The EDUFAX Educational FAQ

Question #113:

What is the exact weight colleges give to the GPA, grades, class rank, extra-curricular activities, community services and teacher recommendations ?

Answer #113:

Every school has a different philosophy, but they all agree that they will be happy to tell you about their decision-making process. You should identify the schools which interest you and have a talk with an admissions officer. Many good schools do use similar plans - they rank applicants in order of GPA, class rank, difficulty of courses chosen, standardized test scores, teacher recommendations, extra-curricular activities and community services. The only time sports, extracurricular activities or community service become important is when the student has done something exceptional in one of those areas. Nevertheless, four years filled with community service can't make up for a low class rank. Your presentation should show a balanced and full schedule with challenging courses. If your school does not offer AP courses, you will not be penalized for not having any. But if you choose to avoid them because they entail more work, the admissions officers will make a note of that when your application comes through for the first reading. Then, too, there are schools which now allow the SAT to be optional, so if standardized testing is not your strong point, you can remove it from your admission portfolio. EDUFAX provides services for the Collegebound High School Student.

Students who read this question were also interested in: Q.#3 : How important are my numbers ? Q.#6 : What do colleges consider for admission ? Q.#81 : My school does not have a class rank... Q.#93 : Do colleges prefer honor courses to regular courses ? If this information was helpful, please click on the smiley

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