<p>I don’t believe for a second that anyone could have hung out at a pizza joint for four years and received the same admissions as kids who studied hard. Study hard usually gets better grades. Better grades gets better GPA. Better GPA gets better acceptance chances as long as test results also line up and vice versa (good test scores line up with good GPA). A year ago I thought my sons would have a great chance at the best schools but I based that on their test scores. One of them spent time working hard, studying and taking homework seriously. Still, he should have done better. Ended up with 3.8 weighted GPA, 34 ACT, but was accepted at all schools he applied except wait-listed at his reach dream-school. The other also very smart, 33 ACT, but 2.8 weighted GPA – not only hung out at the pizza joint but delivered the pizzas. Luckily applied at a school that accepts 30% of freshman in the bottom half of the class.</p>
<p>Please don’t mislead kids. It’s amazing the number of kids who score highly on the college entrance tests and the number who receive good grades. What differentiates kids for acceptance at the top are those who are ranked in the top 1-5% and test in the top 1%.</p>