<p>I’m neither an athlete, legacy, nor a minority, and I just got into Vanderbilt (a school much higher ranked than the ones you listed) with a 31 on the ACT. I was definitely in the bottom 25th percentile for scores, my ECs, grades, and essays got me in. I know kids who get into top schools with 30s, too, and even more who don’t get in with 32+. Your theory is very flawed–scores don’t determine the fate of an application, especially when there are other good things that stand out.</p>