<p>-just curious..</p>
<p>-what if you weren't in the top 10%, had a pretty good GPA (not necessarily good enough for ivy's and their equals) but you did amazing on your SAT (i'm talking over 2300), would your SAT score make up for your weak rank/GPA? </p>
<p>-I mean, IMO, it shows better than a rank or GPA your abilities i believe (high schools are all different and there are many different factors there so its not "standardized."</p>
<p>-IDK what do you think..</p>
<p>Yes plain and short...yes.</p>
<p>Not at a top 20 school, but yes at most.</p>
<p>Your admission will not be solely based on GPA and SAT alone, so it's practically impossible to determine whether a great SAT will offset a poor GPA. Perhaps a extraordinary essay will be enough of a justification for one applicant but hopeless for another- it's not black and white, the entire process is incredibly holistic and sometimes even utterly random. Keep in mind that one adcom rejected all buffalo applicants after he got food poisoning in buffalo the day before. On the other hand, if you're applying to state schools only, a good SAT will definitely be weighted much more heavily.</p>
<p>The challenge is to convince a college that you will find your motivation and begin to apply yourself; it can be done!</p>
<p>I'm waiting to find out just that. I'm not in the top ten percent, about 3.6 unweighted with less than a 2.5 sophomore year. I took the SAT once and got a 2360. I hope for my sake that my SAT score does make up for my GPA. I did get rejected at Yale EA, but that was expected.</p>
<p>Obviously a lot of other things get thrown into admission decisions.. but just based on these two "hard stats" that pretty much show your academic ability.. what do you think.</p>
<p>I think its obvious that it would work for a university not in the top 20ish.. but what about the top top universities?</p>
<p>One of the college books that I read said something like "if you have a great GPA and a bad SAT the college will think you are an overachiever, if you have a great SAT and a bad GPA the college will think you are really smart and has potential, you just didn't apply yourself enough in high school." That's not a direct quote, but it might mean something to you.</p>
<p>oh thanks crystal thats very interesting</p>
<p>I remember our tour guide at Georgetown (obviously not IVY, but its stil top 25) said she got a 2300, and her grades were mediocre, 3.8 W maybe, and she obviously got in. But i also saw in the back of Emory's viewbook something to the effect of "a good GPA and rank and course rigor can make up for a bad standardized test score, but a good test score will never make up for a bad GPA etc." Now this is an Opinion, but I think if you have a GPA that gets higher each year and a good SAT, it may show you've gotten serious.</p>
<p>i can def. relate with crystal's quote. i have a 4.0 UW GPA and an SAT score that's not too high. I consider myself an overachiever...</p>
<h2>Not at a top 20 school, but yes at most. </h2>
<p>The above statement is false. I repeat, FALSE. Why?
1) Last year, there was a guy who got into Harvard with a 2.89 GPA. What did he have? high SATs, and great essays/recs
2) This year, a person was admitted into Stanford SCEA. GPA was 3.4 weighted. What did she have? high SATs, and great essays/recs.</p>
<p>i, too, consider myself an overachiever...who happens to suck at school :/</p>
<p>Anecdotal evidence about the guy who got into Harvard last year is useless.</p>
<p>It's clear at top 20 schools, they expect, and get, it all. 40% plus of every ivy class is hooked: recruited athletes, URMs, legacies and development candidates. The schools bend for them, the rest of the class needs to bring up the stats to keep them where the schools want them. </p>
<p>This is why the typical unhooked candidate has stats at or above the 75th percentile across the board. If you're a super star at something they may bend somewhat, but no one with a low GPA is getting into a top school on the basis of a high SAT score. They reject the majority of 2400's at HYPS.</p>
<p>^^^
She hit the nail on the head.</p>
<p>well by "bad GPA" i don't mean like HIDEOUS.... like 20 or 30th percentile. and of course they do, those kids probably have high GPAs as well.. they just weren't unique or had little to none EC's because they spend all their time studying. idk thats just what i think hahaa</p>
<p>There are certainly kids like that and they typically don't get in. But as a mom of 3 who went to 3 very competitive high schools and having worked in admissions at an ivy, I can assure you there are way more kids with great grades/rank, SATs and ECs than the top colleges can admit.</p>
<p>So would colleges prefer someone with a 2150 and a 4.0 throughout high school, or a 2300+ who didn't start getting A's until junior year? Of course HYPS don't have to choose, but schools in the #10-#20 range can't fill their classes with perfection.</p>
<p>I believe you when you say that this is how it works, but it just doesn't seem like it should be so. A college wouldn't look down on you if you got a mediocre SAT score in ninth grade and improved later. Why is the same not true of grades?</p>
<p>Admittedly, I have a horse in this race. The 2300 described above is me. Why am I wrong about this?</p>
<p>I got into a top 20 school with lowish gpa (3.69) and not in top 10%, and I don't think I have any hooks. Granted, I did ED and showed a ton of interest. I am really grateful I got in! I'm Asian too! Just a ray of hope</p>
<p>hmom5: The top schools do reject the majority of 2400s, but isn't it true that 2400s are rejected at a lesser rate than scores lower than 2400? I'm not trying to offend, but I don't understand by people say "HYPS and Ivy Leagues regularly reject 2400s!" I would guess that getting a 2400 greatly increases the chance that you'll get in at a top school.I don't profess to know the ins and outs of admissions, but if it were me, rejecting a 2400 would be like getting a bad grade on a test, instead of a getting a bad grade on a daily assignment (not trying to demean those with <2400s; I didn't get one either!); I would be more regretful of losing that applicant (unless he/she were to show some hideous quality).</p>
<p>There are some really brilliant kids (very high SATs, AP scores, SATS IIs) who are doing amazing things who get very good grades but not straight As. And they do get into the IVYs more often than the ones with amazing grades (from my HS anyway). I'm thinking of the ones that are following their passions that take a lot of time away from school work. Its more about what they are doing outside of HS - Musicians, poets, activitists. It can take a lot of time to study for the A+ and that time may be better spent doing something more productive. They do maintain a very good GPA however. I have not seen it really hurt this type of student.</p>