy. And while they are, all their potential withers and dies while others work hard to grow theirs.</p>
<p>There are the liars, who are actually ■■■■■■■ but say “I could do that”.</p>
<p>The last two categories are closely related.</p>
<p>Remember, genius is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration.</p>