@compmom -
Thank you for the list. S17 has a 28 ACT composite if superscored, which is good for the schools he is interested in. However, his GPA is 3.4, so I think test optional wouldn’t be the best route for him. OTOH, I sent this list to my friend, whose son has a 3.8 but a 22 composite. My son is a better tester but hers is a harder worker.
I agree test optional is not a good idea - his composite is excellent and his math score is above average, which will be in his favor at the schools he’s targeting.
For your friend’s son, use this list: http://www.fairtest.org/sites/default/files/Optional-Schools-in-U.S.News-Top-Tiers.pdf
Outside of a great choice of LACs and medium universities, for a D1/Research university, there’s the Temple Option at Temple, which includes access to merit scholarships and is essay-based rather than test-based.
Thanks again. After all that suffering, it’s not quite believable that he got a 24. My friend’s son is currently in pre-calc and was just invited to join the math honor society. He worked with the same ACT tutor my son did and got a 21. I am so confused about that. This other boy is clearly much stronger in math and a much better math student. How did my son do better? on the same test? I have referred my friend to the list you posted
The essay is not going to be his strong suit. He’s dyslexic and dyscalculic and is resisting my offers to hire a coach to work with him on an essay. At this point, since he seems uninterested in writing essays, he is likely going to end up at our local CC, which has a theater tech program, since it admits on GPA alone. ACT and regents scores are used for placement. Temple is pretty expensive without the merit scholarships. I don’t know that my son would get any.
I have backed off totally and told him that if he decides he wants to go to college, let me know and I will give him whatever advice, assistance, etc that he wants.
36 years ago I passed Algebra 2 by the skin of my teeth, but got a 26 on the math ACT. The reason? Two words: multiple choice. Usually one or two choices could be eliminated immediately. It was easier for me to tell what the answer wasn’t.
The multiple choice effect might be part of it. The tutor spent a lot of time trying to teach him how to weed out obviously wrong answers because teaching him actual math just wasn’t going to stick with his LD. I plan to use the tutor to get him through whatever math he has to take in college. I am not sure what approach the tutor took with my friend’s son . We never did joint tutoring because her son is so much more advanced a math student than mine.
^your friend could ask for a rescore, and/or retake. Could have been a bad day for your friend’s son.
My friend thought about getting a rescore but after discussing the test with the boy and the tutor, they decided it wasn’t worth it. He took the SAT a couple of weeks and they are going to see how he does on that. The math tutor thought ACT was a better choice for my son but that SAT would be better for my friend’s son. He has a 3.8 and is a talented musician on a not as popular instrument so he has other things going for him.
@techmom99 congrats on the 24! Huge improvement really opens up options if he decides he wants to pursue them.