GPA or SAT?

Spetsnaz_Op
Mon, 03 Jul 2006 18:41:46 +0000

well personally I doubt the person with the 3.5 would be lazy…if they go to a decent school a 3.5 is hardly a “lazy person’s” GPA

they might be running at half throttle and not really “reaching” their potential, whatever that means in a high school curriculum

In that particular situation I think person 1 would stand a better chance just because of the SAT score, especially with a good essay. Maybe I’m wrong, but it seems to me that the SAT score below 1950 would be a stretch for an Ivy regardless of GPA. Now if the situation was a 3.5 with a 2400 and few ec’s vs. a 4.0 with a ~2000-2200 and lots of ec’s and awards then things might be different. I think if you go around and ask at colleges most all will say that GPA is more important for admissions. However for some really elite schools you might need a certain SAT score to “get in the admissions door” so to speak.