bob the lomond/Bob Shand

Your parents may have pounded it into your head that getting good grades is paramount to getting into the college of your dreams. Earning good grades and maintaining a high GPA is important, but according to college admission experts and the college admission officers themselves, it takes more than good grades to receive an acceptance letter.

College Acceptance: Competitive Sport?

Duke University receives approximately 23,800 undergraduate applications each year. Only about 1,720 of the applicants receive an acceptance letter. This is an astonishingly low percentage. As one of the top ranked universities in the country, Duke has to be choosey. One of its deans says the university denies more high school class valedictorians than it accepts. This illustrates that grades are not the end all and be all to getting into college.

Admission officers encourage students to find something they are passionate about—whether it’s sports, community service or working at a part-time job—and pursue it. This type of passion combined with good grades creates more of a well-rounded student, which is the type of student most of the top universities are seeking and accepting.

Second, it’s important that you maintain a balanced academic and extracurricular schedule throughout your schooling years. Many college applicants make the mistake of waiting until their junior and senior year to cram activities, clubs and other involvement into their student records for college. By then, it’s too late.

Keep in mind that getting into college is more than maintaining a 4.0 GPA. Colleges and universities look beyond this number and try to find real people that can benefit from an education at the institution, and students that can add value to the institution.