Here’s what no one is willing to tell you about your GPA and SAT score: at a certain point, THEY DON’T MATTER.

College admissions is a tough game – but there are rules to getting into the best schools like Princeton and Stanford. I worked in the Admissions Office of a Top 20 school for 3 years, so I’ve had plenty of experience figuring out what really matters for high school students.

In terms of your SAT score and your GPA, you must follow 2 rules to save time and stress while filling out your Common Application.

1) Try to be in the top 3-5% of your class in terms of GPA and ranking, and you’ll be strong enough for consideration at most top schools. Being valedictorian just doesn’t mean that much these days, and Harvard values other accomplishments equally

This varies depending on school. If you’re at a tougher school, you’ll have more latitude.

2) Shoot for an SAT score about 2100 (700 across subjects). This is the minimum cutoff and Stanford college admissions will consider you seriously

Now, don’t just AIM for a 2100 only. You should aim for a 2400. But my point is that your time and energy can be better spent elsewhere – for instance, in your tennis competitions, your Science Club, and your student government role

Critical caveat – it’s important that you take as many AP or IB classes as you can. Transcripts are reviewed carefully, and it will hurt if you look like you’re slacking academically. Admissions committees pay attention to these things

Follow these steps, and you’ll have a great chance with admissions competition.

Finally, the single most critical advice I can give you in Hopeless to Harvard is this: it’s all about telling a cohesive, convincing story about your life. You do this through your EC involvements, your essays, and your teacher recs – not your test scores.