<p>Hey, I just recieved my most recent ACT test multiple choice score that I took last Sunday June 13. I have now taken it twice with preparation (once in April and once in Junce) and I have been aiming to reach at least 30. I walked out of the test center with so much confidence, knowing that I had for sure gotten at least a 30. I finished each section in the time contstraints and only guessed on i would say a max of 4-5 questions each section. To my utter dismay, I only recived a 28. I know thats not a bad score at all and many schools would accpet that but I deffinetly thought I had shot it up higher. My confidence level right now is like -100. Its the highest of the two scores I currently have and I just really thought I could have had it a 30. My DREAM school-the school I utmost would DIE to go to is UPenn. I am serisouly obsessed with that school, its campus, people I know that go there. There is a laundry list of reasons of why I love this school. But I have seem to loose all hope in acceptance there if I were to apply ED this fall. </p>
<p>My highest ACT is a few points below their middle 50% average and I just feel that they would see it and get completely turned off. I'll probably take it again in September as my final time and just have ACT send Penn my scores (I would think Sept. is the final time I could take it if I wanted to apply ED)
I am just soo lost right now! I do really well in school-- 4.2 GPA; I only have 2 B's in all of high school and they both came in freshman year; all classes this past junior year but two were A+ (and they were all honors and AP's plus a dual carriculam of general and Judaic stidues courses) great extra carricular--I founded and run a Middle Eastern Jewish Youth group; I sing in a choir that goers to Jewish weddings, Bar/Bat Mitzvas, and old age homes, and played varisty baseball all throughout high school. I have the grades, good recs, and activities, as well as potential essay topics, I am the first in my family to graduate high school and go to a four year institue in the united states, both my parents are from Iran and didnt fully continue secondary education when moving here, I am also Jewish from SC. I have all these things working for me except my damn standadized test scores. Please any advice if I should continue towards this dream of going to UPEnn and settle on the reality that my test scpres would simply be just a grave turn off??
:(</p>
<p>Eh. A 28 makes admissions tough (meaning you’re in the bottom 15% or so of people they accept). But you shoud apply if it’s your dream, and see what happens. The worst that happens is you’re rejected and you’re in the same place you’d be if you didn’t apply at all.</p>
<p>Have you done a lot of preparation for the tests? You definitely should take that ACT in the fall. Also have you tried SAT? You have all summer to study and work on taking these tests. You need to study and practice taking the tests. It is common that people can improve their scores drastically with lots of practice and study. Concentrate on what you are weak at, take lots of practice tests to see what you did wrong and focus on those types of areas and questions. There is still plenty of time, no sense in giving up or panic yet.</p>
<p>Averages are averages. That means that some people score higher, and some score lower. Having a 28 does indeed put you into the lower 25% of people who are accepted (the middle 50% range is a 31-34) Your chances of getting are lower than if you had a 30, but hey, your ACT is not youre entire package and if you are otherwise an outstanding student, you may well get accepted.</p>
<p>However, I concerned that you are so obsessed. I mean, I know what it feels like to have one dream school that you really want to attend, but you should disentangle yourself and step back. Penn is a great school. But are there other schools that suit you well and that are similar to Penn superficially? Maybe you should make out that laundry list of reasons, and then see which of those reasons apply to other schools too. (ex - if you love Philadelphia, there are many universities in the Philadelphia area, including Temple, Villanova, Swarthmore, Haverford, and Bryn Mawr. If you just like urban areas, that expands you even more. If you love the prestige, there are other prestigious schools as well. You see where I’m going?)</p>
<p>As for your test scores, study hard over the summer and schedule yourself a retake in the fall. If you took the ACT first in April and second in June, you really didn’t give yourself a whole lot of time to assess your scores and look at your weaknesses, and then improve (if you took the test in April you couldn’t have gotten your scores much more than maybe early May).</p>
<p>HaHa. I guess you could call me a little bit “obsessed.” Of course I am going to apply to other schools and know that Penn isn’t everything. I know a 28 would be fine at a lot of places and I know I can aim at other “prestige” which I most certainly will. There are several places I’d be completely satisfied with to go to, its just that Penn ranks #1 on the list. Thanks for all the advice thus far.</p>
<p>Try hard not to fall “in love” with any school until acceptances come out. Doing so just sets you up for disappointment and pain. There are a lot of good schools out there and every school has both its pluses and minuses (and frankly, while Penn is a great school, it has plenty of minuses if you take off the rose-colored glasses).</p>
<p>Choosing a college (and having a college choose you) is stressful enough without the added stress of falling in love. While it is an important decision, it is not the most important decision you will ever make. High school students (and helicopter parents) put way too much emphasis on it. Want proof? Make a list of the adults you want to model yourself after; the odds are great that they attended a variety of schools–not all Ivies or CC top universities or LACs. </p>
<p>Instead of approaching the application process emotionally, approach it rationally. Apply to a range of schools (in terms of selectivity) that have the qualities you are looking for. Selectivity says something about the school, but less than most people think because schools become popular (or unpopular)for a lot of reasons, many of which make little sense (except perhaps to the 17 year olds who are applying).</p>
<p>There is plenty of time to fall in love after you see where you got in and where you can afford to go. Good luck.</p>