I want to agree with this, but I haven’t seen any evidence that high SATs above the 75th percentile are necessary to offset “non-spiky”-ness. We’ve spoken to some admissions folks and it’s remarkable how much SAT scores have been de-emphasized at the elites.
Those we know who have been admitted to elites always have something - if they don’t have a particular “spike” or hook, they have a compelling story, amazing recommendations, essays, ethics, challenges overcome, unique ambition, or have a goal they have been building toward - they seem to always have something, and I’m not talking about athletics, legacy, development, trustee support, URM, awards/recognition.
With superscoring, test prep since the 8th grade, taking the SAT/ACT 2-6 times, it’s pretty obvious that good scores can be a result of aptitude and partly a result of the ability to take this particular test, sometimes after hundreds of hours of test prep.
For Neuro, I’d check out U of A and the Honors College…not as renowned as ASU but an awesome honors dorm with dining hall at the bottom and gym adjacent.
I’m an ASU MBA but actually prefer U of A - especially anything medical.
I think you are missing my point. A lower than needed/expected score can DETRACT from an application, could be viewed as a person having hit the ceiling of their academic aptitude. And with test optional, now that this applicant has given their absolutely wonderful W/UW GPA (assuming that the weighted is out of 5, not out of 6), it’s pretty obvious that a sub 1400 score could go against them. That’s why I would now advise not to submit that SAT unless they’re from a high school that the college might think has very low academic standards, or they’re applying to a school where their SAT is 75th% or above for accepted students. In most cases, it won’t help them - it can only hurt them.
There are, of course, people with fantastic aptitude who are just bad test takers. I knew one, who was at my Ivy. They had a sub 1000 SAT, and straight A’s at a good suburban public high school. They were admitted, and when the interviewer told them that they were likely to be admitted, they asked, “But what about my low SAT?” The reply was, “When everything else is so strong, we just disregard it, since we know it’s a fluke.” I realized, when I tried to help them prep for the GMAT or GRE, that it had to do with a very slow, careful, methodical, trick-free approach to taking standardized tests, instead of the necessary quick, artful approach needed to finish a time-limited test very quickly.
In the era of test optional, that very lovely GPA doesn’t need a non-stellar SAT to back it up, so the applicant shouldn’t submit it, unless it’s mandatory that they submit. And if that’s the case, they submit and they don’t worry about it. If for some reason it’s brought up in the interview, they can just say that they are a careful, conscientious worker, whose scores were brought down by the extreme time pressure.
If that weighted GPA is out of 5 points, then I think you are golden! With a GPA like that, I wouldn’t have expected a much higher SAT, so I don’t think that you should submit it unless it’s required, or it’s >75th% for that school.
Relax. You’re gonna get in somewhere great, and maybe with merit money, too. And with high school grades like that, you’re going to do very well in college.