<p>I have been reading all about Grinnell and it seems perfect for me! That being said, I want to know if I can get in. I'll explain a little bit about myself. I'm a junior girl from liberal Portland, Oregon! I'm interested in chemistry, biology, environmental sciences, and possible going to medical school. I have a 3.89 UW gpa and 4.08 gpa. I am in the top 5% for weighted gpa and about 15% for unweighted. I play varsity soccer and lacrosse. I'd like to try to play d3 soccer in college. I am involved in band and in our art department. I volunteer several places including Outdoor School (hs students spend a week in the wilderness with 6th graders teaching them about ecology and having them in your cabin. I've done in 3 almost 4 times, as you can do it twice a year starting sophomore year), Metro arts (working with 6-12 year olds in an art camp), and I am also an elementary ta for first graders. I am planning to take chemistry and spanish at either Reed, Lewis and Clark, or Portland State through high school programs they each have.</p>
<p>So my worry or frustration with test scores. I got a 177 psat score, not very good! I'd like to consider myself intelligent and the low test scores could be because I have ADHD. It isn't documented within the school because teachers regurally just give me extra time, so additional accomodations aren't needed. I just don't think I will be able to get very high test scores, which seem to be important to Grinnell. Is this the case? If I applied ED (which I wouldn't until visiting of course) would I have a better chance? My sister got a ACT of 30, which appears even on the low spectrum for this school. I have a huge interest in the school and a good gpa which can't hurt. </p>
<p>Also, let me know of any additional info about Grinnell you have. If I were to have an overnight visit next year, once I am a senior, would I need to bring one of my parents with me to transport me from the airport and such? Thanks for any help</p>
<p>Grinnell is still an elite school. It’s certainly not my place to say it’s impossible to get in with low test scores, but your chances are much better if you can get your scores up. I would recommend you poke around the ACT/SAT forums on this site and get some testing advice, then do as many practice tests as possible to make sure you can finish the test in the normal time (unless you can get that ADHD formally diagnosed so you can take the test with additional time).</p>
<p>For additional info about the school, I’d suggest you read the “Why Grinnell?” thread in this forum. Then if you have more questions, you can ask them there. ED would improve your chances, but I don’t know how much. I assume you are going to do what you can to get the best test scores you can, do practice tests, etc. You might want to try both ACT and SAT to see if you do better on one or the other. You sound like a very good candidate in other respects and we don’t really know yet how you’ll do on ACT or SAT.</p>
<p>Hi, I recommend you reach out to the soccer coach now. She’s amazing and can help you determine if the school is a good match for you. Everyone is very supportive, but since you specifically mentioned soccer I would suggest you start there. </p>
<p>From what I’ve gathered, yes, test scores are important but the admission folks seem to look more at the story you tell. So get your scores up if you can, visit, and keep doing all of the other wonderful things you do.</p>
<p>If you have legit learning disabilities you can get extra time on stuff, i dont know exactly how it works but my friend got like twice as long on his ACT</p>
<p>If you have documented ADHD, then you MUST get the medical documentation and find out from both the College Board and ACT how this information gets into their system so that you have adequate time to take the tests. One of my son’s best friends has this situation and there is no way he could complete the tests without the accommodation. If you have a legitimate and documented need for the accommodation, you really need to take it to give yourself the best possible chance for a decent test score. There is also on the Common App and most of the other university apps a place to explain special circumstances. You can easy discuss your situation and this is something universities really work to accommodate. All universities have departments that support students with special needs.</p>
<p>To follow up on laplatinum’s comments, you should seriously consider an evaluation to document ADHD because, even if you got admitted to Grinnell or elsewhere, you will need that documentation to be eligible for accommodations once you start college. Your professors may not be as willing to give you extra time as your high school teachers are. The evaluation process can take a couple of months, so you and your parents should look into this soon. Some universities offer low-cost evaluations done by grad students in the Ed Psych department. That inforamtion has to be supplied to the educational testing services (check their websites) and, once you start college, to the Student Affairs office. </p>
<p>Grinnell has fabulous academic support available (writing labs, math labs, etc) for all students. But additional time for tests is probably going to require working with the Student Affairs office. </p>
<p>As to your other question, my recollection is that Grinnell will provide transportation from the airport (Des Moines and maybe Cedar Rapids as well) for visits. You can check with the Admissions Office.</p>
<p>One school you might like is Bates College in Lewiston, ME. It has a lower acceptance rate that Grinnel but is truly score-optional, meaning admissions really doesn’t penalize you for not reporting scores. Bates also seems like it would fit you well. It’s a small, fairly liberal D3 school with very strong med school placement and an active Outing Club (2nd oldest in the nation). Bates definitely values scholar-athletes.</p>
<p>As to the ADD/SAT dilemma-some kids do better with extra time but others can’t sustain the required attention over a long period and find that extra time on standardized tests only exacerbates the problem. SDonCC is right that you’ll have a hard time getting extra time on the SAT at the last minute if you haven’t had formal accommodations in high school.</p>