I have a 3.7 gpa and a 36 act score.
Which selective schools would weigh my ACT more?
How do you define “selective”?
What “selective” schools are you interested in?
Look at Section C7 of the Common Data Sets for the schools in which you are interested; the weight give the various academic admissions factors should answer your question for you.
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I’m looking at T20 schools for my Ed
Vandy is the one normally mentioned on this site for their like of high scores. It looks like about 20% of the students have < 3.75 GPA.
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USC (University of Southern California) is another school that has shown a preference for high test score applicants.
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Northwestern
Yale. In this podcast ( The Campus Tour Has Been Cancelled - This American Life ) Yale thinks they can get extra information out of high test scores. But they require applicants to submit all tests ever taken. So they know more about the applicants not through the high scores alone.
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I’m curious, why Northwestern?
Yale does not require applicants to submit all tests ever taken. Obviously TO applicants don’t have to report any scores, and here’s what they say about those who do choose to report scores:
Multiple Tests & Test Dates: Applicants who opt to include scores may choose to report scores from one exam date or multiple exam dates, but they must include a complete set of subscores - e.g. Mathematics and Evidence-Based Reading and Writing for the SAT; English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science for the ACT.
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Just anecdotal- around here kids with very high scores seem to reliably get in. Seems less whimsical admissions than most schools of this level.
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Any public school in Florida - and no, none are top 20 - but I believe they are the only schools left that require the test. At FSU, which is quickly ranking, you will get an OOS waiver with that score.
btw- at Alabama, that score gets you $28K a year (almost 90% of tuition). UAH 90% tuition.
The score will help you more at “lesser” schools than the main schools…in the financial sense. At the main schools, 36s are not frequent but common and a 3.6 won’t help although it depends on your school (is it elite) and your rank as well.
Good luck.
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I understand now, thank you. Whimsical is a great way to describe holistic admissions 
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My school is very rigorous. It is a top 20 college prep high school.
So there was another thread - a student had a 3.4 and thought he was ranked at 40% - and myself and many others would say no shot at Tufts, for example, because 97% or whatever it is are 10%. And even a Rochester, 97% are top 25% and 75% are top 10.
But people pointed out that he goes to a top prep school - and even their mid tier students go to outstanding universities.
In that sense, talk to your guidance counselor. I’m not saying with a 3.6, it’s no impossible.
But a 4.0 unweighted and 4.6 weighted with a 34-36 is dime a dozen - forget the Ivies - but even at a Chicago or Rice or even down to WUSTL and Emory. Obviously things that help are ED and/or full-pay.
Not saying you shouldn’t take your shot - but my belief in general terms the 36 won’t outweigh the GPA. It may help…but it’s not the trigger that pushes you over. But at your very solid flagships - FSU, Az, Bama…to name a few…it’s going to score you a great deal!!
So my daughter’s valedictorian this year had a 4.0, 4.5+ weighted, 36 but I’m guessing not strong on the ECs.
Applied to 16 of the top 20. 0 for 16. Got into NYU full pay and UT Knoxville on scholarship - where she is now.
Don’t forget, all these public schools have strong Honors Colleges - and you have many a “I got into an Ivy” at Bama, U of SC, ASU, Pitt, Florida and the many strong Honors Colleges out there - and with your #s, there’s no guarantee you get into all of those.
Shoot for the moon - but just trying to answer your question.
Good luck - like everyone have targets, reaches, and safeties. And you’ll be fine.
PS - a marketing is advertising. A publication sliced and diced some data and put it out there and people glom onto it. Find the right school for you. Don’t fall into a trap like that. My daughter is going to the 16th ranked of her 17 acceptances - but the right one for her.
Good luck.
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What’s your class rank? If you are at a super competitive HS where your GPA has you in the top 10%, you are competitive.
My D’s friends who had high test scores but sub 3.8 GPAs didn’t fend well with the T20s. (Including NU).
Have your reaches, but be sure you are using the weakest part of your record to find your match and safeties.
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Yale, along with the other colleges (Stanford, Cornell, Harvey Mudd, and maybe CMU) that required submission of all scores, eliminated the requirement about 3 years ago.
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The only major/competitive schools that I’m aware of that still require submission of all test scores (from one testing agency) are Georgetown and CMU. (I’ve confirmed recently with both admissions offices).
There are a few smaller/less discussed ones - the Citadel, Soka U of America, probably others.
I agree with what’s posted above - grades are the #1 admissions criteria and standardized scores are even less important at the most selective schools. The most recent NACAC survey bears this out.
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Georgetown allows applying test optional: “Students who are not able to submit scores from either test due to the COVID-19 pandemic are welcome to apply for admission to the Class of 2026 without the tests.” This is worded differently than the direction for Class of 2025, which said if you were able to test you can’t apply test optional (no score choice). 
CMU allows students to apply test optional, even if they took tests. I believe what you heard from admissions…however nowhere on their website do they say an applicant has to submit all tests if they want to apply with tests: https://www.cmu.edu/admission/admission/standardized-testing
This sentence is particularly curious if they want all tests: “Should students present tests taken two or more years in advance of their first-year experience, we’d take the timing of the test results into consideration.” That makes it sound like there is in fact score choice.
Looking closely at Naviance today, I will say that the kids who were admitted ED to Northwestern had consistently high (5.0+/5.33) gpas. Highest test scores (35,36 ACT) were less consistent for admission. So I would agree they are stats focused, but more so on gpa than scores. That’s my novice interpretation of the data
Stanford is another school that weighs GPA more heavily than test scores, so a valedictorian will likely receive a bigger admission boost than a perfect/near perfect test scorer.
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