<p>So on the site it seems that Penn is not easily impressed with high SATs. They only accept about 26% of people who get a 800-750 on CR, 21% of people who get a 800-750 on Math, and 27% of people who get a 800-750 on Writing.</p>
<p>Why is this so? I knew that they looked at applicants as a whole, but rejecting around 80-75% of people with near perfect SAT sections seems a bit too harsh!</p>
<p>it's because test scores alone are not sufficient differentiation</p>
<p>imagine if you had someone with a 2400, perfect sat2s, but no particular extracurriculars or activities, rather boring person...</p>
<p>versus someone with a 2150, okay sat2s, some very meaningful activities, and a "story to tell"</p>
<p>which would you be more inclined to take?</p>
<p>and remember, not everyone is a strong standardized test taker</p>
<p>Standardized tests have really been less of an impact at most colleges. wake forest has even eliminated them completely.</p>
<p>Colleges would much rather see a good GPA, interesting and passionate ECs, good essays, etc.</p>
<p>getting good grades on just SATs only shows that you're a good test taker and you're good at cramming. you really can't tell much from a 4-digit number. colleges want to recruit students who will eventually benefit the society, and GPAs and extracurriculars can tell a lot more about a person than SAT scores.</p>