Questions on college scholarships?

[Kurk]

=======SKIP DOWN IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ MY RAMBLING=======
Hello once again members of SDN:

I'm currently contemplating whether or not I should retake the ACT in September—really I already know that I should. Rather, I am trying to find the motivation to study for it as I kind of have this sense of security knowing that I can comfortably get into the college of my choice with the current score.

I won't give out the name, but it's a small, private liberal-arts college. It is the only school near me which offers both the major and minor of my choice. While my ego in the past might have pushed me to apply to 'match' and 'reach' schools, the advice that I've been hearing from members on here and in real life have suggested that undergrad doesn't really matter unless it's Ivy League. A safety school makes it easier to achieve the highest gpa one can while also saving on tuition.

I was a little disappointed upon receiving my scores: my composite was 28. I was expecting at least 29 based on my practice test averages, but oh well. What really killed and surprised me was a score of 26 in reading; I was scoring 29s, 30s, and 31s during my practice runs.

Yet at the same time I can't be too tough on myself as it was my first ACT not to mention that while I had studied english and reading ahead of time, I crammed math and science in a week before the test.

A 28 is sufficient enough to easily get into this "safety-school" of mine based on my college counselor.

Now I just need to get the best scholarship that I can.

=======SKIP TO HERE========

I basically need to know if there is any real point in trying to taking the ACT again for a higher score in relation to scholarship potential.

Say my gpa is ≈3.6 and I get a 31+ on the ACT; will it really do anything for me if my gpa is holding me back?

I look at the merit scholarships and the highest one requires both a high gpa and ACT. It doesn't make sense to me to put in the effort if I know that the gpa will haunt me.

In conclusion, (based off my college counselor) I don't need to raise my ACT significantly to improve my chances of getting into this safety school which I'm 99% set on attending (the next choice would be state school where I'm only an average applicant but I would ultimately pay more living on campus), I'm very likely to receive some sort of scholarship to said school, and improving the ACT score at this point will only help with scholarship if the gpa doesn't conflict—I just don't know if it's worth mustering up the effort with the lower gpa. Curse highschool freshman/semi-sophomore me!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[schmoob]

You're fine. Focus on doing well in undergrad. When you apply for med school they won't care about your ACT score, or what college you went to. Go somewhere that will make you happy, as you will probably perform better where you are happier.
When you go to any doctors office, you usually see a copy of their med/dent/vet/opt school diploma hanging, right? How often do you see their undergrad degrees up there? Rarely.

 

[Monkey.King]

You're fine. Focus on doing well in undergrad. When you apply for med school they won't care about your ACT score, or what college you went to. Go somewhere that will make you happy, as you will probably perform better where you are happier.
When you go to any doctors office, you usually see a copy of their med/dent/vet/opt school diploma hanging, right? How often do you see their undergrad degrees up there? Rarely.

You're missing his point. He already figured out undergrad doesn't matter. His focus is on achieving the scholarship in order to reduce his tuition.

I don't think it's worth it. Even if you raise your score you don't meet the requirement for the scholarship. And even if there was room to consider you, they won't. Limited money so they are going to give it to the most qualified.

 

[Skydive Fox]

You need to consult the scholarships office at said private liberal arts college and look into their GPA & ACT cut-offs for the different tiers of scholarships. Then, and only then, could we really know if it'd be worth a retake. Keep in mind small private schools generally have fewer and more competitive scholarships than large public schools.

I'm on a full ride merit scholarship at my institution and the minimum ACT for consideration was 29. I scored the first time, but I most certainly would have retaken the ACT a second time if it meant I could be in the running to save over $120,000+ for undergrad.