I am POSITIVE that those 4.0 students weren't accepted simply because of their SAT scores. Maybe that didn't have many extra curricular activities as someone else, but it was no solely because of a single SAT score. An SAT score that you receive one Saturday morning is not weighed more than 4 years of your life of studying. Colleges look for students that apply themselves, not someone that just pops in one afternoon to ace a test. They want the student that will be in class every day and study to earn their grades. Of course the high SAT score will HELP when your scores are low, but that doesn't mean it's going to get you in for no other reason. Colleges can only accept so many of the thousands of applicants they receive. They look at your extra curricular activities, your essay, your grades, your recommendations, and your SAT scores in that order. I'm not saying the SAT means nothing. I'm saying it's not going to save a C student. Someone with C's and a good SAT score is less likely to be accepted and to excel in college than a student that has all As and a marginal SAT, because grades reflect how much you apply yourself. SATs are a baseline. If you have high SATs and low grades then they know right off the bat that you don't apply yourself in school. Some things are more important than the SAT score. Not that the SAT isn't important, it's just not THE MOST important, by quite a ways.
I'm glad you're all so hyped about applying to colleges, though. That's a good sign.
