Will excelling in a certain subject area cause admissions officers to overlook lower scores/grades?

I’m pretty far from a well rounded applicant in terms of test scores. I received a 35 and 34 in ACT English and Reading, and a 23 and 24 in science/math (yikes). I also received a B in AP physics both semesters a will probably get a 2 on the exam (probably going to cancel the score or just not report it). However, I’m pretty accomplished in the humanities field. I’m published by Oxford, Cambridge, Columbia, Yale, and Georgetown and received full summer research/study scholarships from Princeton, Columbia, and Stanford.

I apologize for turning this into a bit of a “chance me” thread. I know there’s really no cut-off when it comes to test scores in holistic admissions, but would this keep me from being accepted at Harvard – or Ivies in general? Thank you, hope you all have a good day!

What is your ACT score? What are your grades and subject test scores? It seems like you’re an accomplished student in the humanities but you need at least a 33+ and a 3.9 UW

@doorrealthe my composite is 29 and I believe my GPA is around 3.9 as that was the only B I ever received

The 29 is a low score for Ivies. I suggest retaking it this summer and try bumping that up a few points to a 33.

Not only is a 29 ACT below Harvard’s 25th percentile, it’s out of sync with your GPA – which is a red flag for any selective college.

Ordinarily, a student with a 3.9 GPA scores higher on a standardized test score. Which begs the question: What happened? Did you have a bad day when you took the ACT? Does your high school have grade inflation? Did you screw up on the science and/or math section(s) only to see your composite score plummet? Is English not your first language? Do you have a disability and receive extra time when you take school tests, but did not receive the same extra time with the ACT? Is the ACT a better predictor of where you stand in relation to your academic potential? Or, is your GPA a better indicator of your academic potential? The 29 ACT seriously leaves many questions unanswered. Ditto with the 2 on the AP Physics exam.

If at all possible, I would retake the ACT or try the SAT with the understanding that most students admitted to an ivy league school with a 29 ACT have something extraordinary in their file. For example, they are an underrepresented minority, a recruited football, hockey or basketball player, a legacy of a huge money donor etc. If that doesn’t sound like you, then IMHO your chances at any ivy league school are slim to none (sorry).

See: Harvard Common Data Set C9 Data points: https://oir.harvard.edu/files/huoir/files/harvard_cds_2014-15.pdf

@floraha It looks like science is your worst score. Try the SAT where you avoid the science part. You need to bring up your math.

To an extent, they will honor strength in an area when other areas are weak, yes, but you might try to get the math up and try the SAT.

Are you familiar with Howard Gardner’s theories on multiple intelligences? Well the admissions director once wrote that it was appropriate that admissions was next to Gardner’s office. He went on to say that Harvard recognizes that people have strengths and weaknesses and don’t expect every student to have strengths in all areas.

But get that score up some- doesn’t have to be perfect, just meet the benchmark. Your accomplishments in humanities are interesting and will interest admissions at many schools.

Just adding my voice to the chorus, to some extent: There’s no question that real skill and accomplishment in one field will make up for deficiencies in others, but a composite 29 when your English and Reading scores were 35 and 34 is a very heavy burden for your writing to carry. You would do well to lighten it, if you can.

I am very suspicious of your “published by” list. What are you talking about? I bet you are legitimately accomplished, but you actually devalue your accomplishments if you puff them up too much when you describe them. Get comfortable with being more accurate, and you will shine brighter.

Also – whatever you do, you need to focus on colleges other than Harvard. Harvard is far from the be-all and end-all, in the humanities and elsewhere, and your legitimate accomplishments (whatever they are) will carry you a lot farther almost anywhere besides Harvard and a handful of its peers.

@gibby thank you for your reply, I’ve been studying math and science extensively and hope to raise my score by the June ACT. @compmom Thank you for familiarizing me with Gardner’s work! You are right–I definitely have to step up my game for those ACT sections. @JHS I am an analytical human rights journalist; my pieces blend narrative with political philosophy and current events. The universities I described have in fact published my work, and I will be sure to accurately state the name of each of those publications on my app. I was vague for the sake of staying anonymous . I apologize if I came off boastful. On another note, I am the first generation to graduate from high school and come from a rather underfunded public school. I do hope the adcoms take this into consideration. Once again, thank you for all the insight!

@floraha: Practice each section of the ACT with an egg-timer set to 5 minutes less than the allotted time, as the ACT is all about good time management skills. Your goal is to get your mind to process information faster. At first, your scores will decline given the new time constraints, but with practice you will be able to complete each practice section accurately and with time to spare. Then, when you retake the actual test, you will have plenty of time to double-check your answers. Best of luck to you!

The science section is the easiest section to bring your score up significantly because it’s not actually testing your knowledge of science, It tests your ability to interpret charts, graphs and tables which you can easily master with practice after you realize this fact. I would argue that you don’t even need to read the passages to score highly. You might want to use the ACT Prep Black Book by Mike Barrett along with the Real ACT book. I was able to get a perfect score with these two books. Good luck! You sound like a very interesting candidate but your current ACT score does make things more challenging.