I have a 33 ACT…what are my chances of admission to prestigious universities (ex: Notre Dame, Vanderbilt)? I know the applications are reviewed holistically, but is this considered too low of a score for that “category” of my application, meaning that I would need something outstanding in another section of my application (eg: extracurriculars or essay) to be considered?
Well, it’s 25th percentile for both those schools, so it’s not going to stand out and yes you’d need something else to push your application into contention. People will tell you it’s only hooked candidates that get offers at the 25th percentile, but that’s not always true. So, if you feel the rest of your application is strong, apply.
Your chances at selective colleges are very very small. The acceptance percentages tell you that straight out. Without any hooks or other things that a particular school wants, it’s very difficult to gain admissions.
If your school has Naviance, you can get a better idea of your chances as long as you aren’t looking at a data point of someone who did have a hook. If your school has a lot applications to these schools, you can see where you might be on the data chart.
At my one child’s school, you would be in the edge of where the acceptances start. He had a slightly higher ACT, 4.0 UW, and a bit of a bump in that he had a unusual academic interest. He did get accepted to ND But a classmate with nearly identical numbers , string curriculum did not. Yet another was accepted with a similar academic profile. Sometimes it’s hard to figure out what differentiates the applications. Timing? The essay hitting the AdCom the right way? Key words in LORs?
It’s fine to apply to such schools. That’s why they are called reaches. However, more time should be taken, needs to be taken in picking the likely school. Often called safety, that is the school most kids will end up taking. It’s the school you know will take you, that you know you can afford. Only you can find those schools because the tough part of picking one, is that it’s all up to you. Does that school suit YOU? It’s easy to just pick blindly at a top school list and want to go to any school on it. Sorting through the thousands of far less selective schools is the work that isn’t done enough
Stats are only part of the application. How about ECs?