I completely understand that GPA /course rigor/test scores are the primary factors that inform one’s admission in top 30 schools. However, I was wondering if there are some schools that weight extracurriculars a little more (comparatively) than others? For example, I heard that smaller colleges and LAC’s tend to put more emphasis on extracurriculars than large schools like the UC’s, which consider one’s stats more. Is this true?
Which schools put (relatively) more emphasis on extracurricular/essays?
Extracurriculars (and other factors like essays) tend to be quite important at the most selective colleges to distinguish between numerous applicants with top-end academic credentials.
But those whose academic credentials are not top-end should not expect extracurriculars to compensate, except possibly if the extracurricular is athletic performance good enough to get recruited by the college.
Look at the Common Data Set for each school you are interested in. There are 4 possible weightings: VI-Very Important; I-Important; C-Considered; NC-Not Considered.
You should do the research and not rely on what you “heard.” As mentioned above, look at the Common Data Sets for your target colleges; both UCLA and UCB mark ECs as “important.”
In general, but by no means universal, colleges with lower acceptance rates will put more weight on ECs than colleges with higher acceptance rates.