My son just returned from orientation at the University of Missouri, and I am excited. Not just for the opportunities awaiting him, but for the end of a long college search.
My wife and I had been pushing him toward liberal arts schools on the East Coast. He didn’t apply to any of them. The one time we heard him say “I love this” was when he first set foot on Francis Quadrangle.
The advice I have offered to other parents has been pretty general — listen to your kid. But after making a recent discovery, I do have a piece of advice you can’t get anywhere else.
If you live in Missouri, and your child might go to college in Missouri, they absolutely must take the ACT. It’s fine to take the SAT, too. But don’t take the SAT without taking the ACT.
I know what you’re thinking. Everyone takes the ACT. Who doesn’t take the ACT?
The child of parents from the East Coast who thought their kid would to go to school on the East Coast but were wrong. That’s who.
Don’t make the same mistake.
Let me explain.
Missouri has a scholarship program called Bright Flight. It is designed to give high-achieving Missouri students an incentive to stay in the state for college. Under state law, the program awards an annual scholarship to students who are in the top 5% of SAT or ACT scores in Missouri who enroll in a qualifying university, including Mizzou, UMSL, Washington University and St. Louis University.
The Missouri Legislature apparently has better uses for tax money than keeping young brainpower from leaving the state for college. So, the state only funds a $3,000 scholarship for students who score in the top 3%.
For ACT takers, the qualifying score is 31 out of a possible 36.
For SAT takers, the Missouri Department of Higher Education website says the score is not available.
But I called DHE to ask. A deputy director got back to me in an email to say the qualifying SAT score is a perfect score — 1600.
You must be wondering how that could be. I sure was.
Missouri was one of 17 states where 100 percent of the graduating class in public schools took the ACT. The average score was 20, slightly below the national average of 20.8.
Only 4 percent of Missouri high school graduates, or 2,420, took the SAT last year. And those who did tended to be students who scored very well on it.
That means that even though less — far less — than 1% of SAT test takers nationally got a perfect 1600, the top 3% of SAT test takers in Missouri got perfect scores.
I’m not sure how many grads take the SAT only. Probably very few.
Those who didn’t obviously went to private schools. Their parents probably grew up some place where nobody had heard of the ACT. Like us.
How did we let this happen? When our son took practice SAT and ACT tests early in high school, he did marginally better on the SAT. We didn’t see the need for him to take the ACT. Our college counselor said it didn’t matter, since the SAT and ACT are interchangeable to college admissions officers.
Our son concentrated on improving his SAT score. Which, to his credit, after five attempts and a couple hundred hours in test prep, he did by 130 points. That helped him get some good scholarships from MU.
But I can’t help thinking about that Bright Flight money we left on the table. He might not have scored a 31, but he probably would have been close. Then we could have had an extra $12,000 for college, $15,000 if he stretches this out to five years (but he had better not).
Nobody told us. But now I’m telling you. Don’t skip the ACT.
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