<p>For those who were accepted to top tier or second tier schools with the</p>
<p>For those accepted to top and second tier schools and who submitted the ACT ONLY, please list your ACT score, the school or schools you were accepted to, and the state you were from.
There is no data out there that indicates if those who submit the ACT ONLY, if they are not an under represented minority, a recruited athlete, a development legacy, from a state where the SAT is the test of choice, or have an unbelievably high ACT score, have the same chance of getting accepted by submitting the ACT ONLY as those who submit the ACT with the SAT II subject tests, the SAT with the the SAT II subject tests if required by the school, or the SAT with the ACT.
In this competitive world of college admissions, with over 20,000 students all vying for small number of spots, I believe that admission officers may be left wondering if those who submitted the ACT ONLY and are from the northeast or other states where the SAT is preferred, may have taken the SAT and did not perform well. (For those who submit the SAT II subject tests their SAT I scores if they took them would be sent and the colleges would know how they did). Perhaps they would be less likely to take someone who submitted ONLY the ACT for this reason
To confirm or dispel this, for those who were accepted to top tier or second tier schools and submitted the ACT only, please list the school or schools you were accepted to, your ACT score and the state you are from</p>
<p>yeah, some figures on this would help me out a lot</p>
<p>I just want to help people out. I think some applicants will take the SAT I and not do well, so they take the ACT and they do well, and they decide not to send any SAT II subject tests (resulting in their SAT also being sent), or their SAT I scores. They figure that they have in the range of ACT scores that the colleges they appy to accept.
The thing is that top schools are very well aware that when one takes the ACT that they dont have to send any other test sittings but their highest ones, and when one takes the SAT, all the scores are sent.
THere are many top schools including the ivy league that say they will accept just the ACT or the SAT I with SAT subject tests. BUt many make it clear that their preference is for the SAT.
Lets say you have two candidates A and B and both are from lets say Scarsdale high school in Scarsdale NY and both are applying to lets say University of Pennsylvania, and both have the same high grade point average, and both have similar extra curriculars and awardsin terms of leadership and achievement. But applicant A has lets say a 710 720 on the SAT and comparable SAT II subject tests, but applicant B has really taken the SAT several times and cant seem to get higher than a 580 580 after a few times, but the ACT is a test that he has a high achievement for and he gets lets say a 31 after two sittings. The first being a 28. So he sends just the 31.
Well, admission officers from top colleges in the northeast when looking at an applicant from the northeast who submits JUST the ACT with no subject tests, may wonder if there are low SAT scores that that applicant is hiding.
With over 20,000 applicants competing for a small number of spots, the admission officer may perceive candidate A as being stronger.
That is what I believe.
We cannot know for sure other than to see that there are not many posting stats on the different cc sites who are saying they were accepted and only an ACT score. The ones I have seem are mostly for those who had near perfect ACT scores or are from a state like Wyoming, or Oregon, Illinois ect, when applying to a northeastern school.
I do believe that recruited athletes and development legacies who the admissions department may want to accept and who do not score well on the SAT, may be encouraged to take the ACT and submit those scores if they are better.
While most people will score about the same on the SAT as the ACT, there are some people who will not score well on the SAT but will score very high on the ACT.
I think the best advice would be for those applying to the ivy league or top tier schools would be to take practice tests first and decide what you are best at. If you plan to submit the ACT, then I would take the SAT II subject tests so the school knows there are no low SAT I scores you are hiding, or submit both the SAT and ACT scores if the SAT scores are pretty good even though they are lower.
I dont think it is that wise to submit JUST the ACT to a top school UNLESS
it is extremely high, ie. over 33</p>
<p>
[quote]
Here are many top schools including the ivy league that say they will accept just the ACT or the SAT I with SAT subject tests. BUt many make it clear that their preference is for the SAT.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Please post evidence of one top school that makes it so "clear."</p>
<p>btw: a 31 is the SAT equivalent of a 1380, so your example needs an 32 ACT.</p>
<p>Go to google and type in "SAT preferred" University of Pennsylvania. You will come to their admission link where they say it is preferred. You can do this with any number of schools.
By the way, you dont have to get defensive.
I am just trying to be helpful.
It is up to all you if you want to submit just the ACT if it is not at the very highest range.</p>
<p>cb:</p>
<p>not defensive at all, just asking for proof of your assertions -- and, no a college counselor website (which could be extremely dated) ain't proof. Absent proof, I'm just trying to correct your misinformation and point out that your suspicions are just that, suspicions. You have started several threads on this issue, and unless you work for CB, I'm not too sure why. Unless you have proof that top colleges are NOT giving the ACT equal weight, your misinformation is worse than "helpful." </p>
<p>Nowhere on Penn's official website do they state a preference for SAT, at least for the College. Given its strong quantitative bent, I would not be surprised if Wharton preferred the SAT math, but even its website does not so state. Why do you dispute their official policy? Why would they be disengenuous?</p>
<p>Penn</a> Admissions: Required Tests
[quote]
The American College Test with Writing, may be used in lieu of the SAT Reasoning Test and two SAT Subject Tests.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>When you have time go through the acceptance threads at the top schools on cc and look at those who were accepted, and whether they submitted only their ACT scores, the score and where they are from
Of course cc is just a sample.
I am only saying what I saw.
The fact remains that only about 4-8% of the applicants at most top colleges submit only the ACT score. You will never know of that 4-8%, how many of them were accepted.
I think applying with just the ACT is riskier unless one has a score that really stands out.</p>
<p>Submitting only my ACT (36) and hoping its equated to a 2400!</p>
<p>Yes it would be. That is an unbelievable score and should get you wherever you apply.</p>
<p>
[quote]
The fact remains that only about 4-8% of the applicants at most top colleges submit only the ACT score.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Huh? Do you have a source for this ahem, "fact"?</p>
<p>Well, I called some of the ivys. Call the admission offices yourself and ask</p>
<p>You can check out those stats @ collegeboard.com; at most colleges, it says the percentage of applicants submitting SAT scores is between 90 and 99%. Presumably, any of the applicants not submitting SAT I scores submitted ONLY act scores.</p>
<p>instead of checking places known for outdated data, suggest you two check the common data sets of the colleges. Stanford exists in SAT country, but yet 23% submit ACT scores; or, doesn't Stanford qualify as a "top college" since its in the west. Since Stanford highly recommends Subject Tests, yes, 90+% also submitted SAT I. Brown and Amherst have ~25% ACT submitters, as well. Northwestern has 52% ACT submitters. </p>
<p>Obviously, ACT submitters had a higher score on the ACT than SAT, or only took the ACT. But, it's not hard to conjecture that a high scoring ACT person also scores high on Subject Tests. Since Stanford, for example, has a history of favoring subject tests (four is better), an applicant to that college would be at a disdvantage if s/he submitted ACT only.</p>
<p>As collegebound has posted numerous times, we do not know the acceptance rate of SAT submitters or ACT-only submitters or ACT+Subject Test submitters. </p>
<p>But, I continue to ask the same question: Why would a college admissions office lie? What is to their benefit to publicly state that they accept both tests equally, but still secretly favor the SAT over ACT? With a lot of former admissions officers writing books, do you really think that they could keep it a secret for longer than it took Stetson to start his new venture? It just doesn't make any sense. </p>
<p>btw: the instructions for the Common Data Sets require that colleges report the statistics that they have, not necessarily what they used for admission purposes. Thus, if an applicant submits both the ACT and SAT, both scores are included in the CDS if that applicant matriculates to the college. Thus, even if a 36 ACT is used for admissions purposes (and reported in the CDS), but so would that same person's SAT 2100, for example. That is why the totals exceed 100%.</p>
<p>Of course your are talking about one of the best schools in the country. However I was talking about those schools in the northeast/
I am off this subject. You and I disagree. Thats all</p>
<p>hmm, last I checked, both Brown and Amherst were in the NE... :rolleyes:</p>
<p>Best wishes at Duke.</p>