Right, I wish grades were reliable enough that we could put more weight on them. The "days filled with extracurriculars" problem you mention is why I generally

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