<p>My last ACT score was a 21 and the highest one was a 22. I don’t think I should retake it after doing it three times because universities start to look at you funny if you take the ACT six times. I tried to prepare it as efficiently as possible including tutoring from my family. I have really bad reading comprehension and slow reading speed. But my parents won’t let me get tested for LD until I’m attending community college or university. The main problem with the ACT is the time and my reading speed. So I doubt I can do this [ACT</a> Services for Students with Disabilities : Center Testing 2](<a href=“http://www.act.org/aap/disab/opt2.html]ACT”>http://www.act.org/aap/disab/opt2.html) senior year.</p>
<p>I’m not all-state athlete, but I have a fair share of extracurricular and some leadership. I’m a member of Key Club and Earth Club. I also participate in mentoring students. I have 100+ community service hours.</p>
<p>I have a 3.6 GPA Unweighted after taking some AP and Honors courses.</p>
<p>I think the ACT is unfair. In my opinion the ACT doesn’t accurately measure what skills you learned in public education or how well you will do in university. I have no source citations.</p>
<p>Will a low score hurt my chances of college admissions? Don’t high GPA’s and challenging courses outweigh a low ACT score? What about extracurricular and letter of recommendations? </p>
<p>Some students are slow test takers (like me). Some students are more creative and don’t fit conformed standards of standardized tests. Why should a number affect my chances of college admissions. I think Cornell judges students on a more well rounded profile versus Harvard system (most public universities) which are based on ACT, SAT, SAT II scores.</p>
<p>Sometimes street smarts is better than book smarts. You don’t have to have a high IQ to score high on the ACT (but many people do or have superior reading comprehension)</p>
<p>Should the SAT and ACT be abolished? By taking standerdized tests, we have to conform more into the working society, just like through volunteerism and part-time jobs. I don’t want to have a become a 60+ hour/week work zombie.</p>
<p>22 ACT score means that I have different talents from what the test-makers wanted.</p>
<p>Your score will limit your viability to some schools, yes. ACT and SAT have some predictive ability for college success. Some colleges expect a level which translates for success in their context. Given your proven abilities (3.6 w/lots of honors classes), I don’t doubt that you’ll succeed at the collegiate level. However, the tippy-top schools are probably unrealistic for you – heck they are unrealistic for most everyone – that’s why they *are *the tippy-top schools.</p>
<p>But I’m sure you’ve developed strategies and a work ethic that will get you far along in life. Best of luck to you.</p>
<p>A combination of factors are used in college admissions. The GPA tells how you did only in the context of your school and your school’s students. The ACT and SAT tell schools how you do in the context of a national group of college bound students. There are many, many schools and universities where you are a viable admit. The system GPA + standardized tests may have flaws, but it is does help to equalize the wide variability of individual school grading patterns. Look at the schools you are interested in to see how you fit in the context of their group of students. Use your personal attributes as you state to paint a picture of you for those colleges and you will be fine. Use your essays to explain why you are who you are separate from your GPA and ACT scores. If you are still concerned you could possibly take the SAT which is structured differently from the ACT. There are anecdotal examples on these forums of kids who have “success” with one over the other, although in the experience of my kids, the SAT and ACT scores were not significantly different.</p>
<p>The ACT/SAT is the only factor that colleges can use to measure you on a NATIONAL level, meaning it’s the only effective way to compare you really well against other applicants. GPA can be easily manipulated by course load, grade inflation, relationship with a teacher, cheating abilities, etc. and participation in EC activities/devotion to them can also be easily exaggerated on the college application with no reprimand, as well.</p>
<p>However, if you are an artsier person, as you mentioned, art schools really do not care about the ACT/SAT. Same goes for music schools, and I also imagine you could get away with a low ACT/SAT for a writing or journalism major, as well, so long as you demonstrate your passion well for the subject.</p>
<p>Still, please take the ACT or SAT again. Calm down, take lots of practice teses, and on test day, go in and think: “Today, I’m just having fun. I can do this again. This score does not matter whatsoever.” Hopefully, you will be able to perform to the best of your ability, and achieve your high score you deserve. Good Luck!</p>
<p>First of all, please tone down the angst. I’m a very good standardized test taker, but my ECs/artistically skills were terrible. But I’m not clamoring for colleges to stop considering ECs. SAT/ACT might not be your strong point, but it’s other people’s. Be considerate. </p>
<p>Second of all, low ACT scores do not mean you have different talent. It means you’re not great at the sort of skills ACT measures (and yes, reading is part of it). Whether or not you have other talents is demonstrated elsewhere.</p>
<p>Third, please don’t overestimate the quality of your extracurricular involvement. My ECs were on the bottom range of what my fellow Cornellians had… and they constituted involvement in several clubs, ~200 hours of community service, tutoring and some other things. Just sayin’.</p>
<p>For our school, kids with a 3.5 and 25 ACT are pretty much always accepted to Michigan State. For UorM it trends higher on the admits…3.7ish and around a 27 ACT or higher. But there are outliers everywhere. I think the average for college bound students in Michigan on the ACT is 21 and there are certainly kids at State with 21 ACTs. Apply to both and see what happens. If you did well on your AP tests that will also strengthen your case. Both schools will be familiar with your high school and be able to evaluate you in a familiar context. Your GC office should also know informally how kids with your profile have faired at both State and UofM.</p>
<p>I’m also in a similar situation where I did not do good on my ACT. I plan to take the ACT or SAT ( I prefer SAT, more time is given etc…). I know I should of at least earn a 25. I think low ACT score will affect you, and should reconsider taking one or the other. Though I’ve only taken the ACT two times so far, you’ve mention six… so maybe you should take the SAT. I also never studied for the ACT, and you could be in the same situation… I found many students who have studied months for the test.</p>
<p>You pick the score date to send to the colleges so unless your high school posts every ACT score on your transcript I’m not sure how the schools would know how many times you took the ACT? That said, there is a point of diminishing return where you won’t eek your score up much higher. For my kids they take PLAN in 10th, the Michigan ACT/junior year ACT in junior year and then S1 and S2 took it one more time and said “enough.” Each time their composite score went up 1 or 2 points just from becoming comfortable with the timing and having abit more math under their belts each time along with understanding the “needs” of the test. That said, both boys had friends who just couldn’t budge their scores. Frankly, if the OP has taken it 3 times the odds of going from leaping 4 or 5 points on othe composite seem slim in my humble opinion.</p>
<p>Shouldn’t I get into Michigan State if I live “in-state”? About 80% of the undergrad are from Michigan. My brother attends University of Michigan and his ACT scores were 23 and 25. I have basically the same credentials including extracurricular, except he had a 3.7 and he took AP Calc and AP Chem (but only scored 2’s)</p>
<p>I thought most college bound students (top 25%ish) or the ideally honor roll (3.2+) students attend Michigan State. </p>
<p>The other less college bound students attend CMU, Northern, Eastern, etc.</p>
<p>My second university is Grand Valley State University to study accounting. But I want to attend MSU if I later decide to study dietetics and exercise physiology instead. What are my chances there?</p>
<p>If I retake the ACT in September it’ll be fourth time and Senior Year. (I have to apply early in August.)</p>
<p>I’m afraid that I won’t get into MSU or any university. MSU is the only in-state university that has a good dietetics program (I already looked at CMU and “the other universities” but I didn’t like their programs)</p>
<p>Well your chances with MSU is near average, though average ACT is higher. Maybe applying early will help if your not in any financial situation, meaning you will need FASA.</p>
<p>Definitely apply to Michigan State. Some of my kids’ friends similar to you were accepted quickly and for a handful they wanted first semester/first trimester grades before they decided, but it’s your GPA is not an issue so definitely apply. Ultimately most of their friends did get accepted to State and our public sends alot of kids to State and UofM each year so both schools are familiar with the high school. I don’t think you’ll have any problems with GVSU. It’s a very up and coming uni and getting increasingly popular, but I can’t imagine you’d have any problems getting accepted. U of M is quirky. I couldn’t even guess your outcome there, but apply if you want, you’ll have nothing to lose and everything to gain if you get in. UofM is difficult for out of state kids and can be wickedly random with in-state kids. Again, your school will have “history” regarding who is admitted, so you can always ask. You certainly WILL get in to one of your schools, so no use wasting stress.</p>
<p>Some excellent Schools ( Notable LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY) don’t require standardized testing, and some schools don’t require standardized testing for students with above a 3.5 GPA (salisbury U)</p>