My school rarely produces ACT scores in the thirties, and offers AP classes but does not encourage AP tests (I’m not even sure what they entail). My school also offers the bare minimum of extra cirriculars outside of athletics, which I am not involved in. Will any of this affect my admissions chances?
If the quality of education at that high school is poor enough that A students there uniformly do poorly on external standardized tests, that may be a bad sign in that graduates will not be well prepared for college.
They probably do not encourage AP tests to avoid revealing the poor quality of the AP courses when all of the A students get 1 scores on the AP tests.
Extracurriculars can also be done outside of school so that shouldn’t be a problem.It is weird hearing that they don’t ‘encourage’ AP tests, though… You should take them anyways and show the colleges your knowledge in those courses
You are evaluated against what is available at your school and how you compare to your peers at the school - that’s what the counselor’s recommendation is for. If your school doesn’t offer much, it won’t be held against you. That said, there is no reason not to take the AP exams on your own if you can. The college credit could save you money. And if your school isn’t academically demanding, you may find yourself at a disadvantage once you get to college and are studying with others whose academic preparation has been more rigorous.
As for ECs, they don’t have to be school-related. In fact, it’s probably to your advantage that you aren’t sucked into the usual, generic ECs that everyone does because everyone else is doing them - editor of the school paper, captain of the math team, member of the NHS, etc… Figure out what you like to do with your free time and then do it with some focus. You’ll get more out of it.
The reasoning behind the lack of AP tests sounds… accurate. I got a 33 on my ACT, but I think I can improve that. Would a higher ACT score counteract the lack of AP scores?
If anything it will work to your advantage. Show that you’re an exception.
I would suggest that you take some AP tests, maybe not at your school but at another high school nearby?
It seems that your school is not very rigorous (like others have said), so you need some external validation for your academic capability in the form of SAT II scores, AP scores, SAT’s etc. more so than other students whose schools are known for being competitive.
If your school has no clubs (if that’s what you mean), then perhaps create one? Like others have said, you can do stuff outside the school environment.
Retake the 33 if you think you can improve, but I think it’s pretty good already. What was the breakdown of your score?
@rdeng2614 my score breakdown was 29 in English, 33 in Reading, 32 in Math, and 36 in Science with a 6 in writing. I am focusing on improving my Writing and English, but I am also bringing a calculator next time so I am hoping for an extra point.
My school has a Key Club and I’m often involved with that and we have a great arts program I am very active in.
I’m registered to take the SAT IIs in October, which is the last date I can take for an Early Decision application. Thank you for your advice.
Yeah definitely retake as the Combined English & Writing score I imagine is not too great but your other sections are great.
If you do well on both standardized tests, then you are in great shape to prove to colleges that you are the exception of your high school.
@rdeng2614 Thank you. The ACT just announced that they’re “enhancing” the writing section and the changes seem to encourage the type of writing I submitted before