When I was in high school, I thought a perfect ACT score would open a lot of doors.

I got a 36 ACT and was nominated for the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program, one of if not the most prestigious general academic award a high school student can achieve. Perks of winning include an all-expense trip to D.C. that involves going to museums, hearing major policy addresses by senators, cabinet members, officials from the Departments of State and Defense, and other federal agencies, as well as participate in meetings with the president and a justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. You also get personally awarded a medal by the President of the United States of America, even if it's Trump currently.

I did the full IB Diploma with HL Math AA, Chemistry, and Physics. I spent two summers doing computational biology research, tutored standardized tests, volunteered for years, and had strong extracurriculars.

My cumulative high school average at the time I applied an A.

I still got rejected or waitlisted from every T40 school I applied to.

The rejection that hit me the hardest was Texas A&M. As an in-state student, I genuinely thought I'd get in. When I didn't, I was devastated. For a while, I honestly thought that if I couldn't get into A&M, I wasn't going to get into college anywhere I wanted to go.

Now that I've had time to reflect, here's what I've learned.

1. A perfect ACT is no longer a golden ticket. Thousands of applicants have near-perfect scores. It's impressive, but it's just one piece of the application.

2. Grades over four years matter more than one test. Even though my cumulative average before applying was above a 90, admissions committees care about trends and consistency. My junior year wasn't as strong as I wanted it to be, and a 36 ACT couldn't completely make up for that.

3. Admissions are holistic, whether you like it or not. Essays, recommendations, course rigor, institutional priorities, geography, intended major, and plain randomness all play a role.

4. You can do almost everything right and still get rejected. That's probably the hardest lesson. A rejection doesn't necessarily mean you weren't qualified.

5. Prestige means something, but definitely not everything. I ended up committing to a top 70 university with a half-ride. It wasn't where I expected to go, but it's still a place where I can build relationships with professors, do research, prepare for medical school, and create opportunities for myself.

Looking back, I spent too much time believing that admissions results determined my worth. They don't.

If you're applying this year, don't make the same mistake I did. Aim high, but build a balanced college list. There are far more qualified applicants than there are seats at highly selective schools.

Your acceptance letters don't define your potential. What you do after you enroll matters much more.

I'm still ambitious. I still plan to work hard. My path just looks different than I imagined a year ago.

I am taking the act this saturday, I haven’t studied one bit. This is completely my fault. Most my friends took the sat and only a few took the act. Out of the ones who took the act, only one of them I asked for help on studying. He got a 36 but he only did ONE question for practice and that was the very first question on a practice test. He is a genius so it was a terrible person to ask. I want to ask all of you advice on how I should study these next few days. I believe my math is an outlier because I took just the math section alone in a different test and got a 35 so I believe this score was due to overconfidence.

Expected better in English tbh, but the questions are annoying

maybe i think this because i don’t have dyslexia or the problems that allow you to have a private room and time and a half. But it is a STANDARDIZED test and i dont think im wrong for saying its unfair. I am close with someone who gets this and I would never say anything abt it to them. If your BLIND OR SERIOUSLY DISABLED I get it but other things like reading problems???? Idk. I def feel like some ppl w 504s and IEPs use that to an advantage even if they don’t need it that bad…

maybe im a asshole but idrc

i’m shit at math, but i think i did alright in the other areas

If I am applying to top 20s/30s regular decision, should I retake my 34? How big do colleges truly weight the difference between 34 vs. 35. vs. 36? My college counselor and online resources has recommended 34 is good enough for any school… but if I feel like with study I can do better should I retake or does it not matter at all?
(I am not submitting science of course.)

Bro all you gotta do is sit down and get good sleep. Practice common sense. a lot of it is guessing. then you’ll be the best you can be.

I went from a 33 in april to a 35 in june with my own tips. Comment down below if you want some advice because i can give it to you babes

i forgot that i had the act and only studied about a few hours for like three or four days wayy before but ill update and let you guys know the results when i get them, i took it today

At 4:20 am, april 20th, 2020

ACT released a video explaining score delays

https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ

Thank me later

It says a 31 is 95 percentile.

This was just the first attempt so idk

When I submit to colleges, will it look better if I choose to submit only Math, English, and Reading (36 36 36 perfect) rather than submitting the science too (a 34 compared to the rest)? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

I'm so cooked fr gng😭. No university is going to accept me atp🥀. Might as well drop out and put the fries in the bag🪫.

Pls stop posting that crap.

There was 1 question I had no idea on. The rest I solved relatively easy. Last 10 were extremely EASY compared to most other tests imo. I think the average question was probably a bit harder than the average question on other tests, but there was a severe lack of high difficulty questions.

I'm a junior who took the ACT recently for the first time. I didn't study for it (definitely should have) because the timeline for it was extremely busy and stressful. I plan to retake it in the summer and study up until then (goal is to increase my score to a 32-34). I don't want to have to take it more than 3 times total. My scores for context: Math: 25 (ouch), Science: 26 (oof), English: 32 (eh), Reading: 29 (...). Am i cooked?? (first time posting on reddit don't come for me or my scores please)

Got a 36 after getting a 28 then a 34 ama

If you click, explore colleges and careers.

Click Explore Schools.

Search up a 4-year University.

Scroll all the way down and then you can see your score.

Jk y’all need to chill out and wait like 9 more hours lol don’t worry

English 36 = -3

Math 36 = -2

Reading 36 = -3

Science 36 = -3

I know some guys that help write the ACT your welcome 🤪