While the competition heavily favors Stern MBA students in its composition, applicants from all NYU schools and colleges were encouraged to apply.

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Colleges and universities, much like their applicants, have to showcase and prove their value to decision makers.

FORBES: How to Make a College an Irresistible Brand

According to the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service, 55% of applicants do not get the grades predicted by their teachers.

ECONOMIST: University-entrance requirements: Shoot for the stars | The

About a quarter of admissions officers at the nation's top 500 colleges have used websites such as Facebook and Google to vet applicants, according to an annual Kaplan Test Prep survey.

WSJ: Web Profiles Haunt Students

Today's students depend on technology to live, work and play, and today's colleges have to provide high-tech tools in order to attract the best applicants.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Report author Steven Jones found that although the students in the study all had the same A-level grades, 70% of those who were from independent schools went on to "a leading university" but just 50% of applicants from comprehensives and sixth-form colleges did so.

BBC: Education & Family