There are various reasons why people with low SAT scores and GPAs are accepted by top colleges. But first, I will explain what exactly is a “low” score. If a student has a 21 on the ACT, their chances of getting accepted to a top college is nearly impossible. But, low compared to the school's average may be actually considered high for the average student. For example, Yale’s average ACT score range is a 31-35. These are incredible good scores. But if you have a 30, your score is still solid, but technically considered “low” for Yale. To get your foot in the door, you will want your SAT scores and GPA to be within or slightly above a school’s target range. Once you reach a certain threshold, you will be considered academically qualified!
低SAT和GPA成绩仍能够被顶尖大学录取的原因有很多，但首先我们应明确界定“低分”的含义。如果一个学生的ACT 21分，他被顶级大学录取的可能性几乎为零；而如果将这个成绩与学校的平均分比较，可能低分学生仍会被“比较成”高分学生。例如，耶鲁大学的平均ACT分数范围为31-35，这些都是极高的分数。但如果你得分30，虽然这个分数依旧抗打，但就学术方面来讲，耶鲁大学会将你认定为低分行列。为了一只脚迈入名校大门，你需要SAT和GPA成绩均略高于学校划定范围，而一旦你达到一个门槛，就会被视为学术能力合格！
So how much do your scores matter? To sum it up, your scores aren’t everything. If you’re an athlete, there is more leniency. Athletes are recruited for their athletic abilities, so their scores are not as important. That being said, top schools still care about whether their recruited athletes have good grades and test scores. They want to make sure that the athletes can stand the academic rigor of their institution.
那么分数有多重要呢？总之，分数并非万能。比如如果你是运动员，他们考量标准就是运动能力，分数就会适当降低权重。话虽如此，顶尖学校仍然在乎他们招募的运动员是否学习和考试成绩良好，因为他们希望即使是运动员也能禁得住严谨的课程要求。
Admissions officers also consider the applicant's context when reading applications. If a student didn’t have the best grades or test scores, admissions officers want to understand why. For example, students who grew up in low income areas don’t have all the resources that most high schoolers do! Admissions officers take this into consideration and look at how the student overcame these academic challenges.
招生官在翻阅申请时也会考虑申请人的背景。如果学生学习考试成绩欠佳，招生官希望能进一步了解这一现象背后包含的信息，比如学生在低收入区长大缺乏教育资源。招生官将这也纳入考量，看看学生是如何克服这些学术挑战的。
Lastly, the most common reason why people with low test scores and GPAs get into top colleges is because most schools read applications holistically. This means that they look at every single part of your application. Your extracurriculars, essays, letters of recommendation, they look at it all! These components are just as important as your grades and scores.
最后，SAT和GPA较低的却能进入顶尖学府的最常见原因是，大多学校通盘考量入学申请，他们会查看申请的每一部分：课外活动、论文、推荐信，这些通通算数！这些因素和你的成绩分数同等重要。
--TIMES高等教育--文章来源：《TIMES HIGH EDUCATION》
*更多TOEFL丨SAT丨AP实用的提分秘籍和有趣好玩的视频课程，关注微信公众号"SATPEDIA"。
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