So here’s the deal. I got a 30 on the ACT which I know is better than average but I just feel so dissatisfied. After receiving this score 3 times in a row after practicing HARD (all last summer and fall) I was a little angry but eventually came to terms with it.
Now that I’m researching colleges, I realize how screwed I am. I have a 4.0 GPA (Unweighted) in honors and AP courses and work pretty hard although I never feel overworked or super stressed. My school is also very competitive (top 10 in the state) so it isn’t like teachers go around inflating peoples grades or what not.
Anyways, about the ACT. I need money from the schools I want to go to. Yes, I realize I have a good chance of getting in to AT LEAST a few of my top choices which include Maryland and Villanova, but I cant pay that full price. And I already know I will be getting no financial aid because my sibling already went through the FASFA thing and got NONE. Overall I am really upset because some of my friends took much lower level classes then me and got lower ACT scores and are talking about going to the same schools I am looking at for targets or schools equal in prestige for their programs.
It is totally unfair. I work so hard and take every opportunity that came my way, but we all come out in the wash the same? That’s ridiculous. I am not really good at much but school was the one thing going for me. I even turned down a lot of fun stuff my friends were doing to study and get ahead (not too frequently though). Overall I have a lot of other stuff going for me but this one blasted test is really screwing over my chances at any financial benefits.
Any suggestions on places to look with the situation I am in with the ACT I have? Do you think I am overreacting? What are my chances of getting financial aid? What are your thoughts?
There are still many ways to get scholarships besides just ACT.
You can always do small private investment scholarships and build up on those to pay off your college tuition. This is a very helpful method since there are many scholarships out there.
You can also hope your GPA still gets you money for some of the schools.
And finally, some of your extracurricular activities might give you a shot to a couple of scholarship money.
Take the upcoming ACT tests in June and September and October if needed. Analyze your ACT score and get laser focused on any areas that are holding you back - with 3 30’s, it is likely just a couple of sections. If you are a 4.0 student at a top high school you can do this. Keep focused on the ACT as this is where the merit dollars are at. Hit your 32 and then target schools that will reward you for it (i.e., probably not Villanova).
Pick different schools where you can get more aid is my only advice. School tuition at many Lacs and privates are borderline stealing.
3 (30s in a row) I dont know. How much time apart between each test? How many hours total?
It tooking reading $300 worth of books, 30 tutor hours, and 200 hours self study for my daughter to increase 3 points in 7 months. She is sorta ditzy can get stuck 9n easy problems over thinks too much.
30 is a very good score but if you are gunning for top merit awards you probably need to try to get it up to a 32+. Secondly look for schools that will reward you for your stats - probably schools outside of the top 30. You will likely get into some top schools but the significant merit aid may fall a tier lower. Good luck.
I was basically in the same boat except I was scoring 32 for three tests in a row. I ended up getting a 34 – I can tell you how.
Buy the Manhattan Prep 5lb ACT book on Amazon. I tried using Princeton Review, Kaplan, etc (like all the prep books) and never improved. This book that I am recommending is basically a mimic version with LOTS of practice and it closely resembles the ACT exam. Once you start scoring at least a 34 on practices (not too hard to get there with the book), start taking practice tests in Barron’s ACT prep. Although you will tank a bit, don’t worry because the tests here are super hard. If you manage to get the same score as in the 5lb practice book for Barron’s, then you will most likely perform as well as you do on test day.
The way I studied was by taking the test apart; study the four sections separately. First study the section you are the best at; for me, I scored a 35 consistently on English, so I worked to get that to a 36. Work on your second best, then so on. Finally, when you get to your worst section (Science for me – I kept getting between 28 and 30), make sure you create a book for all you mistakes. Write down the kinds of problems you get wrong; is it data analysis or failing to pick up specifics in the short excerpt, or is it a silly mistake, etc. After like five tests for that section, evaluate the kinds of questions you get wrong. If you have a lot of silly mistakes, you need to understand why; don’t shrug it off else you will make more silly mistakes. If the mistakes are about misinterpreting data/graphs, make sure you examine the data closely; are the variables switched just for this experiement? Did I look at the green solution graph and see it as exponential instead of cubic? Etc. Keep a book for that and evaluate all your mistakes; without evaluating your incorrect answers, you don’t know what to improve on.
I have a few more tips but these should suffice. Always here to help. Good luck!