Well we received D22’s second attempt at the ACT and she has waived the white flag that she is not taking them again. So we are where we are, with a 27 composite. Both superscore, and single sitting although the SS looks better with a 28 in Science.
She has a 3.979 UW GPA and will have 10 honors, 4 AP and 1 Advanced course upon graduation. Solid EC’s, good letters of Rec and an average to above average essay.
Her list to date for applications includes the following. I am also listing their last published CDS 25%-75% numbers for reference. The sticky point is her intended major of Nursing is SURE to have much higher admissions scores than the school’s averages. Not sure how accurate Naviance data is, but our high school admission statistics seem rather favorable at all of these schools.
Clemson: 27-32 ACT, Direct Admission to Nursing
U of SC: 25-31 ACT, Intended Major, no DA and competitive for upper division
Delaware: 25-30 ACT, Direct Admission to Nursing
Pitt: 28-32, Direct Admission to Nursing (IN STATE)
JMU: 23-28, “Pre Nursing” no DA a little less competitive for upper division
She is also likely to apply to Duquesne as a safety and UMiami and Villanova as super reaches so thoughts there are welcome also.
What is her math subscore? What math class will she have senior year? Will she have four years of both math and science?
Ask the schools what the admitted test score ranges (and acceptance rates) are for the direct admit nursing programs…they are likely higher than the school as a whole.
I would apply TO to Clemson, Pitt, UMiami, and Villanova (if TO is allowed…some schools that are TO may not be TO for all programs, like direct admit nursing). Clemson is a reach, Pitt probably is too.
I lean towards applying TO to Delaware (likely higher test scores for DA nursing). On the fence about UofSC…fundamentally you have to ask whether her test score strengthens the app. If not, don’t send it.
Not sure Duquesne is a safety…I would find out the details there on admission rate, score ranges, etc. Note they are rolling admissions for DA nursing, so get the app in as soon as possible.
I am certain they have rolling admissions for DA nursing, which may also exist in the construct of a July 1 deadline. Perhaps they still have spots (for Fall 2021)…that I am not sure of.
Is Duquesne affordable? Did you run the NPC for the other schools on your list? UMiami and Villanova will not be cheap. Our friend’s daughter just graduated from UMiami and will continue schooling to become a PA. She loved it there but it would be a reach. Pitt is also a reach.
You might want to rethink your list. You daughter will be in the bottom quartile of applicants. She might be accepted but she will be competing with them for grades and clinical time. Not a recipe for success.
I would put a few PASSHE schools on the list. The keys to becoming a nurse are GPA, clinical time, and passing boards. My wife is a CRNA and several friends are nursing professors. She went to a smaller college in PA for nursing then worked at Hershey for a few years. Great experience.
She will have AP Calc AB and a semester of CP statistics Senior year.
For science, she has taken H Physical Science, H Chemistry, H Biology, AP Biology, and Advanced Anatomy & Physiology.
We feel pretty sure Duquesne is a safety, although she’s not terribly certain she’d want to be there. Their app does indeed open 7/1 and she plans to submit then.
I agree for Pitt and Clemson… On the fence about Delaware and South Carolina. Her college counselor seems to think that a 27, while not necessarily enhancing her application, gives reassurance that it’s not a significantly low score. Not so sure I agree.
I agree with you about being not so sure about sending that score to Delaware and UofSC…I expect the DA range of scores at Delaware would have your D at the 25%ile or lower (but I am not sure). I would reach out to admissions (a nursing specific one if they have that) and ask for guidance on applying test optional, and ask for admitted nursing student test score ranges (some schools will give that info out, others won’t).
Check the admission requirements for each school. I think USC has limited access. They only accept so many students into the program after sophomore year and it’s based on GPA. I love USC (went there for grad school) but might not be a great option. Plus you’d be OOS and paying OOS tuition.
I would definitely have a few more safeties other than JMU. A school that flies under the radar around here is UDayton. I’ve heard nice things about JMU and Dayton. I still think a few PASSHE schools should be on the list. They’ve spent a lot of money on upgrading campuses the past 10 years. I hardly recognized a local school last time I was there. Maybe add Carlow or Chatham to the list if she likes Pittsburgh.
Getting a nursing degree is definitely a marathon, not a sprint. It’s not where you start but where you finish that matters. Another thing to look for is clinical opportunities AND having them close to campus so she doesn’t have to drive an hour just for experience.
I would be test optional for everywhere except perhaps JMU. As pointed out above, general test scores for the University are likely lower than for a competitive nursing program. The rule of thumb was not to submit a test score this year if it was below the 50th percentile, but I even heard some people recommend only submit when at the 75th percentile. Also submitted test scores This year may not be looked at through the same prism of difficulty getting to a test. I think there were some grace given last year when a test score was submitted that may not be given this year.
My S21 very similar stats/scores your daughter GPA a little higher S21 3.7 unweighted 4.3 Weighted but Political Science/Pre Law. So less competitive admit. We went test optional except Florida schools that required tests. Admitted to Pitt, Penn State, Michigan State, Marquette, Iowa, SLU, Miami Ohio, Arizona State and in Florida with scores FSU, USF, New College. Enrolled FSU. His reaches UF and Tulane not accepted.
He received nice merit except from Pitt, Penn State and Michigan State.
Iowa and ASU are good safeties they auto admit based on formulas, forgot used scores for Iowa as part of the Matrix.
Thanks for the feedback. It’s all an educated guess I’m sure moving into the next admission cycle but enjoy hearing real world examples for sure. Thanks.
I can’t seem to quote right, but I am responding to tumagmom’s post where she cites the recommendation of the college counselor.
I agree with the counselor. I think this is how “Test Optional” is going to play out more often than not. I think it will be a red flag if the applicant does not submit scores and Admissions departments will assume the worst. I think the applicants that can get away without scores will need to have something really compelling that the Admissions Director would probably have ignored a bad score anyway.
We will find out soon enough when the stats for class of 2025 start to appear.
The swim coach has been in touch with her so we’re planning to visit. It’s pretty small with no football and no Greek life which is likely to rule it out but we’ll see! Thanks for the recommendation!
Her GPA and rigor would imply a much higher ACT score, so I would go test optional. Her grades are so good, that I think that her ACT of 27 would only harm her application.