Just trying to get an idea. Also, I’m considering whether or not to retake the act again. I took it 3 times and went from a 25-29(math was the biggest issue, raised that from a 17 to a 25). Should I take it again and really push for that 30?
Thanks! 
It definitely wouldn’t hurt to take it again, however you might want to try taking the SAT (if you haven’t already) to see if you do any better on that.
I wouldn’t take it again - it sounds like you’ve already improved a lot where you can! A friend of mine was accepted to NYU last year with 1910 on the old SAT, which is equivalent to a 29 ACT. If the rest of your app is compelling, a one point difference in your score is unlikely to significantly impact your chances for admission.
getaclucy, I took the practice sat and got a 1200, which is equivalent to a 25 act (i think?). This was one point below my composite act at the time. However, I have to take the sat with my school, so I’m really gonna work on math for that one and see how I sit.
catbird1,
okay thank you I know the average is in the 30s, but I scored highest in the areas where I want to go into, I want to major in journalism and got a 34 in reading and a 30 in English, do you think they will take that into account, or just look at my composite score?
I have a lot of ECs and a couple of leadership positions, in addition to high honors, outstanding sophomore, and musical solo awards. I am also a dual enrollment student and take challenging courses at a community college nearby, and am in the honors program and honors society. I’ll have really good rec. letters, one from my football coach (which I kick for as the only girl on the team-and was a captain), and one of my college professors.
Do you think I have a good shot?
I was accepted ED with a 2110/2400.
I feel like they do take your english and reading scores into consideration rather than just looking at your composite, because Stern kids seem to typically have very high math scores but get away with lower writing or reading scores (although for Stern, “lower” means like, 750 as opposed to a 800)
I got in as a Media, Culture, and Communication major and my math score was pretty crappy but I had a 780/800 writing score so I think that helped me a bit.
I think they will definitely take your strong ELA scores into account with your major preference. I scored low on the math portion too, but it’s not like I’m applying to any STEM schools (I’m planning on political science, with the possibility of law school down the road).
You sound like a great candidate for admission, especially if your essays are done well!
I got accepted into Mathematics with a 1500 (800 math/700 reading). My ACT was a 29 but did not choose to submit. The main thing to focus on is the scores pertaining to your major, and to try to show that you kept trying to get a better score
@Chancewoot how should I show how I kept trying to get better? Do I send multiple scores? Or maybe include it in the additional information section?
accepted into steinhardt with a 1310
Tandon:
Act: 31
SAT: (old) 2010, (new) 1430
My S had 31 ACT and was admitted to steinhardt for MT with merit $
accepted to Tisch with ACT 33 (superscore was 34 but nyu says they don’t superscore)
@heyitsmaddiek NYU admit here. You have a great profile! Are you a junior? Are you receiving coaching or self SAT studying? What’s your gpa? GPA is what Shawn Abbott said NYU admissions looks at the hardest.
As for the SAT fixating? And explicitly pointing it out to them? I wouldn’t.
I wouldn’t call attention to it. I took it twice. I got a 1120 first time, self-studied for 6+ months and pulled a 1170. I took that 1170 and applied to all my top tier schools 
Like you, I was worried about my low sat score for NYU. A teacher suggested I add a very high college range score I had taken on a test in the additional section of the common app. She said it would let them know I was scoring at a college level. However, I was worried about giving a wrong impression and didn’t. Instead, I briefly mentioned one of my club’s events that was important to me. if I DID add that score detail and not my club event, I think that might have hurt me. Because the club event was one I hosted and was proud of, mentioning my test would have been me showcasing to Adcoms I was insecure about my SAT score and trying to overcompensate.
I accepted my 1170 and actually said “forget it” when app season came. I just poured myself and my interests into all my apps.
Keep in mind the written sections are the main way NYU adcoms are going to get to know students. They are looking for that interesting kid from A, B, C and say "Wow, I like him/her. " Remember NYU adcoms are real people, they care about who comes to their school and they are trying to get to know interesting, smart and passionate kids.
Besides my transcript, I didn’t reference my HS record on my app AT ALL. I keep my focus on a running theme of global interest, travel, politics, and reading. This conveniently ran parallel to NYU’s global focus and their core program.
(Do you have an interest or a theme? What do you want to do in the future, have you demonstrated this? Volunteer work, a club, ect…)
Of course, If you took the ACT 3 times already, I wouldn’t take it again. There’s a word of mouth that colleges raise eyebrows at taking the tests obsessively. If you want, keep trying to gain a higher score on the new sat but understand the scores isn’t the complete part of it. Don’t risk NYU adcoms missing the opportunity to learn about your personality and interests by relying too much on the numbers. After a while, the numbers are out of your control. NYU has a RANGE of scores and gpas. If your application is compelling overall, they don’t reject based on a SAT alone. Trust me.
Case in point:
GPA was a 4.2 weighted. Accepted with an 1170 New SAT. (Yikes) BUT had 89% - 92% percentiles in Reading/ social studies/ history sections. Plus a 777 essay score.
Saving Grace? Came from a low-income background, bad school district (I think they consider income with scores?) and my section scores strongly reflected my social science strengths.
I’m going into Political Science in the future and was placed into their Core program, NYC campus (1st choice) with a 30,000 scholarship.
Lesson: The numbers are important for NYU admission, but only to an extent! By your profile, it’s obvious that you’re a bright, hardworking, academically focused kid. My app is nearly identical to yours: Dual enrollment, NHS, leadership, honors, ect…but difference is I was the founder and president of an international club and got to tell NYU all about it while applying for their global program. I believe this really helped me. (You said you have “a lot of ECs” are these random? They can tell. Why are you in these leadership positions? )Do you have a theme as well? Can someone read your essays and activities and see a running interest(s)?
My best advice:
Make your essays were very personal and have the running theme around your passion and future career plans. I’ll be happy to help if you’d like
In my NYU essay, I researched and expressed my (specific) love of their school, name dropped professors, classes, and clubs that I honestly found cool. At the end I directly said, “I will be ecstatic to attend this university” so, when NYU stresses holistic applications and HUMANS reading the applications it’s an opportunity that a lot of kids overlook.
The best thing you can do after you raise your numbers as much as you can (plus getting good recs,ect…)… is to focus on coming across as a real 17/18 year old with a passion (for anything, but if you can tie your major to this passion that’s awesome!), and then ask, is there something I have done that backs this passion? And for the Why NYU, add some research, humility and honest love for NYU.
Best Luck!!!, (PM me if you want any help!)
@heyitsmaddiek NYU admit here. You have a great profile! Are you a junior? Are you receiving coaching or self SAT studying? What’s your gpa? GPA is what Shawn Abbott said NYU admissions looks at the hardest.
As for the SAT fixating? And explicitly pointing it out to them? I wouldn’t.
I wouldn’t call attention to it. I took it twice. I got a 1120 first time, self-studied for 6+ months and pulled a 1170. I took that 1170 and applied to all my top tier schools
Like you, I was worried about my low sat score for NYU. A teacher suggested I add a very high college range score I had taken on a test in the additional section of the common app. She said it would let them know I was scoring at a college level. However, I was worried about giving a wrong impression and didn’t. Instead, I briefly mentioned one of my club’s events that was important to me. if I DID add that score detail and not my club event, I think that might have hurt me. Because the club event was one I hosted and was proud of, mentioning my test would have been me showcasing to Adcoms I was insecure about my SAT score and trying to overcompensate.
I accepted my 1170 and actually said “forget it” when app season came. I just poured myself and my interests into all my apps.
Keep in mind the written sections are the main way NYU adcoms are going to get to know students. They are looking for that interesting kid from A, B, C and say "Wow, I like him/her. " Remember NYU adcoms are real people, they care about who comes to their school and they are trying to get to know interesting, smart and passionate kids.
Besides my transcript, I didn’t reference my HS record on my app AT ALL. I keep my focus on a running theme of global interest, travel, politics, and reading. This conveniently ran parallel to NYU’s global focus and their core program.
(Do you have an interest or a theme? What do you want to do in the future, have you demonstrated this? Volunteer work, a club, ect…)
Of course, If you took the ACT 3 times already, and aren’t content with the score I would turn my attention to the new sat, but keep in mind the scores isn’t the end all of admissions. Don’t risk NYU adcoms missing the opportunity to learn about your personality and interests by relying too much on the numbers. After a while, the numbers are out of your control. NYU has a RANGE of scores and gpas. If your application is compelling overall, they don’t reject based on a SAT alone. Trust me.
Case in point:
GPA was a 4.2 weighted. Accepted with an 1170 New SAT. (Yikes) BUT had 89% - 92% percentiles in Reading/ social studies/ history sections. Plus a 777 essay score.
Saving Grace? Came from a low-income background, bad school district and my section scores strongly reflected my social science strengths.
I’m going into Political Science in the future and was placed into their Core program, NYC campus (1st choice) with a 30,000 scholarship.
Lesson: The numbers are important for NYU admission, but only to an extent! By your profile, it’s obvious that you’re a bright, hardworking, academically focused kid. My app is nearly identical to yours: Dual enrollment, NHS, leadership, honors, ect…but difference is I was the founder/ president of an international club and got to tell NYU about it while applying for their global program. I believe this really helped me. (You said you have “a lot of ECs” are these random? They can tell. Why are you in these leadership positions?) Do you have a theme as well? Is there something that you are really excited about that you can share with NYU? Can someone read your essays and activities and see a running interest(s)?
My best advice:
Make your essays very personal and have the running theme around your passion and future career plans. I’ll be happy to help if you’d like
In my NYU essay, I researched and expressed my (specific) love of their school, name dropped professors, classes, and clubs that I honestly found cool. At the end, I directly said, “I will be ecstatic to attend this university” and meant it. When NYU stresses holistic applications and HUMANS reading the applications it’s an opportunity that a lot of kids overlook.
The best thing you can do after you raise your numbers as much as you can (plus getting good recs,ect…)… is to focus on coming across as a real 17/18 year old with a passion (for anything, but if you can tie your major that’s even better!), and then ask, is there something I have DONE that shows the NYU adcom this passion?
And for the Why NYU, add some research, humility, and honest love for NYU.
Best Luck!!!, (PM me if you want any help!)