Howdy all!

I don't frequent this forum much so forgive my ignorance. This isn't so much about A&M admission, fwiw.

My son is a junior and scored a 33 on his first pass of the ACT. I've seen programs out there that 'guarantee' (or take again or your money back, etc) a 34+, but I'm trying to wrap my head around a pretty substantial cost for admission to a more prestigious school (I don't want to open a can of worms there...).

HIs grades are very good (but not great). We are in Texas and he will be borderline top 10%.

tia...

I would think the test prep class would help improve your son's score. They helped mine improve his score, because it teaches how to answer the questions they are really asking and how to avoid being tricked. Your son probably only needs a few questions changed to put him at a 35/36.

That said, I don't know how much difference a 33 vs 36 makes in college admissions or scholarships.

At that level, don't waste your time with a test prep class but instead focus on private coaching to drill down for those last couple of points.

I wouldn't do a generic class as he will likely be bored by most of it. Agree with doubleb that he needs focus on a few areas to improve.

That said going from a 33 to a 35 isn't going to do much depending on the school. I'd focus more on extra curriculars, a Summer job that's actually relevant to what he wants to study or some other project of relevance, etc. Schools want a story you can tell and have a cohesive and balanced profile in terms of few weak points to go with a theme that shows an affinity towards a major.

A lot of the stories for instance of the kid with the 1500 SAT and 4.0 GPA not getting in somewhere are because they just assumed with those grades that was all they needed. Lot of smart kids out there so you need to separate yourself with activities and story that shows why you are special. If you don't have anything beyond the typical ECs and write some boring essays that say nothing interesting you will likely end up disappointed.

Think of it like this. Say a school values an ACT but it's 25% of the evaluation. A 33 (unless it is a very elite school) basically gets you 22 or 23% of that metric so trying to get that extra little bit only matters so much. If your essay counts say 10-20% it's a LOT easier to improve that. Same with relevant EC's or a Summer job. If he wants to be an Engineer for instance try and get a job working with his hands and building or crafting things. If he wants to be a Comp Sci major he should be learning languages and creating programs, preferably for a business or an app. If he wants to be Pre Med go volunteer at a hospital or clinic. If he wants to be a business major try and do something entrepreneurial or get a job working in an office.

He's unlikely to not get accepted because he got a 33 instead of a 34/5. If he doesn't have the other stuff though that's a much bigger gap. Lots of great content out there on Youtube with advice or you can also reach out to a counselor like doubleb, he has been very helpful with my son.

Scholarship-wise, dig around the web to see what the differences are between scores at schools of interest. For example, some, like Auburn, have pages like this: https://www.auburn.edu/scholarship/undergraduate/competitive-merit.php

I know at some SEC schools, score matters for scholarships that are auto-awarded based on GPA and/or ACT.

With that said, Mississippi State caps out at 33+, meaning that's the highest auto-award scholarship. My son got a 32, and he took the test one more time to try and increase his score and did not. The year before a 32 would have been high enough to get him the max scholarship.

I believe Auburn and Alabama have a similar scale (he was accepted to and received a scholarship at Auburn). More elite schools (like GA Tech), I don't know how much it matters, but I also don't think they have auto-award scholarships for out of state students.

My anecdotal observation is it's a lot easier to get a 34+ than it was "back in my day". If you really want to increase his chances for improvement, look at the subject that has the lowest score and focus on studying for that. There is an "art" to taking a test that can help you grab those couple of extra points.

Where the higher score may make a kid more competitive is with the competitive scholarships that are only given to a limited number of students.

I will say the general trend I noticed with my son is it's VERY hard to get scholarships for housing. On-campus room and board costs on many campuses now exceed tuition. His auto-award scholarship pretty much covers tuition, but we are paying for the dorm and meal plan OOP.

His roommate has a scholarship that does cover on-campus housing, but that locks him in to living on-campus - and there is a housing shortage. So he's in a lottery to see if he even gets a spot next year. I'm not sure what happens if there isn't space to live on campus. It used to be scholarships were flexible, and any "extra" money the school didn't take (for example, for housing), students would get back in the form of a refund check (that they could then use to pay rent off-campus). The days of that are long gone.

thank you all.

Hincemm said:

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thank you all.

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Where are you located? If you're not interested in virtual instruction, I can recommend some reputable tutors.

Also, there is a big difference between someone who "dabbles" in test prep and a test prep professional like myself. Test prep professionals have networks like any industry and are up to date on all the nuances of the tests and how to effectively coach students.

If you think you could stomach hearing your kid coming home and saying, "Roll Tide", Alabama offers a Presidential Elite scholarship which is essentially a full ride with stipend. Offered to National Merit Finalists with a perfect ACT or SAT, plus some GPA requirement which I cannot recall off the top of my head.

double b said:

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Hincemm said:

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thank you all.

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Where are you located? If you're not interested in virtual instruction, I recommend some reputable tutors I trust to send my clients.

Also, there is a big difference between someone who "dabbles" in test prep and a test prep professional like myself. Test prep professionals have networks like any industry and are up to date on all the nuances of the tests and how to effectively coach students.

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I was just about to ask for your contact info…I'm in southlake.

My email is matthince at yahoo if you want to shoot me a message

I really don't have a dog in the fight. Would love if he went to A&M but i want him to pick his best combo of major + location + culture. He said girls should also be a factor

With my kids I think the best part of prep were the simulated tests. It will prep them, and it will get you a feel of what their "best" is. That way you know if they should retake after. We did online through Princeton review with kid #1, and used double b for #2. Both were a good fit for their personality. One on one or in person tutoring would have exhausted my first kid, 2nd kid would probably zone out with a online course.


33 vs 35 probably won't move the needle much for prestigious private schools, but it will help with Engineering/Mays at A&M and guaranteed scholarships at other good-ish public/private schools.

quick update and plug. son went from a composite 33 to a composite 35 (suffice to say I'm very proud).

also big thanks to Robb at Avant Garde. Their tutelage was instrumental in this achievement. Highly recommend (virtual or in person)

Congrats!