<p>First of all, congratulations on the high SAT/ACT/GPAs. But, seriously, no offense, who are you? How can you be so smart- I always thought I was- but my ACT is a 28 and my GPA is a 3.43. I'm starting to think that I won't be getting into college if this is what I'm up against. My school doesn't even offer APs, because most of the students end up at a community college or in the workforce. How will I get into colleges?</p>
<p>You can get into colleges - majority of them do accept people other than perfect, 4.0, 36 on the ACT students - which majority of people aren't. A 28 on the ACT is really good. Do you actually think every single person on any given campus has those kinds of stats? Probably not.</p>
<p>LOL
That was my reaction as well. But after a while you realize that it makes sense that there are a few thousand students who are ultra-successful, ultra-driven and heading to ultra-schools. It does seem that most of them (and their parents) are here at CC... But don't dispair. There is hope. My D is around a 3.0, working her rear-end off to get to where you are now and being on this forum has been very beneficial. If you dig deep enough here, you can find great advice, as well as schools that will be perfect for what you want in a college. Just my 2 cents... :)</p>
<p>This site attracts an inordinate number of super overachievers with extremely high GPA's and test scores who suffer many sleepless nights worrying about their chances of getting into highly selective colleges and believe that, if they do not, their life will be meaningless and they will spend eternity regretting what might have been. The vast majority of persons who go to college have not been afflicted with that "super college anxiety syndrome" and hardly bother even looking for sites like these. Your ACT and GPA likely qualifies you for admission to more than 90% of the colleges in the US. For example, being from Alabama, you would likely be an easy admit at Auburn, one of the nicest and better colleges in the South.</p>
<p>Also, APs are overrated. My school doesn't offer any, and students still get into good universities.</p>
<p>I'm not saying not to take any, I'm just saying that not taking any won't totally ruin your future.</p>
<p>My dad/grandparents/uncle went to Auburn, and it is pretty nice- GREAT library. I'll probably apply to it in lieu of UA as a safety...</p>
<p>If by UA you mean University of Alabama, I'd say your chances at getting in are really high. The middle 50 ACT range is 21-27, and check out the GPAs of people who've gotten in:
30% had h.s. GPA of 3.75 and higher
16% had h.s. GPA between 3.5 and 3.74
14% had h.s. GPA between 3.25 and 3.49
14% had h.s. GPA between 3.0 and 3.24
20% had h.s. GPA between 2.5 and 2.99
6% had h.s. GPA between 2.0 and 2.49 </p>
<p>If you wanna see for yourself. Auburn's pretty much got the same average scores and grades and such.</p>
<p>Martha,</p>
<p>If you are looking for schools, if you post your question on the parents forum, they can come up with a great list of schools where you would be a more than viable candidate.</p>
<p>yup, thats what I mean- safety. But, truthfully, I've always had dreams of going out-of-state. Tuscaloosa (where UA is located) is about 35 miles away. I really want to go to U of Washington- Seattle. I'm retaking the ACT. My English and Reading scores are high (32 and 35 respectively) but I think if I can up my science and math (22 and 24) I'll have better chances. My GPA needs help, though. I'm starting to really buckle down. Skating through high school was good enough for me until I realized how much I've been hurting myself.</p>
<p>You sound like me- I had a 27 on the ACT with 30's in reading and english but i think a 19 in math and a 20 something in science... i retook it and got a 30 :D Good luck!</p>
<p>You'd be a good candidate for Washington, Martha. An excellent school with a beautiful campus. A great city, too. 23% of their incoming freshmen are from out of state. </p>
<p>ACT Composite 23-28
ACT English 23-28
ACT Math 22-29</p>
<pre><code> Composite English Math
</code></pre>
<p>30-36 17.00% 17.00% 18.00%
24-29 55.00% 46.00% 53.00%
18-23 25.00% 30.00% 25.00%
12-17 3.00% 6.00% 4.00%</p>
<p>Percent who had GPA of 3.75 and higher: 51.30%
Percent who had GPA between 3.50 and 3.74: 29.10%
Percent who had GPA between 3.25 and 3.49: 12.83%
Percent who had GPA between 3.00 and 3.24: 5.10%</p>
<p>thanks! I'm taking it next month-- I'm also taking the SAT in May. How does it compare? I had a 191 on PSAT.</p>
<p>Again, you're in their range.</p>
<p>SAT Verbal 530-650
SAT Math 570-670</p>
<p>Verbal/Math
700-800 11.00% 18.00%
600-699 37.00% 45.00%
500-599 37.00% 30.00%</p>
<p>yay! I feel a lot better now. Yeah, Seattle is a great city.</p>
<p>Just don't go reading the Ivies boards. :) They really make me feel dumb!</p>
<p>What do you mean by "you people?"</p>
<p>I wouldn't stress too much.</p>
<p>You can definitely raise that science ACT with study and practice tests. My daughter went up by 7 points in the science just by getting herself familiar with the test, taking sample tests, and a couple of hours of tutoring to teach her some test-taking strategies for that section. Good luck!</p>
<p>U Wash-Seattle is a very tough school for out-of-state. The Fiske guide says that "Part of the reason for UW's national anonymity is the fact that it turns away large numbers of out-of-state applicants, preferring to keep its focus on the home folks. Ninety percent of undergraduates are state residents." Princeton Review's Best Colleges says that OOS is 15%. State schools are often required by the state legislature to take 70% in-state. This makes it much harder for OOS applicants at colleges like UNC-Chapel Hill, UVA, Michigan and Wisconsin; but 85-90% is very high. However, the school is not numbers driven for admissions. They do a through review of a person's EC's and essays. You should demonstrate interest in the college in your essay and so forth.</p>
<p>There are about 3400 four-year colleges in the US and 1.2 million high school students. The competition at the top 12 or 18 colleges is totally insane. Brand-name consciousness drives the process. Because of this, alot on CC is on that subject. The basic rules for applying to selective colleges are the same, but at the super-elite colleges, it goes nuts and there are 4 or 5 super qualified applicants for every little niche they have available. The acceptance rate at Harvard is 40% for applicants with SAT's of 1600/1600, but at the same time, they seek out other people with SAT's in the 1200's because of diversity. For people accepted to Harvard, one out of every four people in the student body got an SAT score above 1580/1600.</p>
<p>Once you get out of the top 15 or 18 colleges, things get much more reasonable. You certainly won't have any trouble getting into college. I'm assuming you are a junior. I would recommend that you get the Princeton Review "The Best 361 Colleges" or something like that and look thru it. Good Luck.</p>
<p>Don't worry about it. Many of the people here are extremely driven and gifted, hence better grades/scores. Colleges really do look at the whole package though. I got into an Ivy ED with stats very, very low compared to others I've seen. (Even though I think I'm kinda smart)</p>
<p>Also remember NOT to compare yourself to others on this board. For one thing, quite a few people exaggerate their 'intelligence' just to match themselves to other CCers, or to freak out them out. I've learned not to pay attention to anyone else's stats, since that only gets you so far in the college admissions process anyway. Colleges look at more than just your GPA and test scores, so don't freak out. ;)</p>