Originally Posted by Bostonian
Both high school grades and test scores load on intelligence. Grades have a higher loading on persistence and diligence than test scores do, and these qualities certainly matter for college success.

Somehow emotional maturity and stability needs to be taken into account, too.

I had high test scores and high grades, however I completely collapsed in college because of a failure to adapt to the social and academic environment. Essentially, I had no ability or knowledge how to self-regulate.

In hindsight, there was no sense whatsoever in wasting a perfectly good engineering scholarship on me.