<p>^^ Duh on me. I misread the table. You look good with 33 if you ask me. I would focus on something else in your application and blow off the SAT.</p>
<p>How many times have you taken the test so far? I got a 33 the first time I took the ACT, but on the second I got a 35, and the 3rd I got a 36. Granted, a 36 does NOT automatically get you into every school, but it does look good.</p>
<p>@holly1234 this was my first try</p>
<p>If it was your first try, you could see yourself improving, and you have the time to prepare, why not take the test again?</p>
<p>The opportunity cost of preparing for a second shot might not be as steep as you think.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, as others have pointed out, your 33 will probably already place you in the “acceptable” applicant pool, even at the most selective colleges. (This would be the argument for not taking the test again.) Your GPA, strength of curriculum, extracurricular activities, and essays will carry a lot of weight in the admissions process. The reality of the situation is that the colleges to which you are applying will be awash with applicants who have very high SAT/ACT test scores, boast perfect 4.0 GPAs, and have taken the most rigorous curriculum at their respective high schools. You’ll need to find a way to distinguish yourself from those kids if you want to secure acceptances at highly selective schools.</p>
<p>I would retake it if this was your first, and drop the SAT all together. I got a 32 my first time, and got 33’s on the second and third tries. It ended up superscoring to a 34, which came into play as a lot of my schools happened to superscore or consider multiple scores.</p>
<p>Also, retake ACT if merit scholarship is critical for you. Most top privates do not offer merit aid though.</p>
<p>I agree with all the advice above about retaking ACT. I did not realize it was just your first try. @billcsho points out merit is key, if only for safety schools.</p>
<p>Sounds good, I’ll retake the ACT around Sept. hoping for 35-36.
Thanks for everyone’s help</p>
<p>@ijustwantsuccess Good for you for aiming high, but know that getting a 35 instead of 33 or 34 won’t significantly increase your chances @ competitive schools.</p>
<p>^^ Very good advice @Mlolo98 in explaining the benefit one gets from a higher score at the top schools. </p>
<p>What Mlolo98 says is why it is important to still do whatever you can to strengthen your application. And in reference to your ECs, you might consider instead of throwing in an obvious STEM thing you never did before, take a look and see if you can go deeper into one of your already established ECs. Showing depth and perseverance at something that you really like doing and have been doing is also strong for your application as well. </p>
<p>However, do the STEM activity if you are really into it and can truly demonstrate that it is not just resume pandering.</p>
<p>@awcntdb I do have STEM awards/ECs, most of which are STEM/Business combined which is what I want to go into or study. I think its pretty in depth (chance thread in profile), which is why I want to maximize the ACT/SAT as much as possible just so that it adds a tiny bit more, or that extra 1% in college admission </p>
<p>@awcntdb</p>
<p>
Merit money is available for many very good schools that are match for many and reach for some. For many cc’ers these are not safety schools.</p>
<p>@ijustwantsuccess - Cool. Then you sound good to go. Knock that test out. </p>
<p>@jym626 - Thanks for the correction on the merit issue.</p>
<p>That’s right. Even some schools that are not safety for anyone, they offer merit scholarships. It is just very competitive.</p>