Which is better?
Do you think that a score of 34 is necessary for top Ivy Leagues?
If you’re an unhooked applicant (not a URM, legacy, low-income student, recruited athlete, special talent, or child of major donors), you’d generally want to aim for 34 or more. Asian applicants should set 35 as a target, because they’re an ORM (over-represented minority) and so their competition is more capable. A score of 34 isn’t necessary - a majority of the class at most Ivies will have an ACT score lower than that - but many of the lower-scoring students are hooked, and it certainly helps to be closer to 34.
Do you think that being an international student, my ACT scores are looked upon with greater flexibility, say accepting a 33 over 34 of a domestic student say?
Wouldn’t it be the opposite? A domestic with a 33 would be accepted over an international with a 34? Depends on the school, but being international makes it more difficult at most. Greater competition and less spots.
Unhooked international with a 31 ACT applying to the Ivies? You’re not going to make the first cut.
@basedchem do you think you need a higher score as an international e.g for definitely 75th percentile? Plus can you explain the term hooked do you mean like legacy/athletics etc?
I literally just said you need a higher score as an international: because your competition is better and you are competing for less spots.
Roughly a 2000 SAT is equivalent with a 30 ACT. Consider that as a base and add or subtract 60 points for every 1 point of ACT to find other equivalences. So your 31 ACT is roughly equivalent with a 2060 SAT. This works only in close approximity of that base within +/- 3 ACT points. For higher scores you better put the base at very top (2400/36) and deduct 60 points for SAT for every 1 point of ACT.
(Again this is a fast and rough realization only)
@uclaparent9 I like to think of my 31 being equivalent to a 2110 as collegeboard puts it
@cappex ACT organization (according to post #1 reference) put it also at 2060 (averaged). But you can think it the way you like. What matters at the end is what the atcoms think, not what neither of us think or wish!
@cappex I recognise that you need a higher score but do you mean like a 34 over a 33 or 35/36 over a 33?
If you’re an international applicant with a 33 ACT (the 99th percentile), colleges will know you can do the work and your test score won’t be holding you back. However, as some posters above have mentioned, a 31 is too low.
@golfcashoahu thanks for your input. Would you say that an international’s application would be binned if they read ACT composite 31? Even alongside 10As GCSE and 4A predictions for A levels? (in regards to ivy e.g wharton?)
Do you need financial aid? If so, what’s your budget?
This answer would affect many universities.
However, for Wharton, you’d need an A in Further Math plus a 35 in Math and a high score in either Reading or English to even have a shot.
31>1950, 31 is more like a 2050 or something like that.
I’m an Asian low-income student, and my father recently passed away. Does the low-income and crippling family/financial situation overcome the Asian ORM stuff or am I still at a disadvantage? FWIW I live in a pretty affluent community, just in the terrible part of it.
Also what does it look like to colleges a young Asian male with bad financial situation, average GPA (with hard classes) and 99th percentile test scores?