ACT problems

brownabigal.rose

5-Year Member
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Jul 5, 2014
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9
I attended USAFA Summer Seminar last month and followed with Girl's State. My GPA is at a 3.6 out of 4.0 and 4.3 out of 5.0. I am enrolled in AP classes and get basically all A's. However...I have taken the ACT three times and got a 23,23,24 with a superscored 26 (with no tutoring). With good grades I should have easily gotten a 30, but obviously the contrary happened. I'm starting rigorous ACT training this week and will be taking the ACT another two times. I have the "whole person" that USAFA is looking for, but my ACT is lacking. I'd like to know where my chances still stand considering attending USAFA is a dream of mine, and no SAT is not an option at this point.
 
Maybe you should try taking the SAT. Some students do better on one test or the other. Why is the SAT not an option?? You still have plenty of time to take the SAT and get your scores in on time. USAFA is very competitive, why would you not explore all options up until you have no more time to enter scores? One of my kids (accepted, took it in Oct of the year before they were accepted).
 
Curious of how you got a 26 super score if your last 3 composites were below 26, unless you are saying that 3 parts were 23,23 and 24, but to get a 26 composite you would need a 34 on one of the portions.

Now the chancing issue. Nobody knows because you left a lot of blanks out there. CFA, ECs, state, etc.

Plus one blank regarding your ACT scores is unanswered. What is your English score? The AFA clearly states that anything under a 24 E will be deemed non-competitive. This is also true for AFROTC scholarship. You would most likely not be able to move from applicant to candidate until you have raised those scores.

Take this time and study as much as possible for the Sept. ACT. As much as you may think a 30 is strong, the avg ACT for them is over 31. Same for type 1 scholarships.

Good luck

Kdc, in some more rural areas they offer one or the other for their school district, it might be that the closest school offering the SAT could be a couple of hours away.
 
I got a 26 because I high high marks im math and science but my reading score is what is dragging me down. I got a 25 in english which is also not good. My writing, not that it matters, is a 10/12. I got around 28-30 in my science and math categories but again...my reading and english are remaining low and stagnant.

The 23,23,24 were my composite and the 26 is the superscore of those three tests. And regarding my CFA, i can just about pass every test other than pull ups which I am doing crossfit to practice and strengthen my upper body.

Upon attending summer seminar I talked to a lot of kids with the low ACT problem. I'm not a bad student, just need to study and take the ACT twice more.
 
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If my math is correct to get a 26, and add in your scores you got a 21 in R. You are barely over the deemed competitive for E.

That all being said nobody can chance you because there are too many variables. You need to understand the appointment process. Highest WCS on the slate wins the appointment. On your slate that maybe competitive enough to win, but in a state where the MOCs share the wealth and do not duplicate noms it might not even be high enough to get a nom. regardless of your cgpa.

Now let's also address your cgpa. AFA will ask for a school profile. The scoring points system(7 or 10 grade point scale, .5 or 1.0 for APs). FYI, AFA does not use a 5.0, your cgpa will be reweighted. They will also look at your class rank, the rigor of your school AND the % breakdown of how many kids go Ivy, 4 year private, 4 year public, 2 yr.CC and straight into the workforce,
~ If you are top 25%, but 0% go Ivy, and 20% go either private/public, 55% go 2 year, and 25% go workforce. That is different than if you are ranked the same, but 20% go Ivy, 50% go 4 yr, 25% go 2 yr. It is saying that they don't hand out As like candy on Halloween and the school is top tier,

Again, why nobody in their right mind would address your chances based on only your cgpa and ACT scores. Most long term posters get the nuances of appointments.
 
My school is public yet extremely competitive and is known for our hard academics. No teacher in their right mind would just hand out As. My school has a total of 1,010 student, and I am in the top 20%. Personally I truly don't believe I will have trouble receiving a nomination.

My brother, going into his soph. Year of college, received a senator nom for a service academy AND received a full ride AROTC scholarship for aeronautical engineering. Now this being said, he had a 26 composite ACT and. 3.1 gpa on a 5.0 scale.

I do appreciate your information and knowledge. I am going to focus on getting my ACT up. With practice I do believe it is feasible. I will also try an SAT.
 
I think that the best way to study for the ACT is to truly practice your test taking strategy. The ACT doesn't show how smart you are, it shows how well you can take a test. Last summer I had a 28, and I would take the test again and again thinking that my school experiences would boost my scores. I then began to look at the test and what areas I was lacking in. I bought the real ACT practice guide and began altering my strategy each time I would take a mock exam. Once I found the style I liked, I would spend a lot of time perfecting my approach, and my score jumped to a 34 after taking 4 practices tests.

Focus on your lacking areas and try to take the practices exams to perfect your strategy. Don't worry about reading any of their helpful tips, etc--find out what is the best strategy for you. I would also advise taking the SAT, as I found that studying for that exam made me realize how much easier the ACT was in comparison.

Also, learn learn learn to speed read. Don't try to absorb the information on the reading section, just focus on getting through each article quickly while maintaining a decent understanding of the article.

If you attended Summer Seminar (Session A: Go B6!) then you have the academic ability to succeed, but you don't want your ACT scores to hurt your application.

Most important, don't stress about taking the test. Take 6 deep breaths before you go to the exam and realize that this test doesn't define you.


Best of luck in your studies and I hope to join you in the class of 2019
 
Haha yes I did attend summer seminar session A. Go A3!! Thanks for the advice. I truly do believe I can raise my ACT score by practice practice practice. When I took my PLAN test it said I was projected a 30. My old ACTs were done with 0 tutoring and 0 practice. I have two more to go, and i'm going to take them very seriously. Thanks again for the advice! Hope to see you in the class of 2019 as well!
 
I did not mean to offend. I was just stating why most people will not chance you because what you have posted so far is very limited.

As for your brother and his AROTC scholarship, my congrats and sincere thank you for wanting to defend this great nation. HOWEVER, AFROTC and AROTC are not even close to being the same when it comes to scholarships. AFROTC does not tie the scholarship to the college. It is tied to the candidate and their major. It is true blue natonal. AFROTC also does not superscore, it is all about best sitting, AROTC superscores. No offense to AROTC a 26 and 3.1 out of 5.0 even as an AE would not get him a type 1, 2 or 7 scholarship. Type 1 is 31, Type 2 is 30 and Type 7 is 29. I know AROTC candidates this year that got a scholarship with a 24. AFROTC won't board at that score.

Either way, the reality is both have @18% selection rate. It is stiff competition.

I get you believe they don't hand out As like candy, but honestly if I had a dollar for every poster every year that said their HS is competitive, I would be able to pay at least 3 months of my mtg. every year.
~ There are thousands of HS in the nation. Is your HS ranked on USNWR, Fortune, Money,or Time magazine? There will be candidates that attend those HSs.

Before you defend your HS realize there will be candidates from Thomas Jefferson HS, Fairfax county VA where the avg SAT is 1350 (best sitting) are placed on the NWL and when it comes to the NWL they will compete against you. Just saying that is how it works when you don't win the MOC nom.

Nothing I am saying here is meant to deter you. It is meant to educate you on how this system works and chancing you by any poster is fool hardy.
~ Any sports on your resume?
~ School leadership?
~ State? VA is different than Idaho when it comes to competition.
~ Top 20%, great how many go Ivy....AFA has a 16% rate equivalent to an Ivy.


What strikes me most is you said the SAT is out of the question. My assumption was you were from a rural area, but a graduating class of 350+ to me is not rural. So why is the SAT out of the question?

I am not trying to be insanely harsh, I am trying to get you to see with only 1300-1350 offered appointments annually that every edge matters.
 
I am from the Chicago suburbs, definitely not rural. I completely understand that yes, USAFA is extremely competitive. I wouldn't be trying to raise my ACT if I didn't already know that. I already have talked to my ACT coach and I was planning on focusing on ACT and not SAT. However I am now planning on taking the SAT as well. I may not attend a "prestigious" high school or have an extremely high percentage of Ivy from my school(Its rated in top 500 in nation). Yet I know I do have credentials. I am not going to spend my time typing why I think I'd be a good candidate. My preliminary question for this forum was to simply inquire information on my ACT. If I do get 30+ composite on the September or October ACT, is it too late to send in my scores for my app. and nominations? That was more of what I was asking.
My brother did get a nomination to USAFA with his credentials. He is extremely smart but just like me, isn't the best test taker.
I appreciate your harsh yet constructive criticism, and I do understand you are trying to be realistic. Yet I am doing my best with what I have at this moment.

and if you were wondering...
Sports: Track and Field 2+ Years, 2+ Half Marathons, Chicago Running Group, Crossfit, etc
Leadership/Work/Clubs: Business Professionals of America, Peer Leadership, Work with special ed children, volunteer 2+ years at local hospital, work/assistance in surgical room, National Student Leadership Conference for Medicine and Health Care, runner up for Girls State Governor, Job for 1 year and counting, Habitat for Humanity, I established my own Wounded Warriors Project, I am also in the process of starting a club at my high school for students with family in the military/veterans.
And I am also working with a someone who recently retired from admissions and has been helping me along the way.
 
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Again, only a fool would chance you even with the what if I get a 30 ACT.

The fact is PAR is 60%, there still is that 40% blank nobody knows about.
~ No EC will ding you very quickly.

Your brother may have had a 26 and a 3.1, but he also might have been the Captain of the Varsity Swim team that won the state championship while also being in JROTC, the class president an maxxing the CFA.

You could get a 36 ACT, be valedictorian, and still not win the appointment because you busted the CFA and had no ECs.

It is called the WCS for a reason.

You have 0% chance of getting an appointment if you don't apply. Our opinion should not deter you at all regarding this issue, nor should give you a sense of relief.

After this statement I am stepping out because it appears I am ruffling your feathers. The will it be too late comment is saying to me you have not researched as much as you should because you would know that the cut off for SAT/ACT is late Feb. You have at least 4 times for both SAT and ACT before it is too late to submit.

Want to know what you should aim for to feel confident? It isn't a 30. It is a 36, and even than not so much if you bust even one part of the CFA. I am assuming you are a girl....abigail rose is an interesting moniker, one that points to a female. Have you started practicing the CFA yet?

Just saying this is a nuance procedure, every single aspect matters. OBTW you did ask chance me.
I have the "whole person" that USAFA is looking for, but my ACT is lacking. I'd like to know where my chances still stand considering attending USAFA is a dream of mine, and no SAT is not an option at this point.

If you are working closely with a retired AFA admissions member why ask here? Your ALO and the admissions person should be the people you listen to because you need to win the MOC nom. and they will know the 9 other people that will be nominated with you. Not us.
 
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Hey, guys! I went to SS Session A as well! Go A6!!!

Question: My school is probably about the worst school ion the history of ever. Its a K12 online school, which my parents put me into because they don't like the type of kids that went to the local public schools. I have a 4.06 GPA and am now 2 out of about 130 in my class (last year it was 1 of 249). Will the AF lower my GPA because my school sucks?

PeterK, I'm glad you posted. First ACT I got a 28, second time was a 30, and those were both w/o studying. Hopefully, if I study I can get maybe a 32 or higher in Sept...?

Best of luck to the t of the 2019 candidates! Hopefully we'll all be accepted!!!
 
My school is public yet extremely competitive and is known for our hard academics.

I have never heard a candidate say otherwise. Everyone thinks their high school is competitive.

My school has a total of 1,010 student, and I am in the top 20%. Personally I truly don't believe I will have trouble receiving a nomination.

I hope you're right, but a candidate from our 'non-competitive' district was in the top 5% with a 33 ACT and did not get a nomination. He was also a CAP Commander and had many volunteer and leadership hours. Also, there are schools where the top 50% to 75% have an average ACT of 32+. That is why the academy adjusts gpa from the class profile.

I encourage you to do your best in everything you can. Find or create leadership opportunities and excel in them. Continue to improve your test scores as others have suggested. Participate in volunteer activities that you enjoy and are worthy of your time. Best wishes.
 
Try the SAT. My son did better on the SAT. He did much better there...he is now in the Class of 2018.:thumb:
 
baileydb -

I was online homeschooled. The classes were hard, but it's not like the school had a ranking system. As far as the AF is concerned, I'm pretty sure it was a wash; they couldn't evaluate it in a meaningful way. Plus, "online school" still sounds pretty sketch. :)
Make sure you nail your classes and the ACT or SAT. Take the hardest classes available. Do they have accredited AP? Honors? Take those. USAFA *might* lower your GPA a bit, but taking hard classes will ensure that none of that is YOUR fault.
 
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