<p>I can only speak from my experience with my son. I found that the biggest hurdle was them wanting you athletically - and then standardized test scores. If a coach wants you bad enough, they can sell you with good standardized test scores. As many here would say - the better the talent, even at the Ivy level, the more leeway. My son had no problem qualifying for Ivy academically with a 2120 SAT and 33 ACT from a large public HS with a class rank of about 8% and a 3.7 GPA. What kept him out of the Ivy league and relegated to the NESCAC was that no coach thought enough of him athletically to offer a spot.</p>