Will I be able to get into a good college?

If you can show that you took every opportunity in your high school and then took the initiative to seek out more intellectual stimulation for yourself, yes. Colleges love that.

Otherwise, the test scores will show that your high school is somewhat sub-par, and that you might have been “coasting,” or lazing in the mediocrity of your school.

Most colleges will consider school quality when making their decisions and that should work favorably for you. Being valedictorian would help very much and since it is a city school, I would have to guess that the class is fairly large. Class rank counts for a whole lot at the Ivies and other schools.

And a 26 is not really too bad. Boston University’s middle 50% had a 25-29. Besides, standardized tests are not the end-all, be-all factor. I’ve seen someone in my school get into Cornell University with a 1150 SAT score, the equivalent of a 24. (although she was an underrepresented minority)

I would not really suggest taking the SAT as an alternative because kids like you who get very high grades but don’t do as well on standardized tests statistically do better on the more straightforward ACT. However, SAT math tests less advanced concepts than the ACT so that may prove easier.

The first person has an excellent idea which is to take the SAT because it doesn’t have a science section and your science score is lower than your overall score. Then all you have to do is work on your math score.

Colleges expect lower percentage scores on the SAT than the ACT because more top students take the SAT.

Go to the main branch of your public library and look through the SAT (or ACT) prep books. Select a few books. Pick one that has a strong math review section. Most of them are too short to learn everything. Using more than one may help. Take a math sample test and then go over the answers. It helps to select a book that doesn’t just give you the right answer but explains why each possible answer is right or wrong. Try to figure out which kinds of questions give you trouble, geometry, algebra etc. Do as many practice tests and practice problems as possible. Your score will certainly rise significantly because you haven’t been taught this math.

Depends on what you define as a good college, if were talking Ivy League, Yale, Harvard, Rice, etc. then thats a different ballpark.

But look at some colleges you are wanting to apply to and see what they require in admissions. A lot take SAT, some take ACT, some even will except either.

A good strategy if your not sure is to apply to a local community college **if available** and spend a couple of semesters there then transfer to a larger University. From what Ive experienced the admissions for Transfer students are much easier than normal admissions, plus you get to experience a college in a more laid back atmosphere which I think helps make the transition from high school alot easier. That way the pressure isn’t totally on the SAT/ ACT too.

Not to say that Community Colleges are easier, but I think they are a good transition rather than throwing yourself face first into a State Univeristy.

Yes, colleges will take that into account. But they look at the overall picture, and overall you’ve done pretty well. If you’re shooting for Harvard or Stanford, be sure to have some backups, but there are plenty of fine universities which would welcome you.

Ohio

take the SAT, thats what i did. most colleges require the SAT more than the ACT.