Just got a high ACT and unsure where to look now

College Search & Selection
1 
I got a 35 ACT from my September test and am ecstatic. Going from a 32, this changes my chances quite a bit, I assume. I want to do Princeton SCEA but I don't know if my GPA is too low to even consider such a choice. Also, an update from my other threads, I visited Rochester, Michigan, Case Western, Carnegie and Pitt. I liked Rochester's liberal approach to undergraduate studies with clusters, Michigan's ivy like feel, Case Western's amazing architecture and strong Science as well as Carnegie's prestige and computer science accomplishment. I didn't like Pitt too much, the tour guides and information I observed gave me a bad feeling about it, it seems like more of a party school not as intense or focused on the quantitative studies. Anyway, I don't know if this jump is scoring will allow me to have a chance at an Ivy or a near Ivy like North Western or Duke. Also, does this move up where my target schools should be? I'm in a rush to gather a list so any help on what reach and target schools should be and how this score affects me would be greatly appreciated. Below is copied from other threads, my academic info.

I started out as an average student in high school but my grades have increased to my junior year and I have some EC’s. I am looking to major in economics, math, physics, chemistry or computer science but probably leaning towards math or computer science now. I also like international relations and want to participate in a politic club. I don’t mind where the school is geographically. I don’t want a school less than two thousand undergraduates and prefer a college stronger in the quantitative fields. Below is a list of where I’m looking at.

  • UMichigan
  • Carnegie Mellon
  • Princeton
  • McGill
  • Rutgers
  • TCNJ

My list is clearly too short right now.

Location: New Jersey
GPA (Regular is out of 4.0, Honors out of 4.8, AP out of 5.0) I the highest level of every class I could, 3 AP’s Sophomore year 4 Junior
Freshman: 3.916 (Weighted) 3.5 (Unweighted)
Sophomore: 4.192 (Weighted) 3.71 (Unweighted)
Junior: 4.65 (Weighted) 3.88 (Unweighted)
Combined: 4.25 (Weighted) 3.70 (Unweighted)
Also: I included every class even Gym and Band
AP’s
AP Physics
AP Calc AB (At John Hopkins University CTY)
Ap Calc BC (Also CTY)
AP Lang
AP Chem
AP Comp Sci
Multi Variable Calc (Weighted as an AP)
Next year I will take
AP Psych
AP USH
AP Lit
Ap Span
Two independent studies above AP level
Standardized Tests
ACT, 35 combined, 35 English, 35 Reading, 33 Science, 35 Math
SAT II Math II 790 Physics 750
EC’s
Vice President Model UN
Three year Varsity Track and Cross Country
Area Youth Orchestra
Science Olympiad
NHS
Tri-M Music Honors Society

2

The hyper-competitive schools are longshot for pretty much everyone, but why not give Princeton a shot if it is your top choice? Your stats give you a fighting chance. And you seem to have a good list of schools so you should be fine regardless of what the outcome at any one school turns out to be.

3

Yeah, it makes sense to me to just try Princeton; i will go ahead with that. Do you have any other school recommendations? I’ve got a writers block for the search process right now.

4

Take a look at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. U Chicago. Wash U in St. Louis. Rice in Houston. I’d also add Harvey Mudd to the list. It’s a LAC, but part of a 5 school consortium with contiguous campuses, so it’s more like 5,000 students. No financial constraints, right?

5

i would add some NESCAC schools like Williams and Bowdoin . Also MIT for computer science. Worth a shot.

6

One thing to consider is where the comp sci program is located within the school. My kid did NOT want to take a foreign language and Duke, BU, and UNC had their CS programs in Arts and Science where a language is required (especially Duke – they require a lot of foreign language work). Rice, on the other hand, has computer science in their engineering school and requires a huge about of math and physics as part of a CS degree. RPI, Northeastern, and Carnegie Mellon have computer science in neither arts and science (RPI is in the School of Science) nor engineering, so their requirements are really tailored to CS. (BTW Carnegie Mellon has a really intense CS program with a 5% acceptance rate – so harder than Princeton).

He and I liked Rochester a LOT for computer science as well as economics. He chose Northwestern over Rochester – both are good programs and both are pretty flexible on curriculum required for CS.

7

@N’s Mom, I notice you just suggested four of the most intense schools in the country just because the OP got a 35 ACT :slight_smile: I would argue that 3.7 GPA doesn’t merit doing so. It may be better depending on the OPs finances, to try to leverage that ACT score into some merit money at a school that isn’t so stressful.

8

Depends on what the OP is looking for. He was asking about Princeton which suggests he’s open to very intense programs. Also, his GPA shows an upward trend from 9th grade.

I’m absolutely not suggesting that OP would be better off at such a school. Only that if Princeton is what he’s looking at, he might want to look at other equally excellent and selective schools outside of the usual Ivy batch.

9

My kid had a 3.7 with amazing test scores and is at Mudd. She has worked unbelievably hard, but is succeeding. Just saying that a student with a 3.7 can make it at Mudd, but only if you want to really work, and you have a higher academic gear than you have shown in your HS work. (My kid does). It is, of course, a reach.

10

The 3.7 is going going be a ding, while not fatal, but appreciable, at P. You have a legitimate application for the othe schools listed, with CMU being right on the fence.

11

I would also apply - asap - to a few schools that are not as competitive albeit very strong in computer science: U Maryland (cs has its own school ) and U Mass, plus Honors college of course. The best scholarships have early deadlines so do them before you launch your application to Princeton .

12 
   My GPA is mainly low because of my early years of High School where quite frankly I didn't care. I focused on running and music rarely doing my homework and never studying. I know that I can handle these top colleges like Princeton and MIT, at least the first year or two. I'm taking Princeton's second semester computer science course online now and MIT's fourth semester calculus online too, for my independent studies. My AP's are Comp Sci-5, Calc BC-5 (This was without a formal class), Chem-5, Physics B -5, Lang-4 so I can test well in these subjects too. 
   The problem with me is that I slacked off and didn't do a lot of the busy work needed for a high unweighted GPA at my school; my school places lots of stress on completion homework checks, binder checks grading for organization and other silly things not used in College.
    Anyway, I'm applying to Rutgers and TCNJ for a cheap option in the end and Rochester, Case Western and UMich for targets. I want to have a school around Princeton's level to compare to in May. I forgot to mention I'm applying to MIT, my grandfather went there and encourages it. I know that my GPA will drag me down compared to other students so I just ask to know a school that may look past that or that would still work with a 3.7. Thank you @intparent, I will definitely investigate Harvey Mudd further I've heard good things about it and hearing that someone with similar stats got in encourages me. Also, I will look into Rice University, I have family in Houstan and would like a warm city. 
   On foreign language, I enjoy taking Spanish so either way, quantitative or arts, I would enjoy a school's comp sci program; although I would prefer taking math and physics with it over language. 
  Thank you everyone for the help. Again if anyone has some insight to share then I'm all ears.
13

You better do your homework at a college like Mudd – it is graded, and can save your overall grade when you inevitably tank in one of the three major tests typically given in a semester. The student speaker at graduation last year talked about failing a midterm in her major her senior year, and there were a lot of sympathetic nods in the audience from fellow students.

And likely your school emphasizes those “silly” things because they are important skills for college success. No one will check your binder, but if you are disorganized, you will struggle.

14

To be honest, I don’t think you have the EC’s for Princeton - Not only do you need perfect scores (which you have) near perfect GPA (which you don’t have- and they don’t look at weighted gpa at all) they want to see what you have a passion for and have done to improve your community… for music this would be all state or organized a Orchestral fundraising concert to buy instruments for inner city schools and you would have to show you raised a lot of $$…
I have heard it said that you need to have something on your resume that not anyone could do… i.e. the “wow” factor with regards to Extra curricular activities…
so your gpa and ec’s are lower (for IVY) therefore I would suggest putting everything into writing a stellar essay as that could get you in… but it can’t be cliche like the things you have described about yourself so far… read up on essays for IVY’s an that would be your best shot for Princeton…
Otherwise please apply to some schools where you could parley that huge ACT score into merit money!! Remember most people these days go to grad school… the less you spend on undergrad the more you have for grad school and by then you will really apply yourself I’m sure!

15

The problems with a number of these recent “surprise high score” threads is that kids start to wonder about highly or most-competitive colleges without learning more about what those schools look for. And those most-selective schools do not admit based on scores/stats alone. OP is doing a little “cart before the horse.” Besides Sci Olympiad and coursework, what else have you done in the areas of your possible major? And volunteer work?

16

You are a long shot for Princeton but so is everyone except Malia and Malala and the winner of the Intel, etc. That said, I have no doubt that you could handle the work there. The difference between a 3.7 and a 4.0 may matter to colleges trying to maintain their average GPA of admitted students but that is about it. You’ll be in better shape academically than at least some of the recruited athletes and other hooked applicants. Everyone is correct that your ACT score does not make up for your GPA. To me the issue is your tolerance for risk. By applying SCEA to Princeton, which is a very long shot, you risk not getting into one of the less competitive schools to which you would have applied early.

17

You may also want to apply to Pomona, and Claremont Mckenna which is in the Claremont College Consortium along with Harvey Mudd.
Students within the 5 college consortium can take classes at the other colleges, if they are not offered at your college. Claremont Mckenna has a very strong Economics dept.

And if you’re going to apply to those S Calif colleges, you might as well also apply to USC, who is now a top 25 U and has great programs in all of the areas you are interested in- CS/ Economics/ Physics/ Math/ Music/ International relations- USC has it all.

18

I would look at:

U Penn
Johns Hopkins
Northwestern
Brown
Cornell
Carnegie Mellon
Tufts
Michigan
U Rochester
Georgia Tech
Case Western
RPI
U Wisconsin
Lehigh
Northeastern
Penn State
Ohio State
U Maryland
WPI
Rutgers
Stevens Institute Technology

19

@intparent Oh yes, I intend to study and do problem sets. I just resent how little testing and projects made up grades in my freshman year; a’s on tests still left me with b’s. It’s in the past now and I have learned from it. Thank you, though, for that reminder.

@runswimyoga I understand, I am not the best candidate for Princeton. For EC’s however, I’ve done a lot. My cross country team has placed in the state, NJ is a very competitive state, with me on varsity. My youth orchestra, though not all state, has traveled and performed in Europe and has many all state and all eastern members. In Model UN I’ve doubled the size of my club and have helped revamp the entire program. Anyway, i’ll save that all for the app. I’ll definitely focus on trying to bring out the best in all of my EC’s and highlight my time management. I’ve been reading essays from John Hopkins, as they publish them, but I’ll check out some from Ivies. Also, which schools do you think would take my ACT score for a lot of money?

@lookingforward Totally, I did jump the gun a bit with this. I was very excited with my score and well of course I’d like to get into a competitive program. In terms of my major and experience, I’ve excelled in coursework and done science olympiad as you’ve said. I’ve taken independent studies in new subjects to my high school creating a curriculum for possible courses or other studies in them. I really didn’t have time or the opportunity to research in high school; it’s so hard to get at this young age and I run all summer. I have, however, created some new equations and tricks to solving chemistry labs in AP chemistry which is almost like research (my teacher ran labs without giving procedures which is kind of like research) . I may upload a lab of mine to my app. I haven’t done much volunteer work but I have done so many EC’s so I hope it won’t matter too much; I only have time for so much.

@uesmomof2 Risk. Right, I lose the opportunity of applying EA to schools like Case Western and USC. I also can’t ED but I don’t want to be locked into anything. Anyway, I am taking such risk because I have a strong safety school, Rutgers, which I would love to go to. I simply want to apply to Princeton and other top schools for another expensive option in the end. In short, I don’t want to go to an expensive private school that isn’t too much better than my state school. Correct me, however, if I am overlooking some schools that would give me cheap options and a better education and I will definitely reconsider this idea.

@menloparkmom I do think about USC as an option. I like the area and the rigor. I don’t know if it will be financially the best without any merit, which I doubt I’d get. Pomona and Claremont McKenna I will look into. Also I researched Harvey Mudd and really liked what I saw. I may want to apply to a few liberal arts colleges now.

@harvardandberkeley Already looking at Rutgers, Case, Rochester, CMU and Michigan. For the other, some like Penn State and OSU are so similar to Rutgers but are double the cost so definitely not a great option for me, I’m in state for RU. Do I have a realistic chance at Brown, Cornell, Northwestern or Tuffs? Or are they similar reaches to Princeton.

Thanks again to everyone for the help!

20

OP when you talk about activities and Ivies, you need to take a hard look at what’s missing. It seems to me that your ECs are all school-centric. I’m not discouraging you. But your strategy has to shift. That’s my best advice and starts while you research those addl colleges. Maybe you have done more, outside school, and omitted some things-?