Is an ACT score of 33 a liability?

Applying to College
1

About two months ago when I received my test scores for the ACT I had no idea what to think. I had a 33 with a rather unexpected distribution. A 36 in math (this was the only one which was expected), a 33 in Science (totally caught me off guard, I had been consistently getting a 36 on the 8 practice tests), a 32 in English( far exceeded my expectations here was getting 28-30 in this section), a 32 in Reading( whereas I was getting a 34 on this section consistently). Things were fairly quiet for some days because it was not exactly a great score for me neither was a really disappointed by it. Things got interesting when I called up my guidance counselor. She said that 34 was the threshold for most of the schools I was applying to. She was behaving as if I had failed on one of my midterms and imminent rejections waited for me on the other side of the admissions process. She went as far as to say that I would be rejected by 9 of the 12 schools I am applying to. Here is my profile-

ACT 33
SAT subject test - 800 Math 2 800 Physics
AP - 5’s in 2 subjects
Class rank 2 in 186
Predicted external exam year 12 97.5%
Year 10 external exam 96%
Essays and supplements solid
9-12 grades almost all subjects have straight A’s
International Male Student
My ec’s are-
Programming in 3 languages outside school curriculum
Web designing
Internship at Tata associates
Community Service Volunteer at two associations tons of service hours
Ethical Hacking
TIE Young Entrepreneurs program really changed my mindset centred many essays around this
B.R.A.T.S. Robotics course
Chief Secretary of Computer club headed an event that crossed international borders
Technical Head of Literarture club
Public speaking- master of ceremonies in many events
Guitar course
Times of India merit awards
Olympiads and intra school events
Awards for academic excellence

I am from India AP is not offered in my school I just took the exams by reading books without the help of any teacher.

Grades-
English-ICSE NH 96
Mathematics-ICSE NH 100
Social Science-ICSE NH 94
Science-ICSE NH 98
Hindi-ICSE NH 95
Computer Applications-ICSE NH 100

Grade 10-
Social Science ICSE NH 94
English ICSE NH 92
Mathematics ICSE NH 98
Science ICSE NH 94
Computer Applications ICSE NH 98
Hindi NH 92

Grade 11-
Mathematics- ISC NH 98
English- ISC NH 96
Physics-ISC NH 98
Chemistry-ISC NH 95
Computer Science-ISC NH 100

Grade 12 (predicted by school)
English 90
Physics 97
Chemistry 95
Mathematics 98
Computer Science 100

Interviews-
Princeton- meh.
Penn- Really Great the guy loved me.

UCLA, UCB, Georgia Tech, UIUC, Harvey Mudd, NYU, Cornell, Princeton, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia, University of Washington Seattle, MIT, upenn(M&T with SEAS second choice), Stanford.

Do you think she is right?, I have been severely demoralized by her comments especially because of the kind of friendly relationship I have with her. I know she would always want the best for me.

2

A 33 ACT will not kill your chances either, but it is not a score that will help you with admission to some of the very selective colleges you applied to.
Moreover, your counselor was not right to tell you that you’d be rejected by most of the schools you applied to, but she is not wrong in the fact that a lot of the schools you applied to (Upenn, Princeton, MIT, Stanford, etc) are highly selective and there is a slim chance that you will be accepted to one of them, slimmer so because you are an international applicant. However, even with a 33 ACT you look like a strong applicant and I have no doubt you will end up some place great.

3

Yeah for international a 33 gonna hurt son.

4

An ACT of 33 is NOT a liability. If you don’t think the score reflects your true academic situation, it probably won’t hurt to take it again. But there is no reason to feel that you are doomed if you don’t.

When I read the first paragraph of your post and saw your GC’s comment, I assumed that you were taking a typical “Ivies-only” approach to applications. However, when I saw the schools on your list, I was impressed by how well thought-out your school selection appears to be. I think you would be a strong candidate with your current scores at many, if not most, of the schools on your list.

(Caveat: I’m not an admissions counselor, but a mom with lots of experience with kids who have similar stats.)

5

Thanks for the quick responses @EllieMom @theanaconda @neonerudite :slight_smile:

6

An ACT 33 is in the 99 percentile, a very good score, competitive everywhere. For regular decision 5 of the universities on your list have admission rates between 3-7%, this for candidates with scores even higher than yours. Their acceptance criteria go far beyond grades and scores. An additional 4 universities on your list have regular decision acceptance rates that are only slightly better – somewhere around 10%. So indeed chances, for these 9 universities are low not just for you but for everyone. Perhaps your counselor thinks that another point or two on the ACT would have made a huge difference. That’s very doubtful. The less selective universities (NYU, Univ. of Washington, Georgia Tech) on your list are all very good. Acceptance decisions are due out if a few weeks. Best of luck.

7

Thanks @fogcity :slight_smile:

8

Personally, I would take it again if you can since you said you normally score higher in your practices. And I really don’t know if the admissions offices want to see higher scores from internationals or if they give you a ‘break’ because of possible language barriers when taking the test. I wouldn’t have been so harsh, but I think your guidance counselor is right - there is an invisible line between that 33 and 34 (kind of like the 2250 on SAT). You want to
be above the line.

9

Hi! So, it depends on the school. Have you heard of the website CollegeBoard? You can go there, click on college planning, then search for your school. When you’re on your school’s page, click on See if you’re on track, then scroll down to the tab that says how do I stack up. I just did it for you for Princeton. You’re WELL in the range with your score of 33 on your ACT to get into Princeton, as you see the middle 50% of students get in with scores between 31 and 35. Great job! You can find this information for all of your schools. :slight_smile: Now you don’t have to stress about the standardized test anymore, and you can focus on your essay!

10

Schools don’t admit on test scores alone.

11

OP, is international, his ACT score should be over the 75% percentile. Take it again and get a 35-36 if this was your first time.

12

Your ACT scores will not be the sole deciding factor in college admissions. In my opinion, your ACT scores are very good, if not great. MIT’s 25th percentile in the middle 50% score range of admitted students is 33. Your math and science scores are good. Being an international student, you need a great ACT score, not a perfect one. Since this was your first time, I’d recommend taking it again if you can score in the 34-36 range, but I don’t think you have any time left.
Good luck anyway!

13

Thanks everyone!