<p>Although many students are accepted to HYPS with 2200 SAT's, they are in the minority. For example, according to Harvard's web site, this year 3000 applicants ranked #1 in their class, 2500 scored 800 on the critical reading, and 3200 scored 800 on the math section of the SAT I. They only accepted 2058 students. Just scan any of the HYPS threads on ED or RD acceptance results stats and you'll be surprised (alarmed?) at the caliber of student who gets waitlisted/rejected. The average SAT of HYPS accepted students is only about 50 points higher than the rejected students (saw this on CC - can't find the reference), so every little bit counts...</p>