<p>BigMDig, I am not a UI admissions expert, but I did quite a bit of analysis this past year to assist my D in her application planning. I believe Iowa would be a reach (assuming Liberal Arts)?..based on the RAI calculator, if your rank were 50%, then I believe your RAI is 250, which is a little on the low side. I believe your ACT score is the key issue. To be a target school, I’d guess you would want to get your ACT closer to 26 or even higher, which to me is a very big jump. If your high school is a highly ranked school, that could help. </p>
<p>I suggest re-taking the ACT, and definitely take the SAT. If you can afford it, I’d very seriously consider hiring a strong and reputable private test tutor and really working hard on practicing ACT/SAT test taking this summer. Then take both tests in the fall. </p>
<p>Hope this helps!</p>