<p>OK. This is gonna sound completely retarded, but this Q is bothering me so much that it just woke me up from my sleep! </p>
<p>You know how colleges post up their statistics, being like "here are the scores of MIDDLE 50% OF OUR STUDENTS."
................................... well, what the F does that mean?!?!?!?!</p>
<p>I'm terrible at statistics, and I got a 1 on the AP last year.
So I have no idea what I'm rambling about, so please SOMEONE SMART hellllppppppp -> desperate shout .</p>
<p>50% of their students got that score</p>
<p>Middle 50%?</p>
<p>it means that 25% scored above that range and 25% scored below. "In Range"= good "Above Range "= better "Below range" = reach.</p>
<p>so if my ACT score if 30, and the school's Middle 50% is 28-32
that would be within the range?!</p>
<p>yup! and ccongrats on the 30</p>
<p>thanks historymom! </p>
<p>but when I had 30 (thankfully it went up now pheww) and was looking @ the same school of middle 50% from 28-32... I thought I was in line with the school, totally average and perfectly safe in the middle, and my guidance counselor FLIPPED OUT AT ME. Then she showed me this Naviance chart of the score/GPA of previously applicants from past, and the chart said I needed at least 34 in order to apply.
Weird, right? That's why I couldn't believe Middle 50% is the actual average...</p>
<p>Being average is not good. That means that there are many, many people that are the same as you. Half the people that have been accepted are better than you, which does not look too good.</p>
<p>If your score was your only quality then your chances would be reduced. Your counselor must be very proud of her skills getting information from Naviance. I've never seen any school that says you need any particular score in order to apply. In fact, all schools we visited encouraged students to apply.</p>
<p>^ obviously schools will encourage you to apply, dohh.</p>
<p>even if you are too stupid to even not know what 2+2 is, colleges will ask you to apply. they'll turn down the applicant, and it only makes their selectivity good.</p>
<p>I agree with that, but the fact is that there is a bottom 25% accepted for whatever reasons.</p>
<p>So if the middle 50% of the scores at University X are 29-34, and i have a 30 on the ACT i have a good chance of getting in?</p>
<p>say a school's middle 50% range is 29-33.. that means those who got a 29 scored higher than 25% of other students (25% of the school's students scored less than a 29)... those who have a 33 scored higher than 75% of other students (meaning 75% of the school's students scored less than a 33 and 25% scored at or higher than a 33)</p>
<p>75% - 25% = 50%.. that's how they get middle 50%.</p>
<p>middle 50% and average score are not the same thing.. although i'm sure the average falls within the middle 50% range</p>