Representative Question

S

Serve.USA

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My school recently had a college day and the CGA came to show off what they had. Let me just say I am very interested and this is the only school I plan on applying to.

I asked the recruiter/representative of CGA this question, "which sections of the ACT are most important in the application process?"
~The reason I asked this is because I have been told by other persons that the ONLY sections the CGA looks at is Math and English.
He said, "All sections of the ACT are equally used when evaluating a candidate."
He later said that he does not usually represent the USCGA at events like this, and that he was just a fill in. This makes me question his credibility.

So my real question is is this true? I have a 33 math and a 26 english which I believe makes me competitive, but my reading is only a 22. This is what worries me. I feel like I can get in unless they weigh the reading with all the others.

~I am very distraught because of this dilemma that has arose. Someone with credibility/ someone with admission background please tell me if the reading score is viewed to this extent...

Thanks so much!!

Serve
 
I don't have the credibility that you are asking for so I won't answer your question other than to say, you should retake the test, but I'm struggling with your "this is the only school I plan on applying to" comment. The USCGA only takes 300 students a year. What if you don't get in? There's a whole lot more that goes into the process besides ACT scores and even if they do weigh math and english more, your 26 is on the low end and the 22 is not great...and will be seen by admissions.
 
navymomwannabe said:
I don't have the credibility that you are asking for so I won't answer your question other than to say, you should retake the test, but I'm struggling with your "this is the only school I plan on applying to" comment. The USCGA only takes 300 students a year. What if you don't get in? There's a whole lot more that goes into the process besides ACT scores and even if they do weigh math and english more, your 26 is on the low end and the 22 is not great...and will be seen by admissions.
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I agree but my call to serve this country is greater than a desire to go to a civilian college. If I do not go to this academy I will be joining the military directly out of high school.
And also I have taken the ACT one more time, about 2 weeks ago, but have yet to receive my scores.
 
Please apply to more than just the CGA. You said above that it was the only school you plan on applying to. Apply for other academies, state schools, and prep schools. The CGA is a tough school to get into and you want to have options if it falls through.
 
Cgacadet said:
Please apply to more than just the CGA. You said above that it was the only school you plan on applying to. Apply for other academies, state schools, and prep schools. The CGA is a tough school to get into and you want to have options if it falls through.
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Yes I completely understand but I do not have any desire other than coast guard. So its either CGA or enlist in the Coast Guard.
 
I would strongly suggest a prep school like Marion. That really helped me getting in the Academy.
 
Serve.USA said:
Cgacadet said:
Please apply to more than just the CGA. You said above that it was the only school you plan on applying to. Apply for other academies, state schools, and prep schools. The CGA is a tough school to get into and you want to have options if it falls through.
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Yes I completely understand but I do not have any desire other than coast guard. So its either CGA or enlist in the Coast Guard.
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I certainly can relate to your desire to serve in the USCG, but there are other options that are available to pursue a career in the Coast Guard beyond just CGA or enlisting. As Physicsguru posted above, you can receive a commission through OCS which requires a Bachelor's degree, MARGRAD which requires graduating from a maritime academy, or DCSS which requires 2 years of ROTC. Additionally, you could always reapply to USCGA after doing a year or two at another university.

If after receiving college admission results you decide you would rather enlist, I can respect and support that decision. However, to limit your options now when you still have just under a year to decide (I am assuming you just finished your junior year of high school) by not applying to any other college seems a bit unwise.
 
Well said PuPnsuds. There are other avenues, they are worth exploring before shutting off an option.
 
PupNSuds said:
Serve.USA said:
Cgacadet said:
Please apply to more than just the CGA. You said above that it was the only school you plan on applying to. Apply for other academies, state schools, and prep schools. The CGA is a tough school to get into and you want to have options if it falls through.
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Yes I completely understand but I do not have any desire other than coast guard. So its either CGA or enlist in the Coast Guard.
Click to expand...

I certainly can relate to your desire to serve in the USCG, but there are other options that are available to pursue a career in the Coast Guard beyond just CGA or enlisting. As Physicsguru posted above, you can receive a commission through OCS which requires a Bachelor's degree, MARGRAD which requires graduating from a maritime academy, or DCSS which requires 2 years of ROTC. Additionally, you could always reapply to USCGA after doing a year or two at another university.

If after receiving college admission results you decide you would rather enlist, I can respect and support that decision. However, to limit your options now when you still have just under a year to decide (I am assuming you just finished your junior year of high school) by not applying to any other college seems a bit unwise.
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Alright... Everyone please disregard my other interests other than the CGA. Back to the question:
Does anyone know what ACT sections are used, as one representative of the CGA told me all sections are used when I thought only english and math are used?

Maybe someone from admissions has the correct answer???
 
Here's my take: Individual scores for English and Math are looked at. However, I suspect that the composite score is also looked at. That means if you have an exceptionally low score in one of the categories, the composite will be affected.

If USCGA is like the other SAs, then they superscore. My DD took the ACT several times.
 
USAFA83GradWife said:
Here's my take: Individual scores for English and Math are looked at. However, I suspect that the composite score is also looked at. That means if you have an exceptionally low score in one of the categories, the composite will be affected.

If USCGA is like the other SAs, then they superscore. My DD took the ACT several times.
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That is what i have thought as well.
My composite is 28 even with the 22 in reading so I dont feel like it will be that big of a deal considering the 33 in math.
 
I wouldn't bet on that so much. The Math score was great and well above average, that will help. A 22 is not great. I would highly recommend you retake it. Your best bet is to call admissions directly and ask these questions. A 22 might be below qualification standards if they look at all sections. Most SAs only care about Math and English, so it might not be an issue. Plus it can't hurt to bring that composite up. A 28 composite is good, but it is probably right at average. Even increasing to a 24 or 25 would help out a lot. I would highly recommend you look at some class profiles and see how you stack up against some recent classes. This is why it's best to hear the answer directly from admissions to eliminate any rumors and conjecture.
 
NavyHoops has a very good point. A 22 may be a red flag. Only admissions knows what admissions is looking for.

Have you considered taking the SAT. Some people do better on that test.
 
NavyHoops said:
I wouldn't bet on that so much. The Math score was great and well above average, that will help. A 22 is not great. I would highly recommend you retake it. Your best bet is to call admissions directly and ask these questions. A 22 might be below qualification standards if they look at all sections. Most SAs only care about Math and English, so it might not be an issue. Plus it can't hurt to bring that composite up. A 28 composite is good, but it is probably right at average. Even increasing to a 24 or 25 would help out a lot. I would highly recommend you look at some class profiles and see how you stack up against some recent classes. This is why it's best to hear the answer directly from admissions to eliminate any rumors and conjecture.
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I never thought to call admissions directly but certainly will. I appreciate your advice
 
Nevermind everybody. My act scores came in today and I got a 27 on the reading. Thats a 5 point increase!!!
 
Congrats. That is great news. I think that will definitely help things out.
 
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