Austin College in Sherman, Texas, is highly selective -- only half of all applicants will get into this private liberal arts college. The lucky students who receive an acceptance letter tend to have grades and test scores that are well above average. In the graph above, the blue and green dots represent students who were accepted. You can see that the majority of successful applicants had at least "B+" averages in high school, and they had combined SAT scores of 1700 or higher and ACT composite scores of 24 or higher. Many Austin College students had GPA's up in the "A" range.
You'll notice, however, that a few students got in with grades and test scores that were below the norm. This is because Austin's admissions process involves much more than numerical data. The college uses The Common Application and has holistic admissions. The admissions folks will evaluate your personal statement, extracurricular activities, and letters of recommendation. The college notes that "a decent grade in a challenging class is more impressive than an easy A," so make sure you have a strong academic record. You can further strengthen your Austin College application by doing an optional interview and by providing thoughtful answers on the supplement to the Common Application.
To learn more about Austin College, high school GPAs, SAT scores and ACT scores, these articles can help:
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