Min ACT for Headfirst or Stanford

A 2017 with a 23 ACT will likely see that ACT score increase at least into the mid to upper 20's over the next two years. 

 

In my experience, 27 ACT or above and 3.0 unweighted GPA and above was the floor for most of the schools at Headfirst for my son.  He was a 2012 RHP, 9.0 PG rating, and was topping at 91 the Summer before Senior year of high school.  He was recruited by schools in every D1 conference but the SEC and Pac12 including all the Ivies.  There were a couple of NESCAC schools (highest academic, D3, Northeast) that he probably wouldn't have been admitted because his ACT composite was 28.

 

And a LHP in the mid to upper 80's now is a very marketable player everywhere.

 

Good luck!

A couple questions...

 

So, if your son's dream school is an SEC, AAC or C-USA school why would he be looking at Headfirst or Stanford (expensive $$) to begin with?  Would Headfirst or Stanford be part of a backup plan?

 

Would he consider taking the SAT or an ACT booster class in an attempt to bump his score and give him more options?

 

I agree with Branson Baseball.  You'd want to be in the 27 ACT range for HeadFirst (not sure about Stanford camp) and defintely much higher 29-30 to at least be considered for NESCACs.  JMO.

The SEC is where he would dream of playing. My hope is he would choose a high academic AND play baseball. Just wanted to see what everyone thought in terms of the ACT for those kind of showcases. He is going to take an ACT class to help bolster his test scores.

You should have him try the SAT.  My son, a 2016,  also got a 23 on his ACT twice.  He took the SAT and got the equivalent of a 26 ACT when you look at the comparison tables, on his first try.  He is going to take it again next fall.   Any school that I have looked into accepts both the ACT and the SAT.

For most high academics I'm familiar with to get in with a 23 the rest of the package had better be stellar. For both of your dreams to come true. A high academic and a SEC school. It would be very difficult, but not impossible, to get into Vandy with a 23.

The middle 50% ACT scores of the 2014 Freshman class was 32-34, so 75% of the class scored 32 or better.  It would seem to take a rare talent to bend the curve that far.

 

95 mph with a wicked Uncle Charlie can do that at a lot of schools.

Serious question - will a school like Vandy really bend their admissions criteria that far if the talent is good enough?

Vandy, in terms of admissions when it comes to the ACT, is more like any other SEC school than it is the Ivys for example. I know this first hand from a kid who is going to be in the freshman class. Football.....its even lower.

 

Some schools will modify their admission criteria for athletes. Think ND or Duke.  Others will not, like Northwestern.  

Having firsthand experience with Northwestern, I respectfully disagree.

 

Then again, I also have firsthand experience with ND...and I agree completely.

 

Most schools will modify/break/ignore their admissions standards for an exceptional athlete.  In my baseball experience, there are exceptions (e.g., some of the NESCAC schools). 

 

But back to the OP...go to camps/showcases where your vetted list of schools will be.  Don't bother spending time or money where the schools attending aren't of interest to you, or are out of reach academically or athletically.  A 2017 with a 23 ACT has lots of time to improve the ACT and improve what sounds like already pretty good LHP stuff and hence, could be a fit at Headfirst.  If the schools on your son's list are at Headfirst (and HF publishes who will be there), then you're going to the right place.  If the schools on your son's vetted list are all in the SEC and/or won't be at HF, then Headfirst makes no sense. 

 Serious answer...yes.

 

Seek to understand who is making these admittance decisions and where the bar is set.  When in doubt, ask.   Is it the athletics dept with a rubber stamp by Admissions OR does Admissions make the final decisions with recommendations from athletics.  I'd focus on those schools where my son has separated himself from the rest of the high school talent universe..  

 

In my earlier example, if he is throwing 95 mph with a wicked Uncle Charlie...yes I'd be doing everything in my power to get him in front of SEC, ACC, PAC12 schools if he wants to be a professional baseball player.  He can go to school and major in whatever interests him and accomodates his baseball schedule.

 

If he has separated himself through academics (ie 34 ACT) then I'd probably focus on academic schools that offer baseball as an additional career path.  If you go this route you will want to play with some top notch summer teams to get additional exposure you probably wouldn't get during the regular season.. 

 

Only one school (in my mind) can do both, Stanford.  There are varying degrees of in-between and you just have to figure that out based on your son's skill set and goals.  As always, JMO.

 

Good luck!

 

.

 

 

 

 

This too was my first thought. With such a good GPA and a poor ACT, why not take the SAT (and ACT again). They are different formatted tests. For one, the ACT is based on correct answers and you aren't penalized for guessing as the SAT. The ACT is more connected to school curriculum and includes Science. I would also ask son why he thought he performed as he did on ACT. Was it the information? Was he not feeling well? Anxious? Didn't get finished? Most schools will accept one or the other. Though not in your SEC territory, some schools like Holy Cross don't require the standardized test--more interested in the essay and 4 years of "body of work." As for HeadFirst- it only makes sense to spend $$ if there are a number of schools present where your son and/or the school has interest.  Good luck!

Good luck

His main problem on the ACT is just anxiousness. He has never really tested well on standardized test but is a hard worker in the classroom. All good advice. Thanks for all the help guys.

       
       
Vandy looks at the total package for admissions. Some kids just don't test well. But with an act score that low the rest of the package had better be impressive. A friend of mine was accepted to Vanderbilt with a 21 act but she had a 4.0, a but load of community service, including starting two charities, two summer internships with a state Supreme Court judge and letters of recommendation from 4 of them. So again it's not impossible to get in with an act that low but you had better have a very very impressive resume around that score.

       
       
Some kids just don't test well. If they are a really good student and just did poorly on this test then yes they can still succeed. If they are not a good student they won't have success regardless of what the test score is. It's why admissions look at the total package. A 23 won't gareuntee rejection nor will a 36 gareuntee acceptance.

Thanks Fenway, great insight and perspective as always.  The bolded sentence caught my eye (I hadn't heard this before).  Who do you ask - the coach?  Is it safe to expect a straight answer, or is this one of those "read between the lines" discussions?

Smitty28,

 

Definitely ask the Coach about the Admissions process.  My son was recruited across the board by D1, D1 Ivy, D1 Patriot and D3 schools.  In every case, we got a straight answer about the process.  Coaches mis-remember a lot, but they never forget that topic.  Most coaches have been through this enough that they know what the athletic or academic boundaries are.  This is why the pre-read process is so important.  Coaches are verifying that a recruit could be admitted.  However, just because you can be admitted doesn't mean you will continue to be recruited.  Other players with more skill or better grades can jump ahead of you anytime & anywhere.

 

There are a couple D1 conferences that I'm familiar with that require Admissions sign off on a student-athlete before they can continue to be recruited.  The Ivy and Patriot League have specific rules the Coaches have to follow, and specific minimums an athlete HAS to have..no exceptions   There are other specific D1 schools that have their own guidelines such as Stanford, but I can't speak to specifics there.  So, this is why it is incredibly important to ask.  

 

Good luck.  Feel free to Dialog me if you have specific questions.

 

 

One other thing to consider is the relationship your son's high school has with colleges that interest him.  Every high school is different in difficulty.  So many kids have A averages now (rampant grade inflation over the last 30 years since I graduated).  At my high school when I graduated only 9 boys out 416 boys had an A average (the school gave number grades 70-100, 94 an above being an A).  My nephew graduated last weekend and there were over 150 with A averages.  But interestingly the same percentage went to the Ivys, ND, Stanfords,Dukes, Northwesterns of the worlds.

 

The admissions departments know that 2.8 at one high school is superior to 3.7 at other schools and take that into account.  Your high school college counselors should be able to tell you the GPAs and test scores of all students (no names) that applied to each college over the last 5 years or so and whether a student was admitted.  They maybe able to tell you why students with good grades but low test scores got in - star athlete, great singer, legacy,etc.

 

Good luck - I have a 2017 with the opposite results of your son - very good test scores but mediocre grades.  He is not of your son's baseball skills but wants to play D3.  Luckily there are plenty of options.

For those colleges that I mentioned where Admissions makes the first cut and the final decision for recruited athletes, they can offer a "GPA booster" (ex .25 added to the GPA)  if the high school has that reputation and is deserving.  I've seen this happen and talked to a former College Admissions officer just as HRCJR described.  However, those students getting a GPA boost will have to have the necessary board scores (SAT/ACT) to go with it otherwise it doesn't matter.  High ACT and SATs are a must first and foremost at those schools for a recruited athlete.  This is why the Ivys use an Academic Index and the D3 NESCAC uses academic bands.  Very little subjectivity, and the coaches can determine quickly if a recruit has a chance with Admissions.

FenwaySouth- this is a particularly important topic to our family right now and this is the first time I have heard about the bands. Do these NESCAC bands look accurate to you?

A Band

SAT Scores 700+ average all above 670

SAT II 710

GPA: 92+ GPA, Almost All As

Class Rank: Top 5%

Courses: 4+ APs, Honors Classes

B Band

SAT scores 650+ average, all above 620

SAT II 640

GPA: 88+ GPA, Mix of As, Bs

Class Rank: Top 15%

Courses: Few AP Courses, Honors

C Band

SAT scores 630+ average, all above 590

SAT II 600

GPA:  85+ GPA, Mix of As, Bs, occasional Cs

Class Rank: Top 20%

Courses:  Honors

Also, do the NESCAC schools recruit a certain number of players per band? If your son is in the A band and is being asked to meet with the coaches on campus in July, would you take that as a good sign?

Thanks for your input.

JackStraw

Yes, it is a very good sign the Coach wants to meet with your son and he has top academics behind him....that is his leverage.

 

The bands you've posted are great as a guideline because they don't apply to a specific NESCAC.   For example Amherst's "B" band may be the same as Wesleyan's "A" band.  I'm exaggerating with this example but the bands are fluid based on the school they are not all the same across all schools.  I've posted on this topic before so you can search this site for additional info.  Ask the Coach about the process and how many recruits he has per band is my best advice.  This is what we did with one NESCAC and we got a straight answer.

 

Feel free to send me a dialog if you have follow up questions as we are kind of getting off the OPs topic.  The NESCAC process is about as far as you can get from SEC athletic recruitment.

Concerning the ACT test:  Practice, practice, practice. 

 

My 2017 just took a practice ACT test at the library.  

His subscores in order were:  27, 27, 20, 19.   This showed me that he is getting mentally tired toward the last half of the test.  I'm hoping that by spring of his junior year he will have built up his pain threshold for a 3 hr test.  lol

My three older kids tested well on the ACT test and received full academic scholarships.  Part of this is due to low EFC (expected family contribution) on the FAFSA. 

How did you go about finding a ACT practice test at the library? Who or what did you ask the librarian in order to take a practice test? Thanks

You can find many practice tests books on Amazon. 

We use http://www.amazon.com/McGraw-H...s=act+practice+tests

Most libraries have a room you can use for testing.  If not the libraries are quiet enough.  

The key is just practicing because speed and accuracy are everything.  

You can go to local library for info or you can sign up for daily questions.  Taking tests is a skill, he may need help in learning that skill. Making someone take practice test after practice test is ridiculous. Thats for someone who has lower GPA.

My son had an extremely high GPA all honors classes.  He threw 90 his junior year. His practice scores were good. He was top 10% in his graduating class.  His test ACT was not good. When asked if he should take it over, every program said no, dont bother.

In some of the SEC and ACT programs your athletic skills often ranks over test scores.

 

I also want to add that my 2nd oldest son was valedictorian of his class with the highest weighted GPA in school history.  That alone didn't get him much believe it or not.  What got him his full academic ride was the 35 on the ACT.  

Don't rely on sports alone for potential scholarships as they are year to year and can be pulled. 

Practicing the ACT is cheap and with a bit of elbow grease your son's ACT score can be "big tyne"! 

Academics is also a year to year basis. Keep in mind you cant play unless you have the grades.
Being a  valedictorian and getting a full academic scholarship has nothing to do with your situation unless she was an athlete.
If your son hits higher numbers his test scores will have less relevance.
D1 schools have scholarship minimums and all schools have different criteria for academics. Fenway will be able to help you as he is pretty experienced with academics than most here.  Take his advice.

I would attend any excellent  academic showcase that gives your son exposure but as a 2017 not sure its necessary. What is important is what he does in 2016.

You can buy ACT practice tests in book form at the local bookstore or Amazon.

 

I disagree on whether taking practice test after practice test is beneficial. If a kid has the basic knowledge sought by the test stored in his brain, taking practice test after practice test can really help improve a score. It's really no different then practicing a certain play time after time; the less the kid needs to think about routine stuff, the more his focus turns to the important details. (Of course, if the basic information isn't in the kids brain in the first place, no amount of practice testing will paper over that problem.)

 

In the case of the ACT, the test is timed and time constraints can play a huge role in its score. Taking test after test - timed as the real one will be - gets the kid used to the rhythm and pace and ultimately creates a familiarity with the test process. This familiarity means that at testing time, the natural increase in stress (because it's "real" this time) may be reduced; and any reduction in stress makes it easier to access information already stored in his brain..

 

I believe that the SAT has totally revamped its format this year (or soon), so I don't know how those changes impact the advantages of taking many practice tests.

 

In our case, both kids hammered practice test after practice test. While I cannot say that this caused the scores, there was a correlation (correlation does not equal causation). I guess our philosophy was "leave no stone unturned" in preparing for one of the "gatekeeper" items.

 

As for grade inflation, it's a sort of a red herring for the top academic schools. For regular students, each college will get a copy of the kid's high school profile (showing for example, the courses offered, the average scores and GPAs of all students, socioeconomic averages, etc. of that particular school). The extreme academic colleges can then evaluate each applicant within the context of their school (so a kid attending a wealthy private school is not being compared with a kid attending a poor public school). Each kid is essentially required to have performed the best he/she could within the context of their lives. This evaluation is not necessarily true in all schools, but that's the way it goes in those top academic schools.

 

Standarized tests were supposed to allow schools to evauate students across the board (so students nationally could be compared). However, we all see how that ability has been warped; wealthier parents can afford better prep courses, better prep courses mean better scores, etc. So even with standardized scores, certain colleges recognize that factor and evaluate accordingly.

 

As for athletes, they just need to meet whatever minimum the school requires. Achieving more than the minimum can be very advantageous in schools which offer academic money - it saves athletic money and can make private schools (with their 50k+ price tags) more palatable.

 

I would also add this situation to ponder: an injury in the latter part of high school can completely derail athletic recruiting. Getting the best scores possible at least gives the kid his best academic alternative.

 

Goosegg,
Good post, the best point that if the player doesnt have the knowledge he will not gain it by taking test after test . There is a skill in how to take tests.
JMO

I think some folks here are being too optimistic. A 23 is very low. It is highly doubtful that any Ivy, NESCAC or the like will look at him however well he throws. You would do better to spend your money on showcase and prospect camps where D1 coaches are looking for your son's skills and will have far more room to move with test scores. 

 

Based on encouragement from this forum, my son re-took the ACT and scored 4 points higher.  Key for him was taking the time to study/prepare for it versus the initial "winging it" approach.