I thought I read that an athlete on average will get accepted at the smaller LA colleges with a score about 100 points lower than the average student. Any thoughts
Are you talking about a recruited athlete?
If so, and if said test score is far below a school’s average it depends on how much leeway a coach has, how many slots they have in each band, as well as the level and potential impact of the athlete in their sport.
Generally, there is more leeway in helmet sports, but that is not always the case and again, the athlete must be an impact player.
Many recruited athletes also have high GPAs and rigor, as well as strong test scores, especially at the top LACs. The competition is fierce.
A top level (i.e., varsity starter in a significant sport) athlete will carry the same advantage in admissions as other outstanding non-GPA/standardized testing achievements.
Applications are a portfolio of strong and weak components, so this very strong component could make a student with lower test scores more likely to be admitted than one without.
“100 points” just sounds like made-up data.