<p>Friend A has a weighted GPA of 3.00 and an SAT score of 1800. Friend B has a weighted GPA of 4.15 but an SAT score of 1500. Both of them have virtually the same ECs and solid recs from teachers. Which one will have a better chance of admission at Pitt, Penn State, Drexel, Duquesne, Syracuse, Umass Amherst, Rutgers, and Ohio(athens)? Both of these two keep arguing about it and I am sort of in the same boat as friend B. The reason I am asking this question is because it sort of applies to me too because of how similar my stats are compared to friend B's and all 3 of us are applying to most of the same schools listed above. Thanks for any replies!</p>
<p>I would say friend B would have better chances. Friend A doesn’t seem like they try as hard and I feel like the SAT is a random test anyway. I know colleges don’t, but whatever.</p>
<p>bump…</p>
<p>I disagree I think that colleges would lean more to friend A and might be forgiving if A improved their grades the upcoming semester.</p>
<p>Assuming A and B are taking the same courseload, B is in a much better shape. This isn’t even close actually. The gap in GPA is way too big. The SAT is one test that some people do not react well to. GPA is equal to 4 years of commitment to one’s education. If A had a GPA of 3.7 or 3.8, it could go either way, but the difference between 3.0 and 4.2 is way too great.</p>
<p>It would depend on what type of schools the students A and B were applying to. A would be in a better situation for large public schools while B would be in better situation for small private. As far as situation goes, I would rather be in B’s shoes. GPA relates to your high school academic courseload, performance, and effort (is also the best indicator of your college career) and SAT is a one time thing that can be improved SIGNIFICANTLY if the student decided to study for the test.</p>
<p>// As a side rant,</p>
<p>I get the point that some people aren’t just good at taking standardized tests, but that should really not excuse them from doing poorly. SAT no longer measures aptitude (if anything SAT2 does a better job of indicating your performance in college) but does measure how much one has prepared for the test. Anybody will tell you that preparation is the KEY to ALL success.</p>
<p>If you still fail, that’s what collegeconfidential and minimum wage jobs are for.
// Finish rant.</p>
<p>Friend B, because GPA is more important, and SATs can be arbitrary, even though they are supposed to be standardized.</p>
<p>impervious0ne, most public universities deemphasize the SAT. I cannot think of many adcoms that would favor A over B…assuming the students are from the same school and taking the same classes. A has a 4 years worth of transcripts mainly made up of Bs and Cs whereas B has 4 years of As. That’s a significant difference.</p>
<p>thx everyone! do any of you guys have like any specific information about being accepted to the schools listed? Who has a better shot at each school?</p>