Straight A’s. Perfect SAT. Denied by Ivy League schools. From the outside, admissions looks random. 

This post explains why admissions isn’t just a lottery, and how to raise your academic rating to stand out at top universities.

When top colleges rate applications, all of them strongly consider your academic abilities. To truly stand out, the best students go beyond grades and test scores to really “wow” admissions officers using competitions, research, or independent study.

How Does Harvard Rate Applications? 

Most admissions offices rate applicants numerically, but the scales are broad categories, not precise rankings. 

Here’s a prominent college that uses this scoring method: Harvard University. Application readers at Harvard score each file on academics, extracurriculars, athletics, personal traits, recommendations, and interviews. Each rating is from 1 to 6, with pluses and minuses; 1 is the highest rating. 

These component scores are combined into an overall score, which Harvard calls its “holistic review.” 

In this article, we discuss what it takes to earn an academic rating of 1.

Let’s start with what Harvard itself says it takes to get their highest rating for academics:

A potential major academic contributor; Summa potential. Genuine scholar; near- perfect scores and grades (in most cases combined with unusual creativity and possible evidence of original scholarship, often substantiated by our faculty or other academic mentors.) Possible national or international level recognition in academic competitions. [Harvard Reading Procedures, 2019]

While these criteria require “near-perfect scores and grades,” they also require a lot more to earn top marks.

The first sentence says that Harvard is looking for “Summa potential.” In the eyes of Harvard admissions officers, such students will likely get straight-A’s, and could conduct groundbreaking research as an undergrad. Students who earn a 1 might already be conducting original scholarship, verified by Harvard professors.

There are several ways to satisfy these criteria. The Harvard Admissions Manual lists one example: academic competitions including math contests, science fairs, and debate tournaments. The best students will receive national or international recognition, such as winning prizes or being named to competition teams.

Now, consider what it takes to get the rating of 2, according to Harvard’s application rubric.

Magna potential. Excellent student with top grades and,
a. SAT and SAT Subject tests: mid 700 scores and up
b. 33+ ACT
c. Possible local, regional or national level recognition in academic competitions

Readers might be surprised to see this: “top grades” and “33+ ACT” are not sufficient for the highest academic ratings by Harvard admissions officers.

Even more surprising: a student projected to graduate magna cum laude—top 10% of their class—still earns only a 2.

Harvard wants evidence that you will write an excellent honors thesis and go on to study for a Ph.D., not just get A’s.

The scoring method that Harvard University uses is the most widely known, because of the legal case Students for Fair Admission v. Harvard. However, nearly every competitive institution uses a similar system, just with different numbers.

Why Perfect Grades and Test Scores Aren’t Good Enough

There are several reasons why top grades and test scores are not good enough to get a top academic subscore.

One reason is that top universities like Harvard want to train the next generation of scholars and professors. Getting good grades means you’ll likely succeed academically. But it doesn’t prove you have the originality or intellect to become a renowned professor.

Going beyond your class work, by doing research or competitions, is a way to demonstrate that you have the qualities to be successful in post-graduate work. Admissions officers will believe you have creativity, grit, and persistence—traits they cannot infer just from high test scores.

Another reason is that lots of students have awesome grades and test scores. Each school produces a valedictorian. Roughly 35,000 students score 1500+ on the SAT annually.

There are not enough spots for all the top students, so admissions officers need another category to distinguish good from exceptional candidates. By giving credit for things like international competitions, Harvard is able to compare between two people with 1600 SAT scores.

How Do I Improve My Academic Score? Four Proven Pathways

Many students might read the prior section and become discouraged—it seems like top universities have impossible standards.

Rest assured, students with strong grades still have clear ways to improve their academic rating.

These are common ways to make your academic abilities stand out, however, you don’t need to do all (or even most) of them.

Academic Competitions

Competitions are the most obvious way to impress admissions officers with your academic prowess. That’s why the Harvard guidelines explicitly mention them.

Nearly every field has academic competitions. These have the bonus of also being “extracurriculars” that you can write about in the activities section of your application.

Well-known STEM competitions include math contents like AMC/AIME and science fairs like the Regeneron Science Talent Search. Humanities and social science competitions include the NSDA/NCFL debate tournaments and national writing awards.

No matter what subject you are passionate about, do some searching to find competitions you can join. One way a college admissions consultant helps students is by sharing knowledge about which competitions are worth joining.

Participating in competitions does have downsides:

• You actually have to beat the other participants, which is hard.
  
• Preparing for, and traveling to, competitions can be expensive.
  
• Time spent on competitions may detract from your coursework.

However, for students already achieving top grades, competitions build skills admissions committees value: disciplined study, resilience under pressure, and the ability to apply knowledge beyond the classroom.

Advanced Coursework

We always recommend that students take the hardest high school classes they possibly can.

Challenging yourself academically is not just a requirement for getting into Ivy+ schools. It is also personally enriching. Therefore, you should take as many Advanced Placement, Dual Enrollment, or International Baccalaureate classes as you can manage without getting a D or dropping important activities you like.

But taking all of your school’s AP classes won’t get you a 1 on Harvard’s academic rating.

In order to impress college admissions committees with your coursework, you have to undertake coursework outside of your high school.

(Note: For most students, taking classes outside of high school would be counterproductive. However, if you can pull it off, admissions officers will be very impressed.)

One high school student I know who was admitted to Cornell demonstrated her academic coursework by taking AP AB Calculus her junior year—like many of her peers. But she distinguished herself by enrolling in the local community college over the summer for calculus 2, and then taking multivariable calculus as a senior. She impressed admissions officers by going outside of her high school’s course catalog and earned admission to the Ivy League.

Advanced work outside school need not be through a formal institution. It can also include self-study. This is especially true for students interested in humanities and social sciences, which lack widely-recognized course sequences. Reading and writing about a subject that interests you demonstrates creativity and passion that admissions officers want to know about.

You can even combine this self-study with other methods mentioned in this article, like using your knowledge to improve performance in academic competitions, or having a teacher supervisor your self-study outside of class.

Teacher/Mentor Recommendations

A special feature about recommendations is that they count twice: schools like Harvard weigh them heavily in their own right, but your recommendations can also improve your other rating components. This is because the best colleges use holistic review to rate your application.

Yet very few students distinguish themselves through letters of recommendation. If your only interaction with a teacher was in their class, even if you got an A+, that teacher likely can only say generic things about you.

Class Projects

However, if you do academic activities outside the minimum required coursework, then when it comes time to write your letter of recommendation, your teachers will have much more to write about.

If you have any kind of out-of-class project or essay, this is the perfect opportunity to impress teachers with your hard work and curiosity. By going above and beyond the requirements for out-of-class projects—talking with your teacher out of class or digging deeper than is required— you can demonstrate the creativity and original scholarship that earns a 1 on Harvard’s academic subscore.

Even if your favorite class doesn’t have a suitable project, you can do this through independent study. Independent study can be formal or informal. If you have a teacher you like, in a subject you’re interested in, then simply ask them for suggestions on how to dig deeper into a topic you like. Then, after you actually do the research they suggest, go back, talk about what you learned, and ask for even more suggestions.

Tutoring

Tutoring for their class is another way to give teachers something truly special to write about you. If you are doing well in a class and think you might ask that teacher for a recommendation come senior year, then offer to help tutor classmates that are struggling. This can count as volunteering hours and demonstrate traits like empathy, while simultaneously showing off your academic abilities. 

While colleges require letters from your school teachers, optional recommendations from mentors or employers can also demonstrate your academic prowess. For example, if you work at a tutoring center and independently learn math in order to teach another subject, that can definitely be worth of a standalone recommendation.

Research Experience

Our internal data shows that actual research experience is the best way to improve your academic rating to the top category.

Research experience is difficult to obtain. That’s what makes it so valuable and unique.

You can gain research experience two ways: on your own or by assisting a professor.

Research on Your Own

The first path to gaining research experience is easy to start with. Except for some subjects that require a lab or fieldwork in exotic locations (marine biology, astrophysics, lab chemistry, some kinds of linguistics/anthropology), you can do most research in your hometown. And, you won’t have to depend on anyone else; you can just start.

Self-directed research is hard. You must choose the topic, design the method, and reach conclusions yourself.

Others can help mentor or guide you, but the work itself has to be performed by you. Therefore, it is often hard to produce interesting or impactful research. There’s no way to tell in advance if your results will be impressive to Harvard’s admission office.

Research with a Professor

Working with a professor is harder to start but more structured. This includes being a research assistant to a professor and formal research programs offered by universities, like Summer Science Program. 

However, it is almost guaranteed to help you. Your professor will guide you in conducting research in a structured manner, helping you gain valuable skills and experience even without a meaningful breakthrough.

Performing research on its own boosts your college applications. However, to get to a 1 on Harvard’s academic rating, your research needs concrete outcomes:

• Real world impact, for example, saving the government money on ink by changing printing font
• Presentation at a conference or symposium
• Awards at competitions like Regeneron STS
• Authorship in a peer-reviewed journal, or first authorship in a recognized student journal
• Finished work product like a policy white paper, annotated bibliography, or essay that can be submitted to colleges

Conclusion: How to Impress Academically

Admissions officers seek students who can excel and contribute new knowledge, not just pass classes.

To raise your academic subscore, follow one of these strategies:

1. Compete nationally
2. Take coursework beyond your school
3. Win strong recommendation support
4. Produce publishable research

If you want expert guidance, we help students design exactly these pathways. Contact us to learn how we can design unique activities to ensure your academic component is as good as possible.