很多准备赴美读本科的中国学生在进入高中之后，就开始花费很多时间精力去拼命准备TOEFL、SAT等留学考试，有的学生甚至不惜逃课到校外上TOEFL、SAT培训课程。忽视校内高中课程的学习，认为高中在校成绩不太重要，已经成为一些学生较为普遍的认识。那么，在美国名校招生官眼中，到底是高中成绩重要，还是标准化成绩重要呢?
高中成绩单—最重要的申请材料
耶鲁大学网站上的一段文字对此给以了最好的解答：While there is no hard and fast rule, it is safe to say that performance in school is more important than testing. A very strong performance in a demanding college preparatory program may compensate for modest standardized test scores, but it is unlikely that high standardized test scores will persuade the admissions committee to disregard an undistinguished secondary-school record. 前几年，在一次讲座中我曾听美国一位资深升学顾问介绍，美国大学录取新生考察的各种要素(如高中成绩、课外活动和奖项、申请essay、推荐信、面试等)在学生整个申请资料package中大体权重可以看出，一名申请学生高中阶段课程成绩在评估中的权重，一般可以占到全部申请材料的60%上下，而TOEFL、SAT或ACT等一次性留学考试成绩的权重，一般只占10%左右，由此可见高中阶段学生取得好的学业成绩十分重要。美国大学通常更看重申请学生的整个高中阶段的课程成绩，以此评价学生长期的学习状态及发展趋势。
耶鲁大学网站上的另一段文字可以作为佐证：Yale is above all an academic institution. This means academic strength is our first consideration in evaluating any candidate. The single most important document in your application is your high school transcript, which tells us a great deal about your academic drive and performance over time. We look for students who have consistently taken a broad range of challenging courses in high school and done well.