Applicants swarmed in, and a bare 1% made it, since even fine grades on paper cut little ice with him.

申请者蜂拥而至，只有1%的人通过了考试，因为即使是在纸上取得好成绩，他也不例外。

Yet having fine grades and test results do not guarantee admission to a top college.

然而，拥有优异的成绩和考试成绩并不能保证进入一流大学。