^^kat has it exactly right. Once her ACT score is “good enough,” it won’t be her score that prevents her from gaining an acceptance. Good enough is between the 10-90 percentile of accepted students. Look at the median ACT (and the SAT equivalent) for previous classes. If her score is already in-range , improving her ACT score isn’t going to boost her odds.
@gallentjill what does your daughter want to do ( sorry if you already told us)? As noted above, a 34 will not keep her out of programs.
I cannot comment directly on the importance of the ACT score for BSMD programs. Most of the students I know who have been admitted to these programs have excellent research ECs and very good communication skills for the interview.
If you are solely looking to raise your ACT I would look at the raw score. One of my children took an ACT test when 3 of the questions on the reading section were omitted because of grammatical errors. So one wrong answer was a 35 instead of the usual curve of 36.
I think the score on the science section is difficult to repeat or predict If you think the science score will go down there is no reason to hope for a higher score on the math and come out with the same composite score.
She can major in anything and still go to med school. I would worry a little about a kid who has such a fixed path at 18, but that’s me. It sounds like she has tested her goals with relevant EC’s so good luck to her. Taking the ACT again would depend on her current stress level: it certainly isn’t necessary. I would try to encourage her to stop but it’s up to her.
Your D may be sure of her path now, but she hasn’t been exposed to the much wider world the college experience offers. Please, please be sure she feels free to switch paths regardless of how many years she spends working towards a goal. A college friend who also majored in chemistry and went the PhD route while I went the MD one decades ago met a few years ago and we each wondered if we should have gone the other’s route. More than one possible great path, and we are all multifaceted.
I guess I am in awe that the OPs’s daughter, at the age of 17, feels so strongly about becoming a physician. My D is entering her senior year of college. Freshman year she thought that she was either heading to medical school or the Phd route, and felt that THAT was her only decision to make. Sophomore year she concluded that she didn’t love being in the lab all day… found it isolating. That summer before junior year she worked in a world renowned hospital and loved it, but quickly realized that that level of specialization meant being in school until at least her mid 30’s… she had to decide if that is what she wants to do. Junior year she discovered that private practice work in pediatrics was not as “intellectually stimulating” as she imagined… she did not love working with insurance codes… all day. For hours… and hours. Every child came in with a cough. She found herself craving something way more challenging… although on the other hand she recognized that some days would likely be very challenging. She came out of the practice realizing that working in an office as a pediatrician was probably not for her. She needed bigger problems to solve…although again …she recognized that those bigger issues would sometimes walk through her door …and not everybody would simply need cough medicine. The insurance problems… all day… gave her a glimpse of reality and a side to medicine that was not so attractive to her.
Then she went abroad. And then she learned what else was out there. She spoke to people with PhDs who were hiking for months at a time. She is back on campus … but a changed person. She’s still loves… loves…science… she can still talk about genetics for hours and hours… for entertainment. But… her eyes are open and she learned about problems in the world, problems in the US. Problems that affect people that have to do with a whole host of issues. And she discovered strong interests in things other than medicine and lab work… that she really wants to investigate… change… and do. And she will.
OP your daughter may continue on and be a physician… but she may change. A lot. I do recognize that you know that …and will support her in whatever she decides. It’s a process… and watching it unfold can be frustrating, yet exciting. Some know right away and never look back. My D is not one of those kids.
I appreciate all the cautionary tales. Honestly, whatever path D decides to take will be fine with me. All of the BSMD programs she is looking at are attached to reputable universities so if she changes her mind mid stream, there is no barrier to her moving on to something else. She is not applying anywhere that she would hate the undergrad experience. That means several potential BSMD programs are off the table.
Actually, I think being part of a BSMD program might make it easier for her to branch out and see whats out there. While they aren’t guarantees of admission to med school, they do take some of the crushing pressure off and allow for a little extra time to explore. We shall see. As a parent, I really just want her to have a fulfilling career in something she enjoys.
Update. D decided not to retake. Even if she could get the extra couple of points she needs it will probably make a minimal difference in any. She has other, better uses of her time this summer. I’m relieved!