Hi everyone. I am a 2nd year foreign exchange students. I just took my first act an got a 30. I want to major in the major in the field science and computer but I haven’t decided yet. What are the best colleges that I can easily get in with my score?
University of Arizona
Your question is not easily answered with any authority, because:
(1) many factors (including but not limited to test scores) can influence college admission decisions;
(2) there is no universal agreement on what is the “best” college, even within a certain selectivity range.
I suggest you try using a college “match” tool such as this one:
https://www.collegeconfidential.com/schools/search
This will allow you to input more information (in addition to scores) to improve your search.
Colleges where your score (30 ACT) is more or less average for enrolled students include:
ACT Avg … School
32 … Case Western
31 … University of Southern California
31 … URochester
31 … Tulane
31 … Kenyon
30 … Brandeis
30 … Whitman
30 … Mt. Holyoke (women only)
30 … Bryn Mawr (women only)
30 … Barnard (women only, part of Columbia University)
30 … Boston University
29 … UCLA
29 … Dickinson
29 … Ohio State
28 … University of Washington
28 … American University
27 … University of Indiana - Bloomington
27 … Penn State
Source: collegedata.com
For 2017: UCLA’s average ACT is now a 32 and for CS it will be higher.
@yellowman123: What are your other qualifications? College Budget? Location? GPA? HS course rigor?
^ Right, the averages sometimes change from year to year.
For convenience I pulled the numbers from the cited source; some of them may already be out-of-date. Nevertheless, I think the above list should give you some idea of the kinds of schools that might be in your high match to realistic reach range (notwithstanding cost constraints).
If you care about rankings …
most of these schools would fall roughly among the USNWR #30 - #50 national universities or #30-#50 national LACs. A few (such as UCLA, USC, and Barnard) would rank in the 20s and might be long shots for you.
For many students, net cost can be at least as big a constraint as admission selectivity.
If you don’t need aid, look at large state universities. (As a foreign student, you might not get aid.) Some states have multiple state universities (Michigan, Michigan State, Michigan Tech). Do some research online to see the state schools with CS majors, which today means most of them. Most states have a “flagship” state university that is harder to get into, and other universities that are easier. Wisconsin Madison is the top school, but Wisconsin Lacrosse and several others schools are good. Univ of Washington is the flagship, but Washington State also has a computer science dept (and is much easier to get into). Are you wanting to return home after college or stay in the US to work? You might want to consider what part of the country you want to be in, and research those states’ schools.
UC Davis, UC Irvine, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, U Washington are all ranked pretty well for CS and the sciences and seem feasible given your 30 ACT. Do remember that other factors like your EC, coursework, GPA, etc. are getting considered too…
You could check out niche.com; they have the majors’ rankings, net price, acceptance rates, etc. and I find it really helpful myself as I’m trying to build my own list right now:)
UC Davis, UC Irvine, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, U Washington are all ranked pretty well for CS and the sciences and seem feasible given your 30 ACT. Do remember that other factors like your EC, coursework, GPA, etc. are getting considered too…
You could check out niche.com; they have the majors’ rankings, net price, acceptance rates, etc. and I find it really helpful myself as I’m trying to build my own list right now:)