Thinking about college

For students who fall into either of these categories, you would only be admitted to a least selective school on a probationary basis. This means that the school is willing to take your money even though they know you are not prepared to succeed. I strongly encourage students in this category to complete a job training program or a short, hands-on certificate program before considering any further higher education.

For students who fall into either of these categories, I recommend starting at community college, selecting a trade program, or completing a job training program.  This does not mean that a bachelor's degree can't be in your future, it simply means that you aren't ready yet.

For students who fall into this category, I recommend starting at the school where you intend to complete your degree. You will be eligible for admission into most public colleges in your state, some public colleges outside your state, and some private colleges.  For students in this category, keep in mind that getting into college is entirely separate from your financial aid package. Many students in this category wind up selecting a school based on the financial aid package awarded to them.

For students who fall into this category, I recommend starting at the school where you intend to complete your degree. You will be eligible for admission into most public colleges in your state, many public colleges outside your state, and many private colleges.  For students in this category, keep in mind that getting into college is entirely separate from your financial aid package. Some schools offer merit scholarships for students in this category, but many do not. Many students in this category wind up selecting a school based on the financial aid package awarded to them.

For students who fall into this category, you have the maximum number of options. However, so many options can be overwhelming. The highly selective schools are accessible for you, but given acceptance rates, some schools are reach schools even for the best students. Students in this category should start at the school where they intend to complete their degree. Students in this category also have a variety of merit-based scholarship options at most institutions.

Most colleges and some scholarships look at your ACT Super Score. That means they only consider your highest section scores and they use those to find a new average score called a Super Score to grant admission and scholarships. For example, say you scored 29, 22, and 30 on your English, Math, and Reading sections on the September ACT earning a composite of 27, and in October you scored a 27 composite by scoring a 27, 26, and 29 on the respective sections.. Your Super Score would be a 28 because it would use your 29 and 30 from your September test and the 26 from your October test.

Most schools use standardized tests as a way to place you into the correct English and math course at their institution. Each school has slightly different requirements, but most schools have the same minimums: 

An ACT English score of 18 is the minimum requirement to take college-level English courses. Students who have an English score below an 18 will need to take remedial courses or test into college-level English using an alternate placement test set up by the college (many schools use Accuplacer for this).

An ACT Math score of 19 is the minimum requirement to take college-level math courses. Students who have a math score below a 19 will need to take remedial courses or test into college-level math using an alternate placement test set up by the college (many schools use Accuplacer for this).