Instead of listing all of my academic and extracurricular records and activities, I would like to focus the discussion on the most feared aspect of college admissions (at least, in my opinion): test scores.
I’m in a bit of a quagmire, wondering if it’s even worth applying to the top schools of the United States.
My ACT Composite is a 32 (superscore is a 33 - only will help me with schools like UChicago), and I received an 11 on the test which I got a 32C on.
My SAT iis aren’t that bad: 770, 770 on BioM and USH
AP scores gave me a little bit more hope. I received five 5’s on the following subjects my junior year: Lang, Spanish, Psych, USH, Calc AB; a 4 on Bio and a 4 on Euro (which I took as a Sophomore).
In the context of SOLELY looking at test scores, do my test scores immediately take me out of competitive consideration, or is there still hope that the admissions officers will defer to other aspects of my application to justify an acceptance?
THANK YOU SO MUCH!
By the way, I’m a white male (just to eliminate the discussion of potential hooks like URM).
No, I think Ivies Superscore so a 33 is great and definitely in the range. Obviously 34 or 35 is better but yours is not too far off. Also if you have a good gpa it helps. I think it is worth applying to a couple top schools. And part of it is luck so you never know…you might get in.
I don’t think the Ivies in particular superscore the ACT (I remember seeing something that said similar schools like MIT/Stanford do, but not too sure).
32 Composite is right at the median of Yale (Which is around a 32-33), 770 on 2 subject tests is right up there as well.
Judging from your scores, you are definitely a competitive applicant. Obviously you would need a very strong GPA to stay that way though.
It also depends on your story. The median score at yale does not factor in the people who are legacies, minorities, or won national awards/positions. You should try to get your score up a point or two to just make sure it doesn’t hurt your chances too much. But, a girl at my school last year got into Yale with lower scores than that and no hooks, so it will come down to your essay as well as other qualities of your application.
Question: Would you say that my otherwise hopeful test results (in terms of SAT ii as well as AP) would be enough to not discount my app. on the basis of test scores.
I know that it’s a bit sophomore to ask, “Do you think I’ll get in?” But, in the context of your experience and informed deduction, would you say somebody with those test scores, along with a 4.0 unweighted (4.67 cum.), as well as a solid background of ECs which pertain to my intended field (poly sci) would still merit some consideration by adcom?
My daughter applied to Yale SCEA as Salutatorian from Stuyvesant High School (academically ranked 2nd in her class of 860 students) with a 97.8 unweighted GPA, a 34 ACT, 6 AP’s all 5’s and 6 SAT Subject tests all 750+. She was deferred SCEA, then rejected in the RD round. She was also waitlisted at Princeton, and accepted to SUNY Binghamton, Georgetown, Northwestern and Harvard, where she graduated last year Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude. (Did Yale make a mistake in rejecting her? Maybe. But, do they care? No.)
My son applied to Yale SCEA from Stuyvesant High School (academically ranked about 20th in his class of 900 students) with a 96.7 unweighted GPA, a 36 ACT, 8 AP’s all 5’s and 6 SAT Subject tests all 750+. He was accepted in the SCEA round and graduated this year Cum Laude. He was also accepted to 10 other colleges including SUNY Binghamton, Georgetown, Boston College, Pomona, Middlebury, Williams, Vanderbilt, Dartmouth, Brown, and Princeton. His only rejection was at Harvard, the college his sister was attending. (Did Harvard make a mistake in rejecting him? Maybe. But, do they care? No.)
With that in mind, here is what I know:
Even with a top GPA and high test scores, it's impossible to predict your chances at any one college.
If you have a top GPA and high test scores, so long as you apply to a broad range of safety, target and reach schools, you will be accepted to some wonderful colleges.
The higher your test score, the more likely you are to be accepted to a broad range of colleges. But even with a perfect test score, it's impossible to predict where you might be accepted or rejected. Admissions uses a student's essay, teacher recommendations, guidance counselor report, and interview report to help them choose one high performing student over another. And as that criteria is subjective, what one school may love, another may feel meh about.
So, do I think you will get in?
As long as you apply to a broad range of safety, target and reach schools, you will get in to some wonderful colleges. If I couldn't make an accurate prediction for my own kids when they applied to HYP, then I certainly cannot guess what will happen to you after you press the submit button.
IMHO, your 32 ACT is a bit out-of-sync with your 4.0 GPA. While your test score is within Yale's range, it is on the lowish side. It's been my experience that a straight 'A' student, taking a rigorous curriculum, should be scoring in the 34, 35 and 36 range. An Admissions Director might wonder: did you have a bad day when you took the test? Did you take easy courses at your high school to get your 4.0? Does your high school have grade inflation? Those kind of questions don't preclude you from being accepted to Yale, but it may mean that if you apply SCEA, you might be deferred, as Admissions may want to compare you to a broader applicant pool. If you apply in the RD round you will certainly be considered a competitive applicant.
My Advice: Apply to a broad range of non-binding colleges in the early round, so you have at least one acceptance in your back pocket come mid-December and apply to HYPS in the RD round.
Yale asks for your complete ACT testing history so what were all your scores and subscores? Is there one particular area that you are weaker in such as science? Imho, science is one the easiest sections to see score improvement on because it is more about interpreting data (graphs, charts and tables) than it is about real science knowledge. If you have only taken the test twice, you might want to consider retaking the test in the fall if you have time to prep for it this summer.
@gibby, the above side-by-side presentation of your daughter’s and son’s application merits and resulting H,Y, and P differing outcomes is one of the most effective posts I have seen to demonstrate the college acceptance black box.
I visit cc less frequently now that I am a rising freshman (at Yale), but I do make a point when I’m here to read your posts, which continue to be helpful and entertaining.
I started a response that they should “sticky” the response Gibby gave. Then I thought that it was very specific to the ACT score of the OP. Then I figured I’d just quote from it liberally
