ACT Timing?

Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch

Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web.

Feb 12, 2014
648
43
DD is a 2021 who has attended some college camps and will be attending a couple more next month. She emails the coaches to let them know how she and her team are doing. She is not a power 5 type talent but is very bright and could possibly be a fringe mid-major type player.

We are beginning to fill out the prospect forms that you find on the schools' softball page and everyone of them is asking for an ACT score. As a 2021, she's probably at least a year from even thinking about taking a college entrance exam. Do we just leave that entry blank and assume that the coach will know that a 2021 isn't ready to take that test or should we buckle down this winter with some ACT prep work and take it in the spring?

Thanks for all the help navigating this process!
 
Feb 4, 2015
127
0
Olathe, KS
Arrange for her to take it. She can take it as many times as she wants and you can eventually report a composite ACT. I found the magic number is around 25 when colleges start offering some serious academic money. 30 and you basically can get most if not all of your tuition paid for. That could be the defining fact between your DD and another DD. Also, if she is looking at a major D1 program, IVY, NIAI and some religious based colleges she will need to take the written portion also, but that can be done in October of her senior year.
 
Oct 1, 2014
2,219
113
USA
Arrange for her to take it. She can take it as many times as she wants and you can eventually report a composite ACT. I found the magic number is around 25 when colleges start offering some serious academic money. 30 and you basically can get most if not all of your tuition paid for. That could be the defining fact between your DD and another DD. Also, if she is looking at a major D1 program, IVY, NIAI and some religious based colleges she will need to take the written portion also, but that can be done in October of her senior year.

Seriously? Reagansdaddy's DD is barely 2 months into her 8th grade year and already needs to report composite ACT score for college recruiters? SMH, I guess we'd better get on it, my girls just took their first PSAT and they are already Freshmen in HS...dang time flies when you're having fun (or playing softball).
 

JAD

Feb 20, 2012
8,231
38
Georgia
I would just put TBD as the ACT score. Given how early coaches are recruiting now, they cannot expect 8th and 9th graders to have an ACT score available.
 

TMD

Feb 18, 2016
433
43
Coaches know that ACT tests aren't taken for the first time until late sophomore year at the earliest, usually not until winter of Junior year. Leave the score fields blank or put "Not Taken" or "Will take in 20xx" if the field allows that.
 
Jul 4, 2014
141
0
Arrange for her to take it. She can take it as many times as she wants and you can eventually report a composite ACT.

I would be very careful with that statement, myself. There are some schools that that want you to report EVERY single ACT score you've written and some of the top schools actually say that they'd prefer that you take it no more than 3 times. Yes, a student could probably hide their poor scores from these schools, but why chance having them find out and recind their acceptance? I personally wouldn't take that chance.

I guess it depends on the type of school your dd is looking to attend. If she's looking to attend a school that's ranked academically in the top 50, then I'd say, hold off until she's ready. No need to rush. This after is after all a marathon and not a sprint. It's a very loooong journey with many ups and downs (as I'm finding out myself). Schools do not expect freshmans and sophomores to have scores. If you have them, great. But many do not expect them. Coaches at top academic schools will tell kids to take the ACT no later than the Spring of their junior year for the purpose of seeing if this kid is within their academic parameters and if needed, the kid could retake for a higher score.

But to answer your question, it's better to take it when the student is prepared and will do well rather than to take it simply for a number to stick in the box. A great score will get their attention because they'll know that the kid will be admitted when the time comes. Having any ol' score in the box is NOT going to get the kid any more attention than having a blank box.

Just my 2 bits.
 
Mar 3, 2016
47
0
If you're looking for a high academic school like a NESCAC, Pomona, Swarthmore, Dickinson etc. or an IVY, I suggest the end of Sophomore year. Don't report it til you see what it is. If it is "something with a 3 in it" like the Georgetown coach told us, go right ahead. It will get your D some serious looks, even if she isn't an "impact player". If it's below 30, then you can nag her into studying(or take a course) that summer, and get that "something with a 3 in it" the first test date in September.

The Ivys are not supposed to verbal or pre-commit until July 1 of the player's impending Senior year, when they can send the materials to admissions for a "pre-read". This is also true of many of the other high academic schools. Athletic scholarships are not given. The goal is to use softball as a "hook" to be accepted at the school, and then of course the glory of an Ivy career. If the "pre-read" is favorable, the student will be offered a "likely letter" sometime in the Fall for the Ivies, and just a verbal assurance that "the pre-read looks good" from some of the other schools. Then you apply ED and cross your fingers.

We just spent a weekend at the Headfirst Academy Showcase camp in VA with 50 coaches from "high academic" schools. The Georgetown and Amherst coaches did a parent session which was very useful. The timing of these schools is such that they don't really start looking at the girls til they have an ACT in that range, because why waste their time if the recruit will never get past admissions.
 
Jun 6, 2016
2,714
113
Chicago
Arrange for her to take it. She can take it as many times as she wants and you can eventually report a composite ACT. I found the magic number is around 25 when colleges start offering some serious academic money. 30 and you basically can get most if not all of your tuition paid for. That could be the defining fact between your DD and another DD. Also, if she is looking at a major D1 program, IVY, NIAI and some religious based colleges she will need to take the written portion also, but that can be done in October of her senior year.

Is this really true? Because I got a 32 (15 years ago, so it's been a while) and I got almost no academic financial aid. Perhaps that was just because I did a bad job choosing colleges.
 
Jul 19, 2014
2,390
48
Madison, WI
If you're looking for a high academic school like a NESCAC, Pomona, Swarthmore, Dickinson etc. or an IVY, I suggest the end of Sophomore year. Don't report it til you see what it is. If it is "something with a 3 in it" like the Georgetown coach told us, go right ahead. It will get your D some serious looks, even if she isn't an "impact player". If it's below 30, then you can nag her into studying(or take a course) that summer, and get that "something with a 3 in it" the first test date in September.

The Ivys are not supposed to verbal or pre-commit until July 1 of the player's impending Senior year, when they can send the materials to admissions for a "pre-read". This is also true of many of the other high academic schools. Athletic scholarships are not given. The goal is to use softball as a "hook" to be accepted at the school, and then of course the glory of an Ivy career. If the "pre-read" is favorable, the student will be offered a "likely letter" sometime in the Fall for the Ivies, and just a verbal assurance that "the pre-read looks good" from some of the other schools. Then you apply ED and cross your fingers.

We just spent a weekend at the Headfirst Academy Showcase camp in VA with 50 coaches from "high academic" schools. The Georgetown and Amherst coaches did a parent session which was very useful. The timing of these schools is such that they don't really start looking at the girls til they have an ACT in that range, because why waste their time if the recruit will never get past admissions.

A lot of the schools you mentioned require the SAT rather than the ACT.

I have read a lot about recruiting for ALL sports in the top schools. They have what in one sport they call the 3-legged stool: High grades, high test scores, and high athletic achievement. 3-legged stool because the whole thing falls down if one leg is missing.
 
Jul 19, 2014
2,390
48
Madison, WI
Is this really true? Because I got a 32 (15 years ago, so it's been a while) and I got almost no academic financial aid. Perhaps that was just because I did a bad job choosing colleges.

It depends on the college.

My DS had a high ACT score. He was accepted at the (private) Milwaukee School of Engineering, and they gave him $10,000 per year scholarship for his high ACT score (plus another, smaller, scholarship and some need-based grants). He was also accepted at U Wisconsin Milwaukee, a public school, and they offered not a penny in financial aid (other than student loans). Between the grants and scholarships, the tuition is comparable at the two schools, and MSOE has a good rowing team, so he attends MSOE. His grades were mediocre. A friend of his with the same ACT scores but great grades was offered an extra $3000 at MSOE, but went to a different school.

I went to Swarthmore more decades ago than I care to admit. I had good SAT scores, but so did everyone else. Not a penny in financial aid, even though I was a National Merit Finalist. (It is all need-based, and tuition was much, much cheaper then). I also took the ACT in order to qualify for a scholarship to the University of Arkansas. Arkansas offered me a full ride for tuition (which was either about $450 a semester or per year back then) based on my ACT.

DD #1 has a full ride for tuition to UW Madison. She was in a scholarship program that gave her a full ride if she got admitted. She took the ACT about 3 or 4 times until she had a score that was barely enough for admission. MUCH lower than DS' score, but still good enough to get in with her great grades.

So, yeah, you not getting a scholarship was based on where you went. Some schools are need-based only. Some only give scholarships for certain programs, or not at all. Some give scholarships based on grades and/or test scores. Some give full rides to any Merit Scholar Finalist.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
42,830
Messages
679,475
Members
21,445
Latest member
Bmac81802
Top