I just discovered that students who get ACT scores of over 30 get free tuition at U of Alabama. Which is a great U.
This is the first time I have ever heard the expression “ACT scores” in my life, so I have no idea what any of this means. But it gives me hope. We currently have $3,000 in our college fund, so it’s good to know this college thing isn’t totally hopeless.
There’s the SAT (out of 1600), and the ACT (out of 36). They’re tests taken by high school students looking to apply for college. Most colleges will accept both the SAT or the ACT, and they cover approximately the same material, just in a slightly different format. Students generally only take one or the other. Colleges use those scores for admissions and some merit scholarships. There’s also the pervasive myth that the SAT is considered better than the ACT, and so more students tend to take the SAT.
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That’s so interesting that they are interchangeable but I’ve only heard of the SAT. I have no knowledge of how this part of life works because I only came here for the PhD.
I wanted to send Klara to Yale because she’s a legacy but unless something changes pretty radically, I won’t have the quarter mil in tuition that she’d need.
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The SAT and ACT aren’t 100% interchangeable, there are a few places that want one or the other. There are also SAT subject tests that can be taken in addition to the general SAT tests. Some universities require or recommend that students submit at least two SAT subject tests and some require specific subject tests for admission to specific programs, e.g. math or physics subject tests might be required for engineering students by fairly competitive programs.
But you don’t need to worry about it yet, the testing stuff is always changing and will probably be different by the time Klara is old enough to worry about it. And if she’s in a reasonably good high school, the teachers and guidance counselors will help you navigate the system.
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Though it is another bit of injustice in the American education system, that students at weaker high schools often don’t have people to help them navigate these things and thus they don’t have a shot at many competitive schools.
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A conservative literary critic and college professor
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