I got a 29 on the ACT, and my school does not calculate GPA and does not do class ranking.
I got in EA last week:
- 29 composites on both my ACTs but they translated into a superscore of 30
- 33/469 (top 7%) with a 104.85 weighted gpa (roughly 3.8 unweighted i think? idk my school doesn't tell us our unweighted)
- 9 APs and several dual credit math classes
- strong ECs with leadership positions
I think a large factor for my acceptance were my essays. I incorporated a lot of how my life events translated into what I would want to major in. With any college, and especially Reed, admission counselors look for passion in students and how that translated in their high school careers. In essence, i’m majoring in neuroscience, and so through my application Reed could see that I’ve been dedicated to psychology and chemistry throughout my high school career ( 3 years of chemistry classes including AP and organic, AP psych which I got my high schools academic award for as well as a 5 on the test), I started a psychology club, did a podcast interview on the mental health crisis in my town, etc. I also incorporated psychology into both of my essays.
tldr; though stats are important for a competitive college like Reed, your application will shine above others in holistic review if you show your true passions.
Hope this helps and good luck to everyone still waiting 