HawkeyeDude

I got a 29 on my first time. What would be a reach score and what would be a safe score to get in? Thanks.

searchlight22

All I can do is give you the link off the Carleton web site which will show the class of 2012 profile. The bottom graph provides ACT information. It says that 36 percent of the class has an ACT of between 30 and 25.

Carleton College: Admissions: Class of 2012 Profile: Facts & Figures

Hindoo

You're close, Hawkeye. Do you plan to take it again? My daughter, a Carleton sophomore, took the ACT twice, bringing her score up three points the second time.

HawkeyeDude

Yes, I do. I'm pretty sure i could get about a 31 the second time. Would that get me in?

breakfast

I got in with a 30, but it's hard to say what will get you in. The process has a lot of layers to it.

Hindoo

A 31 would certainly put you in the hunt, but as breakfast said, there are many factors. Show a sincere interest, visit, contact your admission's officer, etc. And write a wonderful "Why Carleton" essay. Good luck!

rhowcow

My D got a 32 on the ACT, #2 class rank and 13 AP classes and did not get in. She ended up at Wellesley. We're from MN and I believe she was hurt by the desire for geographic diversity.

Hindoo

My older daughter, also with a 32 on her ACT and an incredibly strong high school record, was wait-listed at Carleton three years ago. She ended up with a very large academic scholarship at College of Wooster, which has recently subsidized a trip to England where she researched her independent study project on medieval religious pilgrimage. ... My younger, a 35 ACT scorer, is a rising junior at Carleton. ... rhowcow--How is your daughter liking Wellesley? My niece, valedictorian of her high school class in California a few years back, is a recent and very happy Wellesley grad.

pohaku

My distinct impression is that for top LACs and Universities, there really isn't any combination of grades and test scores that will guarantee admission. If you peruse the recent "rejected" and "wait listed" threads for these schools, you will see that people with fairly amazing scores and academic records have been rejected and wait listed by some of these schools and then accepted by comparable (or arguably better) schools. My daughter is a junior with scores and an academic record that certainly put her in the hunt for these schools. I've told her to take her best shot, but not to pin all her hopes on any of them. None is really a slam dunk for anyone at this level.

carleton13

I got in with a 32, which I got on my second time taking it. Between tests I practiced the science sections in those practice ACT books and that helped, seeing as I got a 23 on the science the first time giving me a 30 composite.

I_need_advice

I know that someone got into Macalester with a 27 ACT. Carleton is a bit harder to get into, so I would say the absolute minimum score you should have would be a 28. Of course, there will be people who get submitted into Carleton with lower scores, as with any other school.