Having just served on the admissions committee for a top CS school, a student's recommendation letters and publication record are weighted far more heavily than

Having just served on the admissions committee for a top CS school, a student's recommendation letters and publication record are weighted far more heavily than his or her GPA. That said, the GPA is not entirely discounted---especially for those applying from unknown or lesser known schools. It can act as a red flag if the rest of the application is not stellar.