Alan Said:

What are my chances?

We Answered:

I don't know all of these colleges well, but raise your science and math and you shouldn't have any trouble with most of these! You've taken the test once so you know what to expect. The biggest trouble I had was on science. I really had no idea what was going on. I used the 'common sense' method and ended up with a 28 or 30.

You have a plethora of activities, which is great. However, the first things that are looked at on a college application is your GPA and ACT/SAT. The ACT/SAT are tests to predict how well you do in college. So, if you have a crappy ACT score (your's isn't crappy), then they'll think you won't do well there and not even give a crap about your activities. Activities are great for 'borderline' people. Say Swarthmore is super hard to get into (I've never heard of them) and has a cutoff ACT score of 25 and GPA of 3.7, and you have an ACT score of 25 and GPA of 3.8. That's where your activities can give you leverage over the other applicants. Don't get me wrong though, activities are important, but not as important as they may seem.

There are ACT prep books you can study and classes you can attend. If you're hard on money, get a book. Powerscore or Barrons have them I think. If you're bad at independent studying and you have some extra cash, attend the classes.

Terry Said:

Can I get in to these colleges?

We Answered:

I think you are in very good shape. Good job! And good luck next year :)