<p>English is not my second language</p>
<p>If you currently have a 23 ACT, forget Stanford, MIT or any school with their level of selectivity.</p>
<p>You need at least a 32 to be competitive for these schools and you’re not even in the ballpark.</p>
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<p>And you want in to a top tier STEM program?
Really?</p>
<p>No, I just want to know if I should aim that high</p>
<p>No, you shouldn’t, you’re not in the ballpark at all - but a reach could be RPI, then add RIT, Stevens, Alfred… UIUC would be another reach but reachable (like RPI).</p>
<p>@MYOS1634: Though merit aid would be unlikely for the OP at any of those places (except maybe Alfred since I know little about them). Don’t know much about fin aid either.</p>
<p>As for UIUC, a lot of times on these boards, I try to counsel IL kids interested in engineering/CS that UIUC is no worse (and likely is better) for their future that whatever shiny elite private catches their eye at a lower price (if they are full-pay at privates).</p>
<p>However, they (like many state schools) feel little compunction about weeding out students who aren’t good enough. Then again, I guess that’s true of any good engineering school.</p>
<p>BTW, Mizzou is in-state for IL residents as well, and their admission standards are not near UIUC Engineering’s.</p>
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<p>Is that true??</p>
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<p>No, I just want to know if I should aim that high</p>
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<p>it would be a complete waste of time. it would be a waste to target a number of mid-tier eng’g programs as well.</p>
<p>If english is your first language and you are not low income, then why the super-low science score and low reading score? are you a super slow reader that didnt finish these sections?</p>
<p>To put it ihn perspective for you, OP. S1 had a 23 as a 7th grader. He got a 34 when he took it for real as a Junior. He had a much better GPA and was an NMF and he was not especially competitive for a school like MIT. He had the grades and the scores, but they want those PLUS demonstrated passion. </p>
<p>Even if you manage to improve your ACT to a 34, your GPA is not so high that you would impress the top-end schools. As you said, if you are working hard to manage your HS GPA, it is not going to get better at a school where everyone is essentially smarter than you. (no offense, they are smarter than most of us)</p>
<p>@mom2collegekids:</p>
<p>Whoops, I remembered wrong. However,
- Mizzou OOS is less than UIUC Engineering in-state.
- Establishing residency in MO is evidently not too onerous (much less so than other states).</p>
<p>They also have some automatic scholarships that aren’t too difficult to get that decrease payment even more.</p>
<p>I just got tired the second half of the ACT. I took a practice test once and got a 29 on science and I think a 24 in reading.</p>
<p>Why are you interested in this particular branch of engineering, by the way? Are you open to others? Are you open to other science majors like applied math or CS, or other majors?</p>
<p>I went to a program at uiuc demonstrating different kinds of engineering. I liked materials the most. CS was kind of boring. I want to use more than just math in my major.</p>
<p>@gman223223 practice ACT testing, test prep class(es), and test tutoring may help you significantly improve your score. You do have to pace yourself. You can take ACT Sept, Oct, Dec senior year and have scores count for many schools. Both my DDs had 23/24 at end of sophomore year. </p>
<p>It is worth taking the Oct SAT test with the chance of a better score than you have with ACT. I would focus Sept with ACT.</p>
<p>For automatic scholarships, one DD needed an ACT of 28 and got it in Oct of senior year (took test four times total); other DD needed a 30 and got it in Dec of senior year (after getting a 28 in Sept; was totally off on Oct test and got 26; took test 7 times total - end of junior year had composite 27). They both devoted time on practice testing, had test prep classes during soph/jr years; DD2 had a lot of individual tutoring and completing practice test sections (and complete practice test Saturday before real test with other students). </p>
<p>You have to learn what easy questions to not miss, how to pace yourself, what test tricks not to fall for - like how to look at the right information in the science test so you are not wasting a lot of time looking around at the charts that do not have the information…so you finish each test section and apply enough time for the harder questions and answer correctly the easier questions. Another test strategy is to really improve the score of the section(s) you are good at to ‘carry’ the lower test section(s). On their best test composite, science was the low score for both (even though one got a 31 on one test in science, other scores were lower that particular test - it had a lot of chemistry that DD knew). DD2 had english subscore of 33 to get composite score of 30 (and had 30 in math and 31 in reading; science was 25 but other scores carried). Both DD are very good in science; test challenges them in this area.</p>
<p>Some of this standard test-taking comes easier to some students than to others. Everyone has an Achilles’ heel.</p>
<p>My nephew from a small HS had a composite ACT of 26; he is now a Chem Eng (instate student in Iowa and went to Iowa State).</p>
<p>Test fatigue is definitely a problem that can be avoided with a lot of prep and enough sleep, along with a can-do attitude.</p>
<p>DD2 did get a 30 on the practice test a week before the Oct low score. Her concentration was keen for the Dec test (her last chance) and she hit pay-dirt.</p>
<p>You may look in your geographic area for engineering possibilities, and also see where your stats can get you the best money…check out MS State - you may score high enough for money there, in addition to Mizzou as another poster stated.</p>
<p>Good luck. Make sure you get your applications in on time, scholarship applications, and really put the college effort into the testing. It could make college more affordable.</p>