My D is tired of everyone asking her if she is going to take the ACT again to try for that magical 32. She has taken it twice and gotten a 31 twice.
So - in the spirit of all of these “where did your kid get in” threads…can we add one for 30 to 31 ACT kids? Please add GPA if you don’t mind, but please, no 32s because apparently that’s some sort of magic number that she likely won’t be achieving!
I know there’s a lot more to a kid than a score, but it gives us a bit of a springboard and may help us to consider colleges we might not have before.
My D, now a college senior, scored a 31 the one and only time she took the ACT. I forget her final GPA, though she had an UW 4.0 at the end of her junior year. She did have a B+ in a weighted class the first semester of her senior year.
She is at Tulane, in the honors program and with a significant merit scholarship.
My son had a 29 ACT and about a 1900 SAT on first tries. His second round yielded 31/2060. He got into Tulane (no $$), UCSD,UC Davis, Occidental (met EFC), Whitman ($7500 merit), Pitzer (no $$$), Willamette ($19k), Eckerd ($19k), Guilford ($15k), and New College of FL ($15k).
Niece had 30 ACT. Only applied to California schools.
Accepted: Cal Poly SLO, SDSU, CSUF, CSULB
Yes the ACT is only part of an application and it did help her get into the schools she applied but it did not make up for a less than stellar GPA. She was rejected from Cal Poly Pomona, UCSC, UCD, UCSB and SJSU.
S took ACT once and got a 31. His SAT score was not as good and he did not send. He had a 4.0 UW with the most rigorous curriculum at his high school. He’s a sophomore at Vanderbilt University. He was also accepted to Cal, UCLA, UCD, Cal Poly SLO and Georgia Tech. No merit money from anyone.
That’s impressive that he got into Vanderbilt with a 31. I was always under the impression that they were very score-oriented, regardless of GPA. Did he apply ED or RD?
My S had a 31 and a 3.93 UW GPA. He (unlike GamerGal27’s S) was rejected from USC in the same app cycle, same major I think (I think his essay wasn’t very good and he submitted his SATs, including his not-so-good 610 W; I think writing and the essays are very important to USC). He was admitted to UH-Manoa, UCSC and University of Denver, and is attending DU with merit aid and nice (meets-full-need) FA. He’s very happy there.
My daughter had a 31 but her uwGPA was 3.25 (3.75 wGPA). She was admitted to and received nice merit from Eckerd, New College of Florida, Hendrix, Cornell College (IA), University of Puget Sound, Willamette, UNC-Asheville (teeny tiny merit).
FWIW, my daughter thought I was crazy when I asked if she wanted to retake the ACT for the magical 32. If your daughter’s first and second score were a 31, she may want to try it a third time. My daughter went from 27 (twice) to 31 on her third try.
My D (30 ACT, 3.6 UW/4.0 W) applied to mostly safety and match schools in hopes of merit aid. Her only reach was URichmond where she was waitlisted. Accepted to Rollins, UTampa, Wofford, Sewanee, Centre, Hendrix, Rhodes, Birmingham Southern, Southwestern (TX). Received merit aid at all except Rhodes.
My S is a senior in college. He got a 30 ACT. His unweighted GPA was 3.8, iirc. He was accepted at all 9 schools where he applied. Bates (need based aid only), St. Lawrence (30K/yr merit), Hobart William Smith (27k/yr merit) Allegheny (22k/yr merit) Juniata (20k/yr merit) Ithaca (18k.yr merit) Hartwick (22K/yr merit) U of New Hampshire (15k/yr merit) and SUNY Binghamton (no merit or FA)
He took the ACT 2 times. Spring jr. year and fall sr. year. He went from either a 26 or 28 to 30. His SAT was approx the same as his ACT score (1930, iirc. )
All were either EA or RD. He didn’t apply ED anywhere. He is graduating from Bates next month.
You are right. Vandy has gotten increasingly score oriented and today it would not be the norm to be admitted with a
31 ACT without some type of significant hook/geographic diversity. When D attended special admissions day, much time was spent by the admissions representative and student guide stressing standardized test scores to the point where my 2250 plus daughter did not feel she had a chance.
@brantfly - He applied ED. We knew that his test score was on the edge. The rest of his application was solid. He demonstated a clear passion with his music and how he would contribute to Vanderbilt by being in the marching band. All of his extracuricular were associated with musical groups. He is studying engineering and is not talented enough to be a professional musician, but he is passionate about playing. He loves being at Vanderbilt. It was the right fit for him.
Daughter 31 on ACT 4.6 GPA 19/475 in class (4%). Got into Illinois, Mizzou, Alabama, Mo Science and Tech. Declined Illinois - no merit aid at all, declined Mo Science and Tech- thought it was too small, Had to choose between Alabama and Mizzou and last night chose Mizzou. Ends up with about 13K in merit. Got almost 30k at Bama but wanted to be closer to home…
My D took the ACT twice, scored 31 each time. GPA around 3.9 UW.
Accepted at Pitt (we are in-state; no merit $); Tulane ($27,000/yr merit); Fordham ($19,000/yr merit), Northeastern $15,000/year merit), and U of South Carolina Honors College (reduction from OOS to in-state tuition plus $2,000 add’l merit, so around $20,000/yr merit).
Northeastern superscores the ACT and I think Fordham considers all scores. D’s superscore was 33 which likely helped with those two schools.The other three just look at the highest composite.
Highly recommend applying Early Action where it is available. D had acceptance and merit amounts well before Christmas at all 5 schools. So while she had considered 1 or 2 more schools, she never actually applied because she was already in at her two favorites and knew that they were financially feasible. Also, I suspect that her results, especially re merit at Northeastern and Tulane, were better because of EA.
I am of the mind that the same school can be both a target and a reach, depending on merit and the program you’re interested in. In D’s case, she was sure to be accepted at South Carolina = target. But acceptance into the Honors College = reach. For Tulane and Northeastern, acceptance was likely (definitely not assured), but significant merit money was a reach.
Some other schools to which D did not apply but which seemed to fit her stats were American, Case Western, Alabama, Penn State, Delaware, Boston U, Vermont.
