Will a good ACT outweigh my average GPA?

Test Preparation
1

I got a 36 on my ACT but have a 3.47/4.5(B+) GPA. Will I have a chance at ivies, high tier universities, etc. How much of a reach is it?

2

The thing with Ivies/high tier universities is that many of the kids who apply have excellent scores and excellent grades, not just one or the other (not that your grades are lacking). I don’t think your GPA will knock you out of the running at most top tier universities if your EC’s, recommendations, etc. are up to par. Those universities are additionally a high reach for everyone who isn’t a celebrity or an Intel winner. Your unweighted GPA is a little low, but depending on the rigor of your school and courses, that doesn’t necessarily knock you out unless there’s some extreme downward trend or multiple unexplained C’s, but then again, anything is possible–Ivy admissions are a crapshoot for 90% of applicants, anyways. TL;DR:I don’t think, with that combination of scores and grades, that any school would automatically knock you out without a second thought, but there are many factors to consider.

3

No. For most colleges GPA is the primary metric use for admission. Some colleges emphasize scores instead (like U of Nebraska http://irp.unl.edu/CDS2012-13.pdf).

4

No. That is hardly an average GPA for Ivies or very good schools. That is more B’s than A’s and many applicants have good ACT scores and 4.0 GPAs

5

If you look into stronger LACs then you might have a slightly better chance IF you have strong ECs as they tend to be more holistic, but I doubt you’d get into most, if any, of the top 25. Top 50, maybe.

6

Sadly, nothing can compensate for GPA.

7

Getting a 36 on the ACT is no easy feat, and is sure to make colleges look twice at your application. What’s the reason behind the poor GPA? If you can successfully justify it in your essays and supplements, your chances of admission drastically increase. Your ACT score indicates that you definitely have a great aptitude for studies. I’d also consider applying to some good Liberal Arts colleges, for some reason, Pitzer springs to mind

8

Are you a URM or do you have a hook?