Why are people with perfect stats rejected from colleges?

[silverturtle]

<p>

if schools only allowed in smart kids, the school would be a dead zone with no social interaction.

</p>

<p>False.</p>

<p>

How many +4.0 kids do you know who have a solid social life (i.e. interacting, joining clubs, sports etc)?

</p>

<p>Many.</p>

<p>

You need kids with slightly lower stats who can bring diversity to a place.

</p>

<p>That’s not what colleges mean when they say that they are looking for diversity.</p>

<p>Good stats don’t hurt; the fact that people with good stats get rejected is merely evidence of the limitations of their helpfulness.</p>

[kingcat]

<p>A perfect example: Silverturtle. Waitlisted at Yale.
I think Harvard must feel the compulsion to pick some of the 2400s, perfect stats and whatnot. But why does it pick some of them, and discard others?</p>

[BlackRose101]

<p>^^
Only stating what i’ve been told. =/</p>

<p>and I know what colleges mean when they say diveristy, I just used that word for the lack of a different one.</p>

[kingcat]

<p>

[quote]
YEAH a lot of <em>those</em> kids are pretty cocky… /severely lacking in social skills…

[quote]
</p>

<p>Well. A lot of them must be smart enough not to show that side on college apps and interview. So it cannot be the only factor</p>

<p>

I would think that no one with perfect everything has been rejected from a top school. I would think that because no one has perfect everything. If someone is rejected, something just wasn’t good enough. You can’t just say “Well, what if they got rejected and everything was perfect?” I don’t think that would happen. Someone with a perfect GPA and perfect SAT/ACT might have standard recommendations and a dull essay. Someone with great recommendations and an amazing essay may have made one too many academic mistakes along the way.</p>

<p>And don’t forget interviews. Some kids can really blow those without knowing it, and we can’t fully analyze personalities on a website.

</p>

<p>I mean ‘extraordinary’ when I say ‘perfect’. Example, a lot on CC. Most Notable: Silverturtle.
And if someone with extraordinary anything, how are they not good enough?
“Someone with a perfect GPA and perfect SAT/ACT might have standard recommendations and a dull essay.” True, but they are just parts of the app. So by emphasizing the essays, you mean they should appear more interesting rather than achieving?</p>

<p>

From my experience, perfect numbers don’t mean anything!! Thousands of kids have 4.0 GPA’s, 2300 SAT, 300+ hours community service. For them, it comes down to luck.

</p>

<p>Uh… yes they do! There are not thousands of kids who have 2300 SAT and 300+ community service hours.</p>

<p>@Blackrose: I side with ST</p>