<p>I am from France and I have recently moved to the United States. I have actually never seriously considered applying to the US before moving here. I came in the summer and took a few prep classes for the ACT — a petty amount of prep since I just arrived here - and took it in September. I got 33, and I’m really happy with this score, but I feel like I can improve, if I practice more. I also got a 12 in the writing ( which I hear is good, but I don’t really know what that implies ). So here are my inquiries : what sort of schools should I be looking at based on my scores ? Should I retake the ACT if i want to go to top schools ( Ivies, Stanford etc…) - or do I even have a chance xD ? And is the writing score important or do colleges dismiss it altogether ? </p>
<p>well… 33 is good, but you still have chances to improve your scores)) writing scores are not really important, 10-12 is good enough. I think you can apply to Cornell, Berkeley, etc. it depends on your major</p>
<p>I’ve never seen anyone personally with a 12 essay score, yet alone an international applicant. Congrats!</p>
<p>Thank you so much. To answer minminmin sorry I can’t spell that pseudonym 
, I was considering schools like Brown, or Georgetown but also Harvard, Yale, Princeton as well as another program a dual Sciences Po-Columbia Program ( because I’m french); I was also considering schools like LSE in the UK ( I want to major in politics, or international relations ). </p>
<p>Brown, Georgetown are OK for your scores, but I’m not sure about Harvard, Yale, etc
are you studying IB or A level? if you want to apply to universities in UK, it is better to study one of these programs</p>
<p>Well I’m in the French system, so I’m not doing APs or IB. And yeah considering I only took the ACT once and that as a French Student I was never really prepared for it, I still think a 33 is good even though I can see why it can hinder my application in schools such as Harvard and Yale. Oh btw I have a 4.0 GPA and I take an OIB ( I think I take the most rigorous course in the French Bac Program so I don’t know if that helps ). </p>
<p>wow, you are really good at studying… if you really want to apply to Harvard, I think it is better to devote your time to writing admission essay</p>
<p>Oh that’s really a nice compliment, I’m very mediocre compared to people I’ve seen on this site though, but I guess I can’t compare myself with American students. I will try to put my heart in my essays, and I believe my recommendations will be good, because I usually show interest in the courses I take and discuss with my teachers .</p>
<p>I recommend you to retake ACT anyway. I think with a little preparation you can get 36)) </p>
<p>Yeah I don’t think so and besides I have so little time to prepare :S . I don’t think a number is that crucial, I’ll try to get 34 but I’m still content with my 33</p>