[Jay O'Donnell]

Originally Posted by smurfgirl

Admissions offices consider what students say about themselves (their essays), what their teachers say about them (their recommendations), and what others say about them (their interviewers). They also look at how these narratives fit together and any commonalities or differences between them, and they use this to develop an understanding of who the student is as a person.

Not every school does it exactly the same way, but I believe this is the general idea for many schools. It is relatively easy to see through students who try to "pad" their resumes, and a lot more goes into the decisions than just raw numbers. I am speaking from experience both as an alumni interviewer for my school and a scholarship judge for a number of organizations.

I forgot about teacher reccomendations. That actually does make a big difference in my mind, between the kids looking to learn and the kids looking for a grade.