What ACT score is needed for our son?

Chance Me / Match Me!
1

<p>Our son is a junior in High School right now. He is planning on becoming a doctor. He took the ACT test as a sophmore and got a score of 24. He plans on taking this over and over again until he gets a good score. Can anybody tell me what a good score would be considering all the information below. Thank you for your assistance.</p>

<p>He is currently #1 (tied with two other individuals) inclass ranking out of a class of 341 students. </p>

<p>His current GPA is 4.5. (AP weighted). He is taking the maximum amount of AP classes.</p>

<p>He was inducted into the National Honor Society.</p>

<p>He won a state trip to DC last year for the Americanism contest. He was the top sophmore male winner for our state. </p>

<p>He is close to becoming an Eagle Scout.</p>

<p>He is on student government at his high school.</p>

<p>He works part time doing IT support for a manufacturing company.</p>

<p>He is a member of the Academia team.</p>

<p>He is an officer in his foreign language club.</p>

<p>He is a member of student government.</p>

<p>He has volunteered for some non-profit agencies in our community including a Hospice facility and a program working with individuals with disabilities. </p>

<p>He is on the tennis team and plays intermurrial dodgeball.</p>

2

<p>Wow, excellent everything, EC-wise! I recommend trying the SAT since the ACT doesn't seem to be his thing. He's obviously very smart, since he has a great GPA and club record.</p>

3

<p>He has a really nice shot at Yale/ Princeton/ Harvard. Tell him to apply to those schools EA as I think he has a competitive chance.</p>

4

<p>What schools does he want to attend? Does he want to enter an accelerated program?</p>

5

<p>He sounds like another College Confidential Genius, but he has to bring up his test scores in order to have a chance at the Ivies.</p>

6

<p>I would say 33+ on the ACT will make him very competitive. If he is not a natural test taker, I think he should stick with the ACT as it rsembles more of the tests in school. Did he ran out of time when he took the test though? Because the SAT is generally slower paced. Anyhow, good luck and I must say your son has an amazing academic record!</p>

7

<p>nowhere do the parents say they are looking for an Ivy.... We don't know what type of school the student and his parents have in mind.</p>

<p>Having said that, here is my 2 cents.</p>

<hr>

<p>Your son's activities and gpa look great. Since he only took the ACT sophomore year, it's hard to know what he would score if he took it as a junior. Plus, you need to let us know what kind of schools he is thinking of.</p>

<p>Different scores work with different colleges. What you need to be competitive at a flagship state school is different than what is needed for a very highly ranked northeastern private university. And there are a whole range of liberal arts colleges as well. Many students succeed as a doctor by attending a state college and then going on to med school. Others go to elite privates for undergraduate. It is up to you and your son... what you'd like and what you can afford, or can wrangle out of financial aid and merit scholarships. Each situation poses a different challenge. Admissions standards also vary drastically from state to state so it would even depend what state you live in. If you are interested in an upper tier school or an Ivy, you should probably get in the range of 32 up. </p>

<p>If you let people know what type of school you're thinking of--even better the name of the college--people can help by telling you the test scores of the middle 50% of the students enrolled there.</p>

<p>Depending on the type of school you want, you might want to think seriously about the SAT. Again, we don't know what goegraphic area you are interested in. In the northeast, for example, "upper tier" schools are more used to looking at the SATS and many think there is a bias built in.</p>

<p>My one caveat is for you to make sure your son has safeties, matches and reaches on his list. Admissions is so competitive these days that no one, not even with perfect gpa and test scores, can be sure about getting into many schools. You can get a lot of guidance in the parent's forum from folk who've already been through the ropes and will be happy to offer suggestions! You will likely want to compile a list of possibilities and, if possible, have son see some of the schools to judge things in person.</p>

<p>We are going through this situation ourselves. Son has a solid record and scores, is interested in one or two Ivies and other research universities, but is also applying to a range of schools that are a good "match" for him in terms of interests, preferences, etc. He will likely be a bio and pre med major....spent last summer at the University of Chicago in a program that trains student to work in a research lab.</p>

<p>Good luck to you as you start the long road that lies ahead for the next yaer and a half. </p>

<p>Try going to the parent's forum and posting a thread like this, but with more details on the type of schools you're looking for: size, public versus private, geographic areas. You can get a lot more specific information.</p>

8

<p>Thanks soo much to all of you. You have given me a lot of information to digest. I will look all of it over very carefully. As far as colleges, we were not quite thinking IVY league schools...but then again, if he ever had a chance and wanted to pursue one of those, I would give it our all in trying. So far he has expressed interest in either: Ohio State University, Case Western Reserve, University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania, University of Pittsburgh.</p>

<p>But, as I mentioned, if he would ever have a chance at IVY and wanted to pursue that path, we would do everything we could to try. </p>

<p>You all have been great. I am soo glad I found this site.</p>

9

<p>blondie, love, for your son to be competitive he must have at least a 2100+ SAT score or a 32+ ACT score. After that point, schools stop caring about standardized tests and it falls back to everything else.</p>

10

<p>i would definitely say that case and umich are excellent safety/reach.</p>

<p>upenn is good.</p>

<p>and pitt would definitely be a safety.</p>

<p>good luck! update us on your son's progress!</p>

11

<p>University of Pennslyvania is an IVY League school.
Here's an article that you might find interesting - <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/critics/atlarge/articles/051010crat_atlarge%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.newyorker.com/critics/atlarge/articles/051010crat_atlarge&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>It explains that at one point, IVY League schools based admission solely upon standardized tests, and their community was becoming more and more homogeneous as the Jewish student population rose. So they changed the factors of admission, now it's based more upon character (especially leadership).</p>

<p>There's also a bit about students who get into both Penn State (public school) and the University of Penn, & how choosing either school affects their future.</p>

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<p>EDUCATION</p>

<p>Present Prospect High School, Mt.Prospect, IL. Expected June 2006
• GPA: 5.48/5.0, Honor Roll
• Ranked 3 in class of 548
• Currently taking 3 college level classes – attained 2 college course credits sophomore year
RESEARCH</p>

<p>10/05-Current Advanced Placement Psychology Project Effective Solutions for Stress Management of Students
• Conducted Literature review and surveyed 40 students to assess the sources of stress
• Tailored effective solutions for student victims of stress
• Completed a report to senior administration outlining findings and proposing solutions</p>

<p>6/05-8/05 Public Health – Flu Shot Distribution
• Canvassed 125 communities and documented demographic health data
• Generated comprehensive spreadsheet for frequency analysis
SERVICE</p>

<p>7/05-Current Apna Ghar (Our Home): Women’s Domestic Violence Center, Chicago, IL
• Mobilized supporters in Step Out to Stop Abuse walk to create domestic violence awareness
• Counseled battered women in an effort to enhance their dignity and self-respect
• Underwent rigorous 40 hour training session and became state mandated reporter</p>

<p>7/04-Current Hospital Volunteering Park Ridge, IL
• Gained familiarity with lab environment and received hands-on experience with patients
• Rotated through various specialties and facilitated communication between labs and patients
• Expanded on past experience with over 50 hours of patient interaction and lab activities</p>

<p>6/03-Current Faith Based Volunteer, Rolling Meadows, IL
• Assisted in contacting 500+ donors to successfully raise 500,000 dollars
• Consolidated a list of past donors and orchestrated an operation thanking them
• Streamlined fundraising system and revamped outdated communication techniques
CLUBS</p>

<p>6/05 - Current Model United Nations, Mt. Prospect, IL<br>
• Founded school Chapter and successfully catered to the needs of a diverse student body
• Responsible for registering 30 students for world-famous University of Chicago conference
• Presided over club and communicated with Universities sponsoring conferences across the nation</p>

<p>7/05-Current Science Olympiad, Mt. Prospect, IL
• Contributing member of varsity team and initiated various team-building activities
• Honed ability to perform under pressure by utilizing critical thinking skills</p>

<p>7/05-Current Junior Leader, Mt. Prospect, IL
• Nominated by teachers to solve school related problems and to implement solutions
• Coordinated barbeque and other social events with The Mooring Retirement Home
• Delegated $10,000 from funds to an alumni who was paralyzed in a tragic accident
SPORTS</p>

<p>6/02-current Volleyball, Mt. Prospect, IL
• Led team to 42 career wins vs. 3 losses at Junior Varsity level
• 1st Place at Knights Invite Tournament consisting of over 15 teams</p>

<p>6/02 - 10/05 Football, Mt. Prospect, IL
• Led team to 27 career wins vs. 4 losses at Varsity Level
• Completed three month Navy Seal Conditioning Program
• Learned to cope with asthma in order to compete at a level above teammates
Quit two months ago do to personal reasons....team went on to win state championship</p>

<p>HONORS & AWARDS</p>

<p>• Achieved Honor Roll for four consecutive semesters
• Received Little Engine That Could Football Award to exemplify bravery, honor, and integrity
• One of few Debate team members to win Speaking Award at first competition
• Chosen to represent events in Science Olympiad that have a legacy of success
• Winner of Civil Service Award and Literature Award</p>