Can the kid really get in just on ECs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems like thats what colleges want. Do they even care about academics?

High grades and rigor are table stakes, and then ECs come into play. However, if you don’t ante you can’t play at all.

Also, as another pointed out…once you get past the top 20-30 schools then only grades and test scores really matter.

[Anonymous]

There’s a good post here on AO review for top schools. A 3.8uw with even 1500/34 from a private HS will get the application read everywhere.

But grades don’t matter after the initial gating/scoring.

Look at how many points assigned for grades in AO review.

After you meet the threshold it’s really about the rest:
Essays
ECs
LOR
Interview or Video

[Anonymous]

One thing I find sad is seeing posts of students stressing about ECs when they don't have much in the way of stats and therefore will be applying to less selective colleges that don't care about ECs. Beyond the top schools, whatever you normally do outside of school - club, job, etc - will be fine.

And even at top schools, usually matter at least as much as ECs, though that's a different topic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One thing I find sad is seeing posts of students stressing about ECs when they don't have much in the way of stats and therefore will be applying to less selective colleges that don't care about ECs. Beyond the top schools, whatever you normally do outside of school - club, job, etc - will be fine.

And even at top schools, usually matter at least as much as ECs, though that's a different topic.

Should say "And even at top schools, essays usually matter at least as much as ECs, though that's a different topic."