Torn between universities because of ACT score (PLEASE HELP!!)

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Right. So guys, I'm looking at UCLA, UC Berkeley, UChicago, CMU, Duke, Stanford, USC, NYU and Michigan Ann Arbor.</p>

<p>Here's my profile:</p>

<p>Scores:
Distinction in IGCSE (GPA = 3.93)
IB predicted: 41
AP 2 exams: Microeconomics = 4/5 Macroeconomics = 5/5</p>

<p>ACT = 30/36</p>

<p>Extracurriculars:
Tennis, basketball, horse riding, photography, theatre, MUNs, dance, movie making</p>

<p>Leadership positions:
Vice captain of the school quiz team
Security council President (this year), vice president (last year), best delegate (2 years ago) - MUN
Vice captain of the varsity tennis team
President of the farewell committee
Vice president of the photography club
Was vice captain of the junior varsity basketball team</p>

<p>Awards:
11 tennis championships - 7 time champion, 4 time runner up (singles and doubles)
2 All round excellence awards
1 academic excellence
1 computer wiz
2 basketball awards - winner and runners up
1 time long jump gold medallist</p>

<p>Additionally I work with 4 NGOs - 2 of my own. I'm an international student. If you can recommend any more colleges, I'd be happy if you do so. I'm just not sure of which universities to apply because of my ACT score (but that isn't the only aspect, yeah?)</p>

<p>What are my chances?</p>

<p>Thank you</p>

2

<p>Why can’t you retake ACT? Have you tried SAT?</p>

3

<p>Your predicted IB score is pretty inconsequential in American college admissions, because decisions will be made before you sit for the tests, and your results won’t be published until the summer - months after you will have had to commit to a college. That’s a strong GPA, but that ACT score probably puts you out of contention at Stanford and Duke. Most of the others will be reaches. NYU and USC are matches unless you are applying to their more selective Business or Engineering programs. Even a nice increase on another ACT (ie. two points) or a solid showing of over 2000 on the SATs will still be insufficient for a few of those schools. You didn’t break down your results, though. If you had a superb Math score, with lackluster Verbal scores, and English is not your native language, then some STEM programs might be willing to consider you, but they are still brutally selective and the competition is fierce. I would recommend dropping Stanford and Duke from the list entirely.</p>

4

<p>I probably wouldn’t take the ACT again because I’ll be doing the EAs this time. I’d love to go to UCLA or Michigan, would I’ve chances for them?</p>

<p>Plus the ACT isn’t just the only thing to be considered, right? My mentors do say that my essays are very good.</p>

5

<p>What are you interested in studying, and will financing your college education be an issue? The answer to those questions may help with additional responses.</p>

6

<p>The ACT certainly isn’t the only factor, but the colleges you’re considering are viciously competitive, and students need to be strong in all areas. A 30 isn’t a bad score, but it’s not competitive for Stanford and Duke. It’s on the low side for UCLA and Michigan. It’s quite low for Chicago, and for most divisions of CMU. If you want California, look at some of the other UCs, where your chances are better. Most of them are more focused on GPAs, but even very strong students get rejected from Berkeley and UCLA. Most of the UCs have even tougher admissions standards for Engineering, if that’s what you’re interested in. I would suggest adding Pitt and Temple, if you’re attracted to NYU. Maybe American and George Washington . . . if you like the idea of Chicago, and you’re interested in Business or Communications, your chances would be excellent at DePaul. You probably have a shot (not certain) at Fordham. I stand by my recommendation of dropping Stanford, Duke, and probably U of Chicago from your list. If you’re interested in Business or Finance, or Computer/Information Science, and want an urban campus, Pace is an academic safety. You might qualify for a nice scholarship there, and their proximity to Wall Street provides a wealth of internship opportunities. </p>

7

<p>how are you going to afford these schools? there’s no point applying to schools your parents cannot afford. There are few american colleges which offer aid to international students, and most of them require stats better than yours:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.educationusa.info/financial-aid.php”>http://www.educationusa.info/financial-aid.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://www.desperateguide.com/us/top-25-financial-aid-colleges-in-us-for-international-students-need-aware”>http://www.desperateguide.com/us/top-25-financial-aid-colleges-in-us-for-international-students-need-aware&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p><a href=“http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/the-short-list-college/articles/2013/09/19/colleges-that-give-international-students-the-most-financial-aid”>http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/the-short-list-college/articles/2013/09/19/colleges-that-give-international-students-the-most-financial-aid&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

8

<p>@jkeil911‌ On the OP’s other thread, they acknowledged that cost would not be a concern.</p>

9

<p>Financing my college isn’t a problem for now and I’m interested in a double major - economics and computer science but I’d probably do undeclared.</p>

<p>@AnnieBeats‌ - I need answers</p>