Perfect is Not Enough
Why Perfect Scores Don’t Guarantee Admission to Elite Universities.
Using Harvard’s own data, we can understand how most selective schools work.
The Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard Case in 2019 brought to light some really spectacular statistics for understanding the admissions process. From Harvard University themselves, they revealed some mind-boggling numbers:
60,000+ applicants,
8,000 domestic applicants (International applicants not counted!),
4,000+ applicants were ranked ranked first,
18,000+ applicants scored 700 or above on the SAT reading and writing (94+ percentile)
20,000+ applicants scored 700 or above on the SAT math test. (also 94+ percentile)
And only 2,000 slots available at Harvard College. This is the same story with most elite institutions: too many qualified (and overqualified!) students, and just not enough seats. These numbers alone may be enough to cause despair for many aspiring and hardworking students like you.
Taking a look at a recent GPA/SAT scattergram for Harvard (green is admit, red is reject) we get the same realization: high, even perfect, grades will not guarantee you a spot at an elite university.
The Silver Lining: How much water is in the glass?
Look closely at the scattergram again: many - if not most - students that are accepted do not have perfect scores.
This is that glass half-full or glass half-empty scenario:
Even perfect grades won’t guarantee you get into elite universities :-(
Now flip it around: you don’t need perfect grades to get into elite universities! :-)
As it turns out, numbers are just that: numbers. College admissions know that numbers alone do not help them differentiate students and discover their best-fitting candidates.
How does Harvard College make admissions decisions?
Using Harvard’s own data, we can gain a very strong understanding how most selective schools work. Luckily for us, Harvard also generously elaborated their admissions process and philosophy on the website:
Harvard College uses a whole person review, which treats each applicant as an individual. The admissions committee considers each applicant’s unique background and experiences, alongside grades and test scores, to find applicants of exceptional ability and character, who can help create a campus community that is diverse on multiple dimensions (including on academic and extracurricular interests, race, socioeconomic background, and life experiences), and who can take advantage of all that Harvard offers and contribute to the learning and social environment for their classmates. Factors such as life experiences, overcoming adversity, or specific talents are particularly important in deciding who will be offered admission.
But how do you best demonstrate these aforementioned factors, as mentioned by the college, in your application? Especially factors that your grades or test scores cannot reflect? Factors such as:
Your “unique background and experiences,”
Your “exceptional ability and character,” and ability to “help create a campus community that is diverse on multiple dimensions”
Your “extracurricular interests, race, socioeconomic background”
Your ability to “take advantage of all that Harvard offers and contribute to the learning and social environment for their classmates”
Your “life experiences, overcoming adversity, or specific talents”
…are all factors beyond GPA or SAT test scores. Your background, life experiences, specific talents, exceptional character, and extracurricular interests… these are all best illuminated by your college essays.
They won’t know unless you tell 'em.
Harvard also supplied a diagram to prove how diverse their factors are:
However, upon closer analysis, at least FIVE of these factors are at least partly, if not solely determined by your essays:
To make matters more obvious, the remaining factors are either beyond your control (teacher & counselor recommendations, additional considerations), or are very difficult to influence significantly by your senior year (awards, GPA). And with SAT/ACT test scores going optional, they do not negatively impact your admissions chances if you do not submit them. Colleges really mean it when they say it’s test optional.
Essays are important. Period. And as we just witnessed, essays are more important than even Harvard would like to admit! Perhaps most importantly however, essays are the only thing that are 100% in your control by the time you are applying to colleges. Yet, whether it’s due to poor time management, uncompelling storytelling, or lack of clarity or authenticity, this is also where most students underperform.
Remember, admissions officers are also just people. They won’t know who you are unless you tell 'em.
100% Ready
This is what it’s all about here at Ready. My goal is to help you, whether you are a student, a parent, or a teacher, to feel educated, empowered, motivated, and ready to take on the world (or, at the very least, the college admissions process!).
Add me on Line (QR code below) if you’d like to reach out or sign up for a free 1-on-1 consultation. Unless I get too busy, I do answer all of the questions personally!
If you’d like to read more on College Essay Writing:
When should I start? → My recommended timeline
What should I write about? → Finding your one unique thing
I have some ideas, how can I write it well? → Here’s how you can stand out
P.S.
The Harvard admissions team is made of only 40 people!
Decisions to admit an applicant are made by the full, diverse, 40-person admissions committee through which each member has one vote.
40-person team handling 60,000+ applications is at least 1,500 applications for EACH admissions officer! You definitely need a lot more than grades to stand out. How do you stand out? Think about what all of the most memorable movies share in common: they tell a good story.
