Julian Grisius, a senior at Homewood-Flossmoor High School, got a perfect score on the ACT test, and a near perfect score on the SAT test.
Both scores are used by colleges to assess applicants. The standardized test covers English, math, reading and science.
Grisius took the ACT exam in May and learned his score through an email. He says he was “pleasantly surprised” by the results.
parents Kim Kong, left, and James Grisius, earned a perfect score
on the ACT assessment test. (Marilyn Thomas/H-F Chronicle)
The Ilinois Board of Higher Education mandates the test given to members of the junior class. H-F student scores are part of the state’s School Report Card. The state switched from the SAT to the ACT exam this year.
Grisius didn’t take any practice courses, but he did study on his own for the SAT exam. He decided to take the SAT exam and got a 1550 score, just 50 points off from the perfect score of 1600.
“One of my issues when I was first practicing for the test, I would always get stuck on trying to solve a question that was beyond me and lose time and points,” he said.
When he took the ACT exam at H-F, “For the most part, I was pretty confident with my answers but on the math section there was one question that had to do with circle geometry stuff. I’ve always been kind of weak on that and I wasn’t sure how to respond so I just guessed and moved on.”
It was a good guess. His ACT score was a 36, a perfect score. Grisius said, “I was pleasantly surprised, I don’t think I was shocked. I took a practice test a week before and I got a 35, so I was thinking I’d get a 34, or somewhere in that range.
“I think my routine might surprise you. I don’t do a whole lot of reading these days. I used to love reading, but I’m working on a book for six months now,” he said. He works out, but mostly, “I spend time studying and writing stuff. Right now, I’m working on college essays. I don’t think my routines or daily interest are what got me the score. I just focused on the ACT/SAT and that got me where I am today.”
Grisius, 16, is in the International Baccalaureate program at H-F. He said he appreciates the variety of programs H-F offers, although his coursework limits his time to participate. He’s been a member of the H-F Fencing Club the past three years as an epee fencer, a more strategic and defensive style of fencing. He also is a member of the National Honor Society.
“I love my (IB program) Theory of Knowledge class, sort of like a philosophy class. It’s really interesting, good conversations. Math is my hardest class, very challenging but also very rewarding,” he said.
He’s already begun his college search and expects to major in psychology or neuroscience. Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and Washington University in St. Louis are on his list.
Grisius started doing research as a student at James Hart School looking at how student behavior and socializations changed because of the pandemic. He had 73 students and 34 teachers address his survey questions.
At H-F, Grisius took on another study, “The Effects of Medium Richness on Affective and Opinion Polarization,” and competed with his findings at the Illinois Junior Academy of Science regional and state science fairs. He was selected as one of two students to present their research at the Illinois State Academy of Science annual meeting in 2024.
Grisius, the son of James Grisius and Kim Kong of Homewood, said his mother, a psychologist, has been a big influence on his undertaking these projects.
