So I got my ACT score back today. I’m sort of disappointed in it, especially considering my math score.
I’m applying to Michigan State University for Mechanical Engineering. I’m really good at math in general and I’m very meticulous with it. However, this really wasn’t reflected in my ACT score at all. I predicted that I would have gotten at LEAST a 30 on the math section but ended up with a 26 :(( (my first time I got a 24 but, A. I didn’t send that score in and B. I didn’t study my first time because I was using it as a ‘practice’). Even on practice tests I was consistently getting 29’s-31’s in math.
My transcript grades show that I am strong in math and I am in AP calculus this year. I’m just really concerned that they aren’t going to accept me for engineering because of my poor math score (and science tbh, I got a 23). On the “college readiness” section under in the score report for “STEM” it says that I didn’t make the benchmark for that. I feel really inadequate right now :))
Look at their admission data before you panic – you’re in the better half of the middle – both their average composite and average math score is 25 (75% is 28 for both). Math may be a little low for engineering, but not by much – definitely not refusing to admit you based on that number. You have to assume the averages are a little higher for out of state, but even then, you’ve got a chance. In-state and they are probably taking a lot of kids with similar scores. Get last year’s math teacher to write your recommendation and talk about your aptitude for math.
I don’t know the answer to your question. However, I do know (1) as a public university Michigan State needs to have fairly objective standards for admission and (2) as a larger university has a considerable number of data points available for review. You have started many threads asking about your chances to MSU (with very few responses) so this must be really important to you. Please obtain all the information and data you can- look at Naviance, the common data sets for MSU, Parchment, and especially all the stats and class profiles from the engineering department at MSU. Look at the ACT score distributions and see how you compare.
@Oregon2016 so I have learned that MSU admits to the general university (with a major preference). From there you apparently take classes related to your major, and then at the end of your Freshman or Sophomore year (I think it depends how advanced someone is), if you have taken all of the required credits and have a minimum college GPA of 3.0, then you are admitted into the College of Engineering automatically. So I assume now that my stats will be used just to get into the regular university, because with the way they do things you are not guaranteed your major
@higheredrocks That’s a good idea. I think I’ll actually ask this year’s math teacher (I had him in 10th grade as well for Algebra 2) because I don’t exactly favor last year’s. I do have a recommendation from my Language Arts teacher that is an indication of my tenacity as a student but I assume it wouldn’t hold as much water as something from my math teacher. Thanks
