Right, I wish grades were reliable enough that we could put more weight on them.<p>The &quot;days filled with extracurriculars&quot; problem you mention is why I generally ignore &quot;volunteered at senior&#x27;s home &#x2F; hospital &#x2F; soup kitchen &#x2F; etc.&quot; activities.  When I say that I&#x27;m looking for <i>exceptional</i> achievements, a large part of what I mean is &quot;has this student done something which nobody could or would conceivably do just for the sake of boosting their chances at getting a scholarship?&quot;