Hi there! My daughter is in the process of applying to college. She scored 36 on reading and English, 35 science, 27 math. Her composite score is 34. She has perfect grades, all A/P. Plenty of extra curricular activities. We have been told unless she gets her math score up above 30 it’s over for her to consider any top school. I find this hard to believe. She is so upset.
Hi Kelleen,
College admissions depend on a lot of factors, and you’re right to know that a low ACT score in one subject won’t automatically knock someone out of contention. Part of the consideration will be in what your daughter wants to major. If she wants to go into math or science, a lower math ACT score could hold her back, but, if not, then it matters significantly less. Here’s an article you might find helpful: How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League, by a Harvard Alum
It discusses how to create a spike and why you don’t need to be (and shouldn’t be) equally strong across every area. Basically, if your daughter is able to demonstrate strong skills in another subject area (through grades, test scores, extracurriculars), her math score is OK. Hope this helps!
Christine
Without understanding all the goals is difficult to say whether this score is a problem, I think that having a good achievement in other areas scores matimatics overlap. So it should not cause you such worries.