<p>Faline - I mostly agree with your post, but I don’t understand your statement about Dartmouth. 2/3 of their enrolled students scored between 700-800 on each section of the SAT with nearly all the remainder scoring between 600-700. Not sure what you are considering top test scores, but looks to me like you need them to get in, as opposed to making your chances “quite remote”. Now top scores alone are not enough, that is true, but it certainly appears that not having them is what makes ones chances remote.</p>