Many schools have 1 or 2 readers.

A reader usually has 10 to 30 minutes to read through your...

Background Info, School Transcript, Extracurriculars, Essays, Awards & Honors, Test Scores, Interview Report, Letters of Rec

Each of 4-6 components is rated on a school-specific scale.

Stanford is on a 1 to 6 scale. They rate:

1. High School Rigor & Record

2. Testing

3. Extracurriculars

4. Support

5. Intellectual Vitality

6. Overall Rating

Your overall score is an eyeballed weighted average of the first 5

You must have at least a 3+ or 2- overall to move on (usually)

Usually over 75% of applicants' files can be rejected here.

Your reader will have about 1 minute to make a case to 3-4 of their colleagues on why you should be admitted.

A majority vote gets you in. Otherwise, you are likely rejected or waitlisted.