ACT score question

[MotoSook]

Archeology will not require an ACT score compable to that needed for entry to a good engineering school. I have a degree in Geology (pretty close to archeology) and engineering. I can tell you that I was drunk during a lot of my geo classes and still got As and Bs. My fellow geo students were also drunk often and I don't think more than but a few of them had very high ACT scores.

26 will be just fine for admission to a good natural science program.

[nynor]

besides which, it isn't your ACT score that the schools care about after you are in. it is your work ethic that will get you the grades.

[HardDrive]

I used to work for Kaplan. We had reasonable success in improving kids scores. Go out and get some books/software and tell her to hammer the math for a few days, then study everything. If she got a 26 first shot, she's a smart kid, so I'm guessing she can get another 2-3 points just working the gamesmanship aspects of the test.

Companies like Kaplan/Princeton Review exist because despite testing services claims to the contrary, there really is a pretty limited band of material they can ask about. Regardless if the tests are 'standard' or computerized 'adaptive' tests, the questions have to be vetted against a live audience. Translation? There is not that much to study.

I hate plugging my old company (they were the greediest jerks on the planet earth), but they really did attract some of the most brilliant people I have ever met. Their materials were good. I suspect that is still true. I would certainly buy them myself if I had to get prepped for a test.

Skip the classes. Waste of $$$ as far as I am concerned.

[SCWDP911]

Thanks for all of the comments so far. A few things to ponder. It has been a little hard to weed through some of the info out there related to ACT scores and entrance and scholarships, etc. I have read a lot of info that says the ACT scores really don't affect scholarship attainment much. But then again, I have read some info that says it does. We are not sweating the 26 too much. She just feels that she could do a lot better now that she has taken it once. She scored in the 30's in many areas, but as originally posted, her dislike of math kind of dragged her down.

As a side note, her first choice would be Boston U, but dad is not too crazy about that. I grew up part of my life in Newport and I guess overprotective dad syndrome has started setting in now that we are this close. She had already applied, or is in the process of applying to the schools she has chosen, but several of the deadlines are not for another month. I think the only one that has actually passed was BU. She technically is an EARLY senior, so we were back and forth as to whether this would be the actual starting year or not. We were letting her "drive" so to speak, as I want her to be dedicated to the path before she starts down it.

Thanks again.