Recently posted ACT scores bring both worry and joy

Written by Administrator

Friday, 30 April 2010 20:13

By Preston Wells Hugo High School Co-Editor ACT scores have been posted online and numerous high school students have begun conversations with one another concerning their scores. Some sophomores brag about their high score and how it was their first test. Juniors gripe about how they can’t raise their score and seniors worry if their score is going to be high enough. Not many people know that all universities and colleges have different requirements. Testing scores, grade point average and class rank are just a few things that can get you into some colleges. The University of Oklahoma will automatically accept a resident student if they have at least a 3.00 grade point average and rank in the top 25% in their graduating class. However, most people don’t know that you can also get in with an ACT score of at least 24 and a GPA of at least 3.00 or rank in the top 50% of your graduating class. Oklahoma State University will automatically accept students along similar guidelines. If a student has a 24 ACT score, a 3.00 GPA and ranks in the top 33.3% of their graduating class, or a 3.00 GPA and 21 ACT score. Although most state schools require students applying to have certain test scores, private universities can be very different. For example, did you know that Harvard University doesn’t require a certain score on any type of test or a certain GPA? I bet it’d surprise you even more to know that in order for a student to apply for the Honors College at the University of Oklahoma they must have a 30 on their ACT, whereas this year a Hugo High School graduate attended Yale University with a score of 28 on her ACT. Yale, for example, looks for all-around students — ones who have done numerous amounts of community service, participated in extracurricular activities and have done well in the classroom. Even though private universities may not set a specific score a student must have on their ACT or SAT, it helps a lot to have a high score. When applying to any school, private or public, students need to go to that school’s Web site and find the requirements — some schools may not even require certain tests. High school students worry too much about their ACT scores. They feel that if they don’t make high enough they won’t get into college. Students need to know that many different elements affect whether they are accepted into a college. Extracurricular activities, community service and work experience all make a college application look polished, so don’t stress yourself too much about the ACT.