So I ve been involved in a lot of activities especially mostly church and competitive dance and have 60 hours of community service I m still trying to find out my class rank but I know I m not in the top 10% I attend a VERY competitive hard school.I have a gpa of 3.88 and get this I felt smart up until my test scores I ve never felt so dumb and useless my self esteem is knocked down because of it.I took the SAT 3 times
Math:470
CR:380
Writing:420
2
Math:480
CR:410
Writing:420
3
Math:500
CR:370
Writing:430
Since the SAT didn t work in my favor I tried the ACT it was just as bad though
Math:21
English:15
Reading:16
Science:17
Composite:17
Although my writing scores has not come in yet and the website says it s not official but still I m very unhappy and I spent about 8-10 months studying for SAT and 3 months for the ACT. All that money my parents spent on prep and the amount of times if me taking it went down the drain in a snap.
I m applying for Abilene Christian University,Oklahoma State University,Texas A&M,Texas Tech and UT Arlington possibly university of north Texas but unt is my last option.My preferred choice is Texas A&M but I don t meet any of their scores just GPA.
1.Im aware my chances are low to get into any of these universities but is it impossible?
2.Am I below their cutoff?
3.And should I take the ACT or SAT again?
because I m not sure which one I m better at since they are averaged the same and I have no preference I like them both the same.
The problem with your test scores is that it will make colleges think your school grade inflates heavily. Is there any way you can retake with considerations for extra time? A 17 doesn’t meet any of the benchmarks for college readiness
are you sure your school is VERY COMPETITIVE? If you studied for 8-10 months you should have done a lot better than 1300 considering your high GPA. Take the sat again because you studied more for it.
I agree with Mommyrocks that looking into test optional schools is a good idea.
2.If you are thinking of retaking tests, change how you prepare. Whatever you did is not working. You will need to figure out why you aren't testing well. Are you too cautious and taking too long? Is it the material? Solving the problem could help those scores.
This is a huge red flag for college admissions… They will see your high GPA then look at your SAT scores and realize that your school must be very relaxed and low ranked. No offense, but your idea of a “competitive” high school, really doesn’t seem like one by your descriptions. That is a huge discrepancy. How could 8-10 months of study only bring you to a 1300. I recommend you retake asap. Good luck!
So it’d be more convenient or helpful if I had a Lower gpa??And my high school is one of the top high school in the U.S ( motto sound racist or anything) but if I’m at a school with a bunch of Asians and Indians and other kids who live in a very wealthy areas who works very hard and all the discussion in class is everyone fighting for that top 10% even just being a perfect student will other you as top 10% you have to be beyond perfect.Average scores for SAT are about 1900+ so it’s competitive.I went to a different high school the first couple years then I moved for junior year to a really hard school that’s why my gpa is really high.Maybe my anxiety for tests including my ADHD comes to a disadvantage.I agree I look cookie and really weird with such low scores and high gpa.Does this mean I have greater disadvantage than a student with lower gpa and average test scores?Sorry I’m confused about what you’re saying thank you so much!! (:
Ok that definitely makes more sense. I’m not making excuses though it’s more like truth. Anxiety in school no issue anxiety on big tests definitely happens you can check my shirt with huge pit stains.How am I getting high gpa with my ADHD? ADHD people are very smart they just need to focus in order to be successful I focus a lot in school why? The magic of medication to help me focus and yes I take it on my tests it’s the anxiety that kills me and I recognize as well pacing myself is a huge thing I lack.The reason why I’m so good at school as well is that I’m a perfectionist I will triple check my work if I have to and I’m a slow reader so the lacking is pacing and unfortunately that habit is hard to break.Im not going to submit ACT score just my SAT because ACT’s are more competitive and its lower than my SAT.Also for my ADHD it’s not required for extended time because that’s something upon request and optional and they select who should get more time so not everyone with learning disabilities could get extended time even though they wanted to.And if j requested it obviously I would be overlooked based on how im doing decent in school.and my school is not aware of it because I never wanted special service if I could make it just on my own just fine so far and still am. So having a high Gpa literally decreases my chances compared to someone with my test scores and have a 2.5-3.5 gpa? So it’d be more convenient for me to have a low gpa? I’m just confused that my performance is just a buzzkill? And more than anything I want to retake them but test scores deadline is December 1st
And I’m no where near the top percentage so ranking low does not occur at my school.I have a friend who has a 4.125 (out of 4.0 scale) weird I know but she couldn’t make it to the top 10% she’s very frustrated all her grades are 95+ she’s no where even close to the best she’s averaged at our school.Also for a anyone saying my gpa is high it’s not it’s average unfortunately.I wish I could bring it down so it could match my SAT now that I learned my gpa killed my chances of getting into college.
No, lower GPA would not be “better” for you; it’s just that with those test scores, your GPA seems out of place. It’s still better than having a terrible GPA, so don’t worry there.
You need to go test-optional. Someone with a 3.8 GPA is expected to get over an 1800 on the SAT. The school will probably suspect high GPA inflation at your school. By comparison, I go to a REALLY COMPETITIVE high school. I have a 3.5 GPA, ranked in the 50th percent tile, and got a 1900 on the SAT.
Someone with high course rigor from a competitive high school and a 3.8 GPA would do VERY WELL in test optional schools.
Those aren’t shabby schools either, but you’d have to leave Texas.
They’re as diverse and as highly ranked as Dickinson, Brandeis and Bryn Mawr, to Loyola Maryland, U Scranton, and Goucher, to Providence, WPI, and TCNJ. http://www.fairtest.org/sites/default/files/Optional-Schools-in-U.S.News-Top-Tiers.pdf
What’s your budget?
That’ll limit you much more than your test scores. Run the NPCs on the above colleges and if you find some that are within budget, request information and start looking at the application questions.
Fortunately Texas admits by class ranks, exclusive of anything else. So, do you meet the top 8%, top 10%, top 20% benchmark?
It’s quite possible you have a LD - if you can afford to, try to have a full workup as it’ll help you even in college. Such a huge discrepancy between school results and test scores often indicate there’s an unaddressed problem; especially since you took prep classes and studied hard.
I seriously want you to consider applying to a test-optional school such as Wesleyan or Bowdin, as your GPA is very good and if you have good EC’s you have a shot at these schools.
Re:#16, @jman457 - The OP will not be competitive for Wesleyan or Bowdoin. They are test-optional, but the students who successfully apply without submitting scores have truly outstanding academic records, with extracurricular resumes to match. The OP’s scores suggest that he or she struggles with basic academic subjects, and probably was not achieved in a rigorous curriculum. There are many test-optional colleges where the OP might get in, but those scores (and, I’m sorry to say, the OP’s writing as demonstrated in the posts here) indicate that the OP would struggle mightily in a competitive academic environment.
Your user name makes me think you might be Hispanic. That might explain lower SAT scores. I’m not insulting anyone it’s a fact they are slanted toward a certain demographic. Also if you are first generation to go to college from your family. Some colleges will give you a bit of a pass on the scores. I just looked at Abilene and I think you have a chance. Make sure you write good essays and get some good teacher recs and maybe your minister or employer. Look at the Fairtest schools on the link someone above provided and apply to a couple. Good luck.
