Ha! My experience is the opposite it would seem. I got very low SAT scores in math, and about a 750 on the verbal. I went into undergrad in 2000 thinking I would major in science and do pre-law, and then do patent law as a career (a friend of mine actually did this and now makes a looot more money than I do). But then I took organic chem and fell in love-- and took physical chem and fell even more in love, and decided to try the grad school thing. Despite my very low GPA, I was accepted at the Stony Brook University chem dept, and got a PhD in chemistry in 2008. The experience I had applying various spectroscopic techniques to biological (protein) samples was unique and got me several publications, and thus I got offers from all the postdoctoral positions I applied for (including University of Tokyo, Boston University, and Georgia Tech), even though I graduated in the middle of an economic collapse. I have every intention of sticking to an academic track, seeing as I don't really care about owning a fancy car (I like to bike), having a huge house, or eating out every single night; I mostly just want to be able to afford the occasional scifi novel, food (for cooking myself), and rent. These things are quite affordable on my current salary, I have no complaints--- and I get to take a stab at curing (brain) cancer, which is kind of a personal goal for me.