<p>my oldest attended a school where her high school grades and SAT scores were below the median student- as a first generation student as well- this was a concern- but they admitted her and with meeting 100% of need so we anticipated that she would do fine.
She * did* do fine, not without some glitches- but she worked very hard and rose to the challenge.</p>
<p>I expect that is why some schools prefer to look at applications individually, rather than bulk admit by GPA and SATs. There are students who can benefit (from) the experience- who aren’t necessarily going to be outstanding on paper.
Thats why they have interviews, essays, recommendations…</p>