Whats a Good ACT Score That Depends on Your Definition!

What's a Good ACT Score That Depends on Your Definition! SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips It’s hard to define a good ACT score because every student has different goals and standards. However, there are various specific ways you might think about your scores to decide on what a good score means for you. In this article, I’ll go through four different means of defining what a good score might look like for you on the ACT. What Is a Good ACT Score Nationally? If you’re somewhat unfamiliar with the ACT, you probably just want to get an overview of the types of scores you might get and how they stack up to the national average.On the ACT, the highest score you can get is a 36, and the lowest score is technically a one.Within that range, based on national statistics, there are benchmarks for what indicates a higher than average or lower than average score. The lowest 10 percent of scores are below a 14 composite, so anything less that that would be considered a very low score. The bottom 25 percent of scorers earned a composite score of 16 or lower. These would also be considered low scores. The 50th percentile score on the ACT is around a 20 composite, so this represents the national average. The 75th percentile score is a 24, which means that 75% of students score below a 24 composite on the ACT. Anything above a 24 is a very good score on the national level. If you score a 28 or above, you’ve moved into the elite score range, meaning you’re earning a better score than 90% of students in the country. See this article for a more detailed discussion of ACT score percentiles.National statistics are only so helpful because they include students who don’t plan on attending college.This may skew the averages slightly lower and prevent you from setting accurate goals for yourself based on your personal abilities. It's also especially true for the ACT because many states use the ACT as a statewide assessment test that all students are required to take. In the next fewsections, I’ll go over some helpful ways to judge your scores in contexts that might be more appropriate for you. Hawaii requires all high school students to take the ACT. And you can bet that it's hard to get any studying done when your backyard looks like this. What’s a Good Score Compared to Other High-Achieving Students? If you’re an honors student and are not satisfied with comparing yourself to the national average, you might want to compare yourself to other students who have similar goals and high school class records instead.The scores of your similarly high-achieving classmates might be more indicative of the score goals you should be setting for yourself. As a general guideline: For the top third of high school honors students, the 75th percentile ACT score is around a 29. For the top tenth of high school honors students, the 75th percentile ACT score is around a 32. If you’re in either of these groups, these scores should give you a benchmark as to where your scores need to be to compete with others who have similar college ambitions.Remember, 75th percentile means that these scores are higher than those of 75 percent of students within each of the groups, so if you aim for these scores you’ll most likely be above average even in a group of nerds. If you attend a private school, you can also look up statistics on your school's website for ACT scores. Most private schools will provide these numbers publicly. At this point, you may want to get even more specific and research the colleges that interest you to find out what score you should set as your goal. I’ll go over this process in the next section. You're all Smarties, but who is....Smartiest? What’s a Good Score for College? This is where the determination of what a â€Å"good† score means can get a lot more subjective.Since every student has different goals for college, what qualifies as a good score will vary significantly from person to person.The best way to figure out what a good score is for your college goals is to look up the average scores of students who were admitted to colleges that interest you. For most schools, you’ll see a score range that gives you the 25th and 75th percentile scores of students. To have a solid chance of admission, you should aim for the 75th percentile score as your goal.If you’re interested in a few different schools, you might look up statistics for all of them and average the 75th percentile scores to get a reasonable goal score.To find these numbers, just Google â€Å"[name of school] admissions requirements PrepScholar† and click on the first result.Read this article on how to find your target score for more details. If you go through this process and find that your scores are already higher than the average scores at schools that interest you, you might consider aiming for more competitive colleges.At a more selective school, you’ll have access to better opportunities, a more intellectual community, and more challenging classes.You’ll also end up with better prospects post-graduation when you’re applying for jobs or grad school. If you’re aiming for the most competitive schools in the country, you might find that their 75th percentile ACT score is close to a perfect 36 (Harvard’s is a 35).It’s safe to say that at these schools, you’ll need to aim for at least a 32 or higher to have any chance of being accepted. College admissions have become extremely competitive in recent years due to the volume of applications, so schools have had to adopt higher and higher standards to pick out students from the crowd. You gotta be that one special red rock student in the big pile of gray rock students. What’s a Good Score for You? You might also consider your own starting point and limitations when deciding what a good score means. You’re competing against yourself first and foremost as you make improvements to your score.Try studying for ten hours and then taking a practice test.The score that you get on that test can be a baseline for you to build upon in future study sessions.With dedicated studying, you may be able to improve this score by 3 or more points.Once you take this first practice test, you can formulate a study plan to help you reach your score improvement goals. Most students hit the limit of how much time they can put into ACT prep at around 40-80 hours of focused studying.After you have put in this much time, you should take another practice test and see where you stand.If you’ve improved by 3 or more points, you’re getting a good score compared to where you were at the beginning. If you didn’t end up improving much at all, you might want to rethink your study habits and make sure you really understand your mistakes.Getting a â€Å"good† score is really about maximizing your potential, and you can’t do that if you’re not using the right study methods. If you managed to improve by 3 points from a low score, you should consider yourself to have earned a good score regardless of the actual numbers. At this point, you can reassess your goals and see if you might be able to improve even more! If you find that your studying is progressing SLOWLY, you might need to revise your methods. I just really wanted to include this picture of a sloth. What's Next? Trying to improve your score dramatically? Find out how long you should study for the ACT based on your goals. The ACT gives you four free score reports to send to colleges on each test date. Should you use them?And how do you actually send your scores to colleges? What if you have a high GPA but didn't do so well on the ACT? Read our article to learn how to deal with this situation. Disappointed with your ACT scores? Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically.

Cemetery Research for Family History and Genealogy

Cemetery Research for Family History and Genealogy The practice of marking the final resting place of a loved one goes back thousands of years. The ancient pyramids are conceivably the greatest example, standing today as a reminder of the ancient Egyptian glorification of life after death. Roman catacombs, a subterranean burial place for early Christians, contained niches where the fully clothed bodies were placed and which were then sealed with a slab inscribed with the name of the deceased, date of death and a religious symbol. Many of the elaborate grave markers erected in the 19th and early 20th centuries were styled after the memorials of the ancient Greek, Roman and Egyptian civilizations. Following the first World War, grave markers started to become smaller and less elaborate - plain crosses and simple, upright stone slabs decorated with carvings, symbols and epitaphs. Cemeteries are living lessons in history. People who buried their dead said much about themselves and the ones who had died. While not considered a primary information source, gravestones are an excellent source of dates, birthplaces, maiden names, spouses names and parents names. They can also provide evidence of military service, membership in a fraternal organization and religious affiliations. Why Visit Cemeteries? Why should you visit the cemetery if you already have a birth and death date for your ancestor? Because you never know what you may find. Nearby gravestones can lead you to other family members. Little grave markers can tell the story of children who died in infancy for whom no other records exist. Flowers left on a grave may lead you to living descendants. Other than a few records and documents and, perhaps, some family jewelry or heirlooms, your ancestors tombstone is the only physical evidence of the life they lived. There is nothing in your genealogical research that will connect you to your ancestor more than to stand in the one place on earth which contains their mortal remains and to see important pieces of their life carved into stone. It is an amazing, awe-inspiring experience. Next How to Locate a Cemetery The first step in cemetery research is the obvious one- to learn where your ancestor is buried. Death records will often contain this information, as will obituaries. Published cemetery surveys may list your ancestors. Check with family members and other relatives as well. They will often know of family burial locations or may be able to track down a mention on a mass or prayer card or in the family Bible. Funeral Home Religious Records Funeral homes and morticians can be great allies in helping you to locate cemetery records. Funeral home records may still exist which can contain a wealth of information, including the burial location. Funeral directors will have knowledge of most cemeteries in their area, and may also be able to point you to family members. If a funeral home is no longer in business, then check with other area funeral homes as they may know where the old records are located. If you know your ancestors religious affiliation you may want to try contacting the church in the area where your ancestor lived. Churches often maintain attached cemeteries and also keep records for their members who are buried elsewhere. Turn to the Locals The local genealogical or family history society is a good source for information on local cemeteries. These groups are continually working to preserve valuable cemetery information and may have compiled cemetery indexes or be able to provide clues to little known burial locations, especially family cemeteries. Old local histories can also prove useful in identifying former names and locations for cemeteries which have been moved. Cemeteries Online The Internet is fast becoming a valuable source for cemetery records as well. Many cemetery sites such as FindAGrave and BillionGraves, have online cemetery records, photos, or transcriptions, or use your favorite search engine to search for a specific cemetery. Special geographic place name search engines can also help to locate a cemetery, though the information available on the Internet varies widely by country. The U.S. Geographic Names Information Server, for example, allows you to narrow down your search by selecting cemetery as the feature type. Map Your Way to the Cemetery If you have narrowed down the area, but arent sure which cemetery may contain your ancestor, then maps, especially historical maps, can be of great assistance. Use land, tax or census records to help you pinpoint your ancestors land on a map. You will often find them buried in a nearby cemetery, or even in a family cemetery on their own property. Topographic maps or locality maps may show cemeteries, roads, houses and farms. Even little details such as elevation features can be useful as cemeteries were often erected on high ground. Next What to Take When You Visit the Cemetery When heading out to the cemetery for some tombstone research, a little advance planning can really help to make your visit a success. Best Time to Visit the Cemetery The best time to visit a cemetery is in the spring or fall - especially if it is one which is neglected and overgrown. Brush and grass will not be as high in the spring, which will help you to discern holes, rocks, snakes and other obstacles before you trip over them. Sometimes the season can have an impact on whether you even find the cemetery at all. I have located several family cemeteries in the southeastern U.S. which are situated in the middle of cornfields. Needless to say, it is nearly impossible to find such cemeteries when the corn is taller than you are! What to Bring to the Cemetery The well-dressed cemetery researcher wears long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, sturdy shoes and gloves to help ward off critters such as snakes, gnats, ticks and mosquitoes. If the cemetery is in a wooded or rural location you may also want to bring along a hoe to help cut down brush and a friend or fellow researcher for safety. Even if it is broiling hot when you visit the cemetery, the long pants and sturdy, comfortable shoes are a good idea.   Clues Beyond the Tombstones Whether the cemetery is public or private, you should do a search for existing records. Most commonly known as sextons records (a sexton is a caretaker responsible for the cemetery), these records can include burial registers, plat maps and plot records. These records will vary greatly by country and time period and may not exist, but never assume! A sign outside of the cemetery may be able to point you to its caretaker. Turn to the local phone book to contact area funeral directors or churches. Check with the area library or historical/genealogical society for tips on possible record locations. You may be surprised by what you can find. One last thing - before you visit a private cemetery, be sure to get permission from the land owner!   Plan Ahead for a Successful Cemetery Visit Dress appropriatelyBring paper, several pencils, a camera and plenty of filmConsider bringing optional items such as a digital camera, video camera, tape recorder or handheld computer.Extra batteries for anything that may need them!If you plan to do any tombstone rubbings, then be sure to bring the appropriate suppliesWater, rags and a soft nylon bristle brush for cleaning stones, plus clippers for clearing away grass and brushIf you are looking for unmarked cemeteries, you may want to bring a map so that you can mark their locations as you locate them Next Stories in Stone The highlight of any trip to the cemetery is reading the stones. Once you have taken that irresistible quick peek for your ancestors headstone, however, you should stop and plan out your route around the cemetery. Methodical might be boring, but it greatly decreases your chances of missing something important when youre searching a cemetery for clues. If the cemetery is not too large, and you have enough time, it can be very helpful to make a complete transcription of the cemetery. Even if you only make note of the names and dates on each tombstone, along with their location in the cemetery, this can save you a trip back in the future as well as help other researchers. There is a lot of information and advice available on the proper methods for transcribing tombstones. While these can serve as great reference guides, there is really no need to worry about formality. The important thing is to make a note of everything that you see. Make Your Visit Count Write down names, dates and inscriptions exactly as they appear on the stone. It is very easy to make assumptions in the excitement of the moment, and it will be very beneficial to have an accurate record as you move forward (or backward as the case may be) with your research. Be sure to sketch any symbols that you are unfamiliar with so that you can look them up later. These symbols or emblems may be valuable clues to membership in an organization which may have records about your ancestor. Make a note of the physical relationship between tombstones as well. Family members will often be buried together in the same plot. Nearby graves may belong to parents. Small unmarked stones may indicate children that died in their infancy. Neighbors and relatives may also be buried in adjoining sections. As you make your way around, be sure not to miss the back of the stones as they can also contain important information. Another good way to record cemetery information is to use a cassette recorder or video camera as you move around the cemetery. You can read off names, dates and inscriptions easily and make note of important information, such as when you start a new row. It also provides you with a backup for any written transcriptions that you have made. Pictures are worth a thousand words and are much better for tombstones than chalk or shaving cream. Use hand-held clippers to clear brush away from the stone and then use a nylon (never wire) bristle brush and plain water to clean the stone from bottom to top, rinsing well as you go. A bright sunny day and a mirror to help reflect the sunlight on the stone can really help to bring out the carvings.More: Tips for Taking Great Tombstone Photos Most important for your cemetery visit is to enjoy yourself! Visiting cemeteries is one of the most rewarding parts of genealogy research, so stop and take the time to commune with your ancestors.