My math scores...and getting into college *gulp*
Author
First of all, I'm 18 years old. I like math, and am running at least a 3.8 average. But I didn't start really liking and understanding math until I started programming. When I took the ACT, I was coming down with the flu (and as it turns out, crohn's disease), and only recieved a 24 as a final score, with math being the lowest(19) and english being the highest(31).
I know I can do better than that in math, though how much better I don't know. I would like to attend UAT for a degree in game programming. They don't even require the ACT be taken, but it is recommended. I can take the ACT again, but I don't want to if I don't have to.
My question is, do any of you know the likelihood of them looking at a score like that and still letting me in? I am only asking people who would know, aka college students or professors. Thanks, I'm sweating bullets over this!
I am under the impression that your scores can be very important when applying for a bigger college even though they don't reflect intelligent you are for the most part. They are important because they look through a lot of application and you only have a short amount of time to grab their attention. If you are applying for a hard science that requires math then it won't look good. If you are applying for an English major you will still look great. Afterwards, you can switch majors if you want ;-)
I had the same issue as you though. I woke up sick the day of the tests and spend too much concentration on trying to keep my nose from running all over the sheets. I scored a flat 27 on everything I think (been a little while). I wanted to go to a tougher engineering school so I ended up taking it again and scoring much higher.
I would recommend you take the test again if you are worried.
I had the same issue as you though. I woke up sick the day of the tests and spend too much concentration on trying to keep my nose from running all over the sheets. I scored a flat 27 on everything I think (been a little while). I wanted to go to a tougher engineering school so I ended up taking it again and scoring much higher.
I would recommend you take the test again if you are worried.
Its probably getting a bit late to take it again anyway, isn't it? By the time you receive your scores it may be past the deadline. I would encourage you, however, to take it again if you could because quite frankly to get a 31 on one section and then a 19 on another just doesn't seem right. Have you applied yet? If there isn't any free money riding on the score and you feel like you ought to be accepted then it might not matter. It all just depends on what you need the score for. If you feel it is hindering you in some way, for example keeping you out of a certain program or scholarship, just take it again. For me personally, my ACT and SAT scores have been a great source of merit-based scholarship potential.
I personally am neither a college student nor a professor but I will be attending college next year and have been accepted and gone through all the same admissions process as you, so take my advice however you want.
I personally am neither a college student nor a professor but I will be attending college next year and have been accepted and gone through all the same admissions process as you, so take my advice however you want.
I'd recommend retaking it. Even if it's not needed strictly for admission, good scores can open up the way to a lot of nice scholarships and educational opportunities. Also, as bschneid said, it really is bizarre to get a 31 on English and a 19 on math--that's a considerable difference, and I wouldn't be surprised if a large part of it is due to your having the flu.
Of course, if you're sure you can get accepted fine with the scores you have and don't need any scholarships, there's really no need to bother with retaking.
Ultimately, however, you're the only one here who really knows all the details, so you should take the advice you get here very lightly.
Of course, if you're sure you can get accepted fine with the scores you have and don't need any scholarships, there's really no need to bother with retaking.
Ultimately, however, you're the only one here who really knows all the details, so you should take the advice you get here very lightly.
Quote:Original post by Renegader_bj
I can take the ACT again, but I don't want to if I don't have to.
This sounds like a no-brainer: Why wouldn't you retake it? A couple hours of your life in exchange for a better possibility of getting accepted at a school and getting better scholarships? Sounds like an excellent trade-off.
Quote:Original post by Metalstorm
I am under the impression that your scores can be very important when applying for a bigger college even though they don't reflect intelligent you are for the most part. They are important because they look through a lot of application and you only have a short amount of time to grab their attention. If you are applying for a hard science that requires math then it won't look good. If you are applying for an English major you will still look great. Afterwards, you can switch majors if you want ;-)
I had the same issue as you though. I woke up sick the day of the tests and spend too much concentration on trying to keep my nose from running all over the sheets. I scored a flat 27 on everything I think (been a little while). I wanted to go to a tougher engineering school so I ended up taking it again and scoring much higher.
I would recommend you take the test again if you are worried.
Yeah it's just like the job hunting where there's a ton of people competing for limited jobs. They pretty much just toss out any resume without a college degree so they have less applicants to screen.
In your case they probably don't toss them out but they spend alot less time looking at applicants with lower scores/GPA.
And yeah I agree test scores don't necessarily reflect intellegence anymore than someone like George Bush having a college degree but that makes it alot easier for them to weed out applicants like I said above.
I'll give you some reallife classmates from my high school when I graduated:
#1 Classmate in HS scored perfect all SAT's got accepted to any college he wanted so he picked Caltech. Had average GPA. Saw him a couple of years later after he dropped off caltech attending community college.
#2 Had another classmate that had a horrid GPA and nonexistent SAT scores but still got accepted to a UC Berkeley due to his killer essay!
then there is
#3 The classmate you hate because they are obviously smarter than you and have a GPA and SAT scores to prove it and go to Stanford since they have known or their parents have known since they were born that they were going to be a Doctor!
So I guess my point is that scores aren't everything and you might still stand a chance via essay,extra-curricular activities,etc but high scores definitely make it easier on you so you should retake the test like everyone has suggested.
It's not the end of the world althought you might be bummed out for a while but look at the bright sides:
Finally,if you do go to a local community college to get the basics out of the way you'll be saving money and most schools will let you transfer after you've proven yourself with decent grades in the classes for your major. There is even guaranteed transfer admission to certain schools as long as you pass all your core classes with a certain GPA.
[Edited by - daviangel on February 20, 2008 3:11:28 AM]
Author
Thank you all for your sound advice! I was just over in the game dev business forum and there are several topics pertaining to colleges, both specialized and other. It sounds like it is just as good a bet to get a BS in computer science at a local university and develop a portfolio while doing it.
After some discussion with my parents, we agree that this would most likely be my best option, since I would be closer to home and have more options right out of school. I AM retaking the ACT however, and the advice of all you at gamedev has opened up new options for me. Thank you all. :)
After some discussion with my parents, we agree that this would most likely be my best option, since I would be closer to home and have more options right out of school. I AM retaking the ACT however, and the advice of all you at gamedev has opened up new options for me. Thank you all. :)
Truthfully, the college admissions people are only going to look at your ACT or SAT scores if you don't meet their minimum GPA requirements for admission. Well, unless you're applying to a particularly prestigious school but let's face it, MIT isn't going to take you without a 4.0 GPA and pretty much perfect scores anyways.
Any state school should take you regardless of what your GPA or ACT scores are anyways.
Since you're going to a state college, I feel that I should point out that a good GPA at an accredited school with a solid portfolio is going to work in your favor. Also, internships really, really help. I'm kicking myself because I'm absolutely certain that I'd be working in a software company right now if I'd done an internship.
Any state school should take you regardless of what your GPA or ACT scores are anyways.
Since you're going to a state college, I feel that I should point out that a good GPA at an accredited school with a solid portfolio is going to work in your favor. Also, internships really, really help. I'm kicking myself because I'm absolutely certain that I'd be working in a software company right now if I'd done an internship.
Well where are you going to school? If your just going to a state university or a "game" type school, your fine. 3.8GPA is high. Any state CS/Math type degree will pretty much auto accept people anyway. I just read that you want to go to UAT, you should be perfectly fine. again 3.8GPA is high and 24 is pretty good as well. Go apply.
Quote:Original post by savagemonitor
Truthfully, the college admissions people are only going to look at your ACT or SAT scores if you don't meet their minimum GPA requirements for admission.
Source?
Quote:Well where are you going to school? If your just going to a state university or a "game" type school, your fine. 3.8GPA is high. Any state CS/Math type degree will pretty much auto accept people anyway. I just read that you want to go to UAT, you should be perfectly fine. again 3.8GPA is high and 24 is pretty good as well. Go apply.
Perhaps nearly sound advice, but it can still be quite beneficial financially to take the test again.
This topic is closed to new replies.
Advertisement
Popular Topics
Advertisement
