I have a 34 on my ACT (35r, 35e, 35m, 30s) for one sitting, and a 35 superscored. I’m a junior right now, and I want to apply to Top 20 schools (along with obviously my state schools and safeties). However, my GPA is not great (3.3uw/3.8w) due to health problems in my freshman year. I’ve improved tons since then, and my weighted my junior year was around a 4.6, which is almost the highest you can get with the regulations at my school. So I have a strong upwards trend.
Should I retake the ACT and try to get a 36? I feel like this would prove that I’m smarter than my GPA shows, and might make it more feasible to get into a T-20.
Any other advice would also be appreciated.
Thanks!
Go for it if you want to. Depends on the school. A 35 is solid, while a 34 needs a good GPA to back it up.
If you are at an elite HS and trying to distinguish yourself from your highly qualified classmates with similar scores, it might be worth retaking. If you are already one of the top couple of students in your school, your time might be better spend finding other ways to differentiate yourself. 34 is a 75th percentile ACT score at all but top 8 or so schools. Its a judgement call.
I disagree that it’s necessary to retake the ACT. You are already in the 99th percentile with your score.
Be sure that your guidance counselor addresses your freshman year health issues/grades in their LOR.
A 36 isn’t going to “prove” anything that a 35 wouldn’t. And neither will cause an AO to disregard a GPA.
Do you have a reason to believe you would substantially improve on a 3rd or later attempt at a test?
Deal with the GPA situation in a counselor letter or “additional information section. You can’t “test out’ of it.
No. A 34 is the sweet spot for just about every college out there. Many schools do not superscore but will look at the subscores so send in both tests.
Also many schools discount freshman year if Sophomore through Senior year is greatly improved. That is the upward trend that many look for. Plus a note from your counselor will help.