I took the ACT in September and got a 29. Seeing as how this was not nearly good enough for anywhere I planned on applying, I retook it in December and got a 32. I was happy with this, seeing as how my dream schools (Tufts, Brown, U Penn) all had an average ACT of 32. However, being on College Confidential, I see people saying that a 32 is not high enough for where I want to go.
Is it worth it for me to retake the ACT? I feel like I could never do better than a 32 again, but I’m worried that a 32 vs a 34 will keep me out of where I want to go.
Thank you! All help is appreciated.
A 32 is a great score, but getting a 34 would definitely improve your chances. Ideally, you wouldn’t want your scores to keep you from being accepted.
Your username has “chica” in it, are you latina? If so, that helps you out. But if you are not an URM, a 32 definitely be low. Remember, the “average” scores you see on their websites includes athletes, URMs, legacies, etc.
Brown’s 25th pecentile SAT score, for example, is 30. That allows you some statistical leeway within their pool.
if your latina, that should help you out.
Lol, no, I’m not Latina unfortunately 
I figured that a 32 for a lot of the schools I want to go to made the average 50percent range so I would be set. Will a 32 versus, say, a 34 keep me from getting into somewhere?
It is not “good” for the top 20. A 34 is much more comfortable. But it won’t be a shoe-in.
@dulcechica52 It is much more complicated than that. Having an average score in a school with a 10% acceptance rate is still a long shot. Even one with 20% is a long shot. If you look around you will find kids with a 36 getting rejected.
Lots of other things are important like what you are like as a person, class size, gender balance, whether you visit and interview, essays, special talents, race, geography, intended major.
It is a process of taking intelligent risks.
It is in the acceptable range and is around (or slightly below) the average of applicants. Note that only around 10% of applicants are accepted.
“Low” ivies?
lmao just because you consider them easier than the “higher” ivies doesn’t mean they are significantly worse. 32 vs 34 is a big difference, so if you care that much about getting into an ivy then i guess you should retake the ACT.