Act scores

Cayden Sparks

5-Year Member
Joined
Jan 13, 2015
Messages
24
My composite Act score is 30, but I got a 25 in the science section....If my unweighted GPA is a 3.86 with 7 AP courses, will the low science score severely effect my WCS? .........I was captain of both varsity track and football as well as group commander of my AFJROTC unit, so I think I'm OK on the extra curricular side. I'm mainly worried about this ACT score.
 
Have you taken the ACT more than once? I'm not sure how much they look at the composite score since they superscore. My DS had a best sitting composite of 30 as well but when you took the best scores from all of his tests it would be a 32. He did have a low reading score (26) but his English and Math scores were high. From what others have posted the Academy weights the Math and English scores heavier.

As long as the Science score is at/above the minimum score they require (I don't know what the minimum is) you are still in the game. Assuming you are a Junior this year there is not much you can do about it now so worrying won't help. I'd imagine if your Science score is too low then you would have a shot at Prep school since your other scores are fine. Keep doing your best and get backup plans in place. If you don't make it this year you can take a year of college and work to improve your scores/package for next year. Best of luck to you...
 
Thank you Rocko....I applied for an AFROTC scholarship, and I have several D2 schools offering me scholarships for football so if I don't get in this year it's not the end of the world.....I will definitely walk on for football if the academy takes me.
 
A couple of things.

1. Please remember how appointments work. Why? Because you will see somebody with a 33 get sent to the pool, while someone with a 29 get an appointment.
~ It is the WCS and charging system.

IOWS, nobody can give you any chance since nobody knows what the nomination slate you are on looks like.

2. AFROTC scholarship does not super score! It is best sitting. It is also national pool from the get go! This is why there are candidates that get an appointment, yet receive the At this time we are unable to....letter from AFROTC.
~ USAFA and HQ AFROTC do not talk. They have no clue when the board meets if you applied to one or both.
~ AFROTC also cares about intended majors. Tech majors will get an edge. I will say from a composite perspective if you look at AFROTC history, if this is best sitting and are Tech major you are probably on the cu of type 2/7. Type 1 best sitting is @ 32. Type 2 if I recall is 30.something. Type 7 is close to 29.

3. Everybody posts their cgpa...it is my pet peeve, but I get it! You are young and new to this system. My question is that your HS cgpa or what is on your portal?
~ USAFA and HQ AFROTC have their own algorithm for cgpa. Our DSs cgpa went up 0.25 on his portal from his transcript. Probably because of the school profile. They used a 7 point scale and his rank was 7%, top 10% went Ivy. IOWS, an A was not easy. On top of that they did an A- (94) was a 3.6. A candidate that was from a 10 point scale would be a 3.6 at 90. For him a 90 equated to a 3.4. An 85 was a 3.2. 78 was 2.8
~~ There are over 2000 HSs in the nation, each with their own grading scale and ability to take APs.
~~~ DSs HS required every student to take standard or honors Bio, Chem or Physics before they could take the AP. There was no option of AP until they completed the first level. My DD and DS2 went to a different HS and that was offered out of the gate. This is why they look at the school profile.


Just saying, that unless posters know your HS and the system, it would be wrong to say you look fine. If your portal say 3.86 I would feel more comfortable than if your HS transcript said 3.86.

Good luck. The AF will be lucky to have you because at 17 you already are understanding that plan B is just as important as plan A.
 
Last edited:
Pima is spot on. The hardest part of asking about your chances, is that no one knows how well your competition is doing. And as for your gpa, that's pretty well useless to anyone here. Obviously, if you say it's a 2.7 then we know you'll have a difficult time getting in. No matter how your school and classes are structured, a 2.7 is pretty low. Same with a 4.0 Gpa. Any way the academy figures it, a 4.0 is still excellent and provides a much better chance.

This is why the academy has to look at the whole person. This is why they want your school's profile. They want to see your ranking and difficulty of schedule. My son's application was a perfect example. His school was one of the few that had the IB program and diploma program. He carried a 4.0 gpa all the way through. But his high school doesn't weight gpa based on the IB program, AP classes, or regular classes. But the school does weight the difference for class standing. This way the 4.0 IB student and the 4.0 standard classes student aren't both ranked #1 in the class. This is why class ranking is also important to the academy.

So as everyone else has stated, if you apply, you have a chance. If you don't apply, then you have a 100% chance of not receiving an appointment. After that, just do your best. Never try or even care about the academy's standards, average, etc. your goal should always to get a 4.0 in every class and a 36 on all act tests. As long as that's your goal and you work hard at it, then no matter how it ends up, you'll be able to say you tried your best. If you're looking for the minimum standards or "what it takes" to get in, then you're simply wasting your time and others. Best of luck.
 
Flieger said it the best...What is the ACT score you want? 36!
 
Thank you Christcorp and Pima for the detailed replies. Also, the GPA that I gave earlier in the thread was from the portal. My school is ranked third in the state, and I rank in the top eight percent in my class. I have and continue to put forth my best effort in all of my classes so now I guess all I can do is wait for March. Again than you for taking the time to reply to my post.
 
Last edited:
I would first change your login. You are giving away more information tag you need in an unsafe manner. Please do yourself a favor and change your login!
 
Back
Top