Hi! I’ve been getting great advice from this board for years just by reading, but I finally have a question of my own. My D would like to study design at UC Davis 2020. She has a 4.2 UC Capped gpa, 4.0 UW. Her ACT with writing is a 31. Should I have her take it again to try to bring that up? Her practice score puts her around a 32, and she is completing other apps and essays along with a tough senior schedule, so I don’t want to stress her out with more on her plate if it’s not going to make a big difference to get that score up 1 or 2 points. Thanks for any advice!
Was the ACT score of 31, her first time taking the test? Where else is she applying?
An ACT composite score of 31 puts her at the 75th percentile overall and since she is not considering CS/Engineering/Biological Sciences as a major, she should be competitive. What is her ACT breakdown? If she is not interested in retaking, I would leave it alone. UC’s tend to be more GPA focused vs. test score focused.
UCD Freshman profile 2019:
GPA and test scores of middle 25%-75% students
UC Capped weighted GPA 4.00 - 4.26
ACT Composite Score 24 - 31
ACT English Language Arts 25 - 33
Thanks. 31 was her 2nd time. Her first was without studying and she got a 34! But that one was without the writing, so she can only use it for the non UC applications. The 31 came after studying the math portion extensively, that was her lowest score (32) and it 5 dropped points to 27. I think she was really stressed the 2nd time. I appreciate your feedback and won’t have her try again.
Best of luck to her.
34 to 31 is a big swing. It sounds like it might have been an off day for her. If she isn’t opposed, I would have her take it again without studying/stress and try for a higher score. She can always submit the 31 but a higher score would be more aligned with her GPA.
Where else is she applying?