<p>1) I have a 3.96. Do you think my school can send a 4? Would they be willing to? Guidance at my school is beyond garbage and useless most of the time. Does it really matter to colleges? I had an A- in Spanish freshman year but other than that all A and A+.</p>
<p>2) What's up with submitting ACT scores? I have to tell ACT my colleges ahead of time? So if I do well on 26th (my first time) and I didn't tell them which colleges to send to then no colleges can receive it? I can't submit the score myself? I thought with SAT you can take a bunch of times and then send the score you want to certain schools.</p>
<p>Your school will send your full transcript and report your grades consistent with the way everyone else’s at your school are reported. 3.96 is just fine, don’t worry.</p>
<p>If you don’t mind paying $12 per school, through the ACT website you will be able to select which scores to officially send to your schools after your results are in.</p>
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<li><p>Most colleges revamp your GPA anyway because not all schools are on par. You’ve probably seen some people who have like a 5.92 GPA which isn’t possible on other schools. A 3.96 is fine, at my school it would have been a 4.0 since we don’t do +/-. But honors classes also don’t get any bonus for weighted GPA, only AP gets a 5.0. Don’t be worried about it, you’ll be on par with everyone else.</p></li>
<li><p>If you don’t want to pay, you just select the schools you want to send the scores to. Otherwise, you pay $12 after the date to send it to each school.</p></li>
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<p>Scores expire in a set amount of years (I can’t remember, it may be 4), which shouldn’t affect you.</p>
<p>If you want to send your scores for free, those 4 “free” scores must be used before the 26th - in fact, today or tomorrow is the deadline for that choice. Put your absolute safety, like an in-state college where you’re sure to get in, and three possible safety schools that you would like to attend even if they’re not your favorite. Save your reach/dream schools for next year. :)</p>
<p>There is a threshold beyond which the holistic view of the applicant matters far more than a single number. Your GPA is well beyond that threshold. </p>
<p>In other words, it is high enough that - assuming you achieve comparable standardized test scores - your application will get a first and second reading at whatever Ivy you apply to. You won’t be automatically eliminated from the pool.</p>
<p>After that, it depends entirely on giving the admissions officers who read your app reasons to advocate for your admissions. As a Tufts admissions officer has said, every admissions action is an “affirmative” action, meaning that you have to have someone in your corner actively advocating “This kid is a yes” or else it’s a No. And you don’t earn that on the strength of 0.04 GPA points, you earn it with the whole of your application. </p>
<p>Above all, I advise you to not even speak to your school about changing your GPA to a 4. It is what it is. Teachers and administrators talk to one another, and the last thing you want is a guidance counselor saying to a teacher who is writing one of your recommendations, “Can you believe this kid? Wanting me to change a 3.96 to a 4.0…of all the silly, arrogant things to ask for!” Bringing it up could do you more harm than 0.04 points ever could.</p>