▲ | WalterBright 6 days ago | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I was the valedictorian in my high school. I did nothing to earn it, never did any work, and wound up at Caltech grossly underprepared. It took me over a year and a half to figure out how to work and study. Admissions required a triad - top grades, top test scores, and something significant in extra-curricular activities. And finally, an interview. Bomb any of those, and you're out. I was rejected by MIT because of the interview. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
▲ | ghaff 6 days ago | parent [-] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I think it depends on the school at the time. I got rejected by one school probably because I didn't have a varsity letter and had a so-so interview. I got accepted to at least two others that were at least as "good" at the time. There's a lot of luck of the draw when you're applying to schools with a pretty low admittance rate. I joke with someone I know pretty well in my alma mater's alumni office that I'd probably never get in today and they smile and follow it up with an "oh well, you're fine." :-) And they're not unhappy that I'm an alumnus. 3 people from my school's 59 person graduation class got in; certainly would never happen now. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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