It's important to note that the target number of 1450 comes down substantially in the second and third pass (i.e., where we accept kids who are less academically desirable -- but still are likely to be solid students -- but have other qualifications that we want...which includes diversity, state residency, family alumni, etc., etc.)
Middle 50% ends up looking more like this:
https://admissions.indiana.edu/educa...s-profile.html
(Note: middle 50 vs. average)
My kid is solidly in that middle 50 and got accepted on the second pass, mostly due to his SAT scores. He's always struggled with standardized testing...because no matter how much I tell him that taking a standardized test is a skill, he refuses to crack any of the study materials on how to succeed on a test like the SAT. Drives me fuckin' nuts.
No one I know in admissions actually likes giving the SAT/ACT so much weight, and they seem to (literally) argue about alternative methodologies every single month, but the fact inevitably remains that it seems to still be the best predictor of college success.
Hearing a story like Jon's -- that is, parents actively engaged in helping assure their kid's success and, perhaps more significantly, teaching them that there are not only resources available for help, but that it's okay to get help from people who can teach you how to navigate the obstacles -- is part of the reason, I think, that test scores remain such a healthy predictor. The older I get (and the more kids I raise), I become increasingly convinced that being a good student is more of a skill set than a description of mere innate ability.