<p>Hi Rew. Im guessing youre from India 
“Feeding kids to the Ivies but my school is back of beyond…” Yeah , been there. I got into Princeton SCEA this year and most kids tend to have >33 ACT and 2250+ SAT 1 minimum from what I can gauge by talking to some of the admits.</p>
<p>Obviously, this does not mean you have no chance in hell. So a letter from your counsellor explaining WHY standardized test scores will not be able to reflect your academic level of preparation can only be a positive. Make sure it doesnt degenerate into " He’s awesome otherwise, so doesnt really need those scores. Overlook them" </p>
<p>Rather the tone should be about possible challenges you faced which prevented you from scoring. One (distant) family friend at P told me how he had a C on his Calc II class but got a recommendation from the teacher saying " Hes a brilliant mathematical mind, but has a problem with learning standard integrals and formulae so he falls behind on tests."</p>
<p>If theres no reason you got a less score - avoid that letter like the plague. Irrespective of which school youre from, people dont like to be pressured/cajoled.</p>