Even a US citizen living abroad should aim for the GPA/SAT range of students previously admitted to MIT (or other university) from his or her high school, and not just the 25th percentile SAT/ACT scores of all students admitted to that university. Some admissions officers are more knowledgeable about the content and quality of foreign high school programs than are others, especially if these are not English-language high schools. It goes without saying that different standards apply to special category applicants such as athletes, legacies, URG’s, VIP’s, donors, etc.