Thanks to Jessica for the intelligent editorial. As someone who has seen this from several angles (participant in cutthroat admissions process, Harvard graduate, now high school teacher and Harvard interviewer) I have plenty to say but I'll limit it to this: The admissions process is broken, and schools like Uni are part of the problem. In my high school, transcripts showed pluses and minuses. So if you "only" (!) had A's or A-'s and your extracurriculars were average then you didn't bother applying to the most selective schools. The calculation sounds brutal but is effective and made for an easier process all around. Nearly 80% of the grades given at Uni are A's, without any distinction as to plus or minus. This may help Uni to be a nicer and (slightly) less competitive place. But it randomizes the college admissions process, and is surprising for parents who feel that ``straight A's at elite public school Uni'' should be a ticket into top schools. Uni is a fantastic place and I'm not sure we should be turning its culture upside-down; I just think people need to know that the tradeoffs are not straightforward. ---JC